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Home My WebLink AboutAGENDA REPORT 2004 1201 CC REG ITEM 09CMOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council ITEM q. C, - CITY OF MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA City Council Meeting FROM: Barry K. Hogan, Community Development Di rect 0 Prepared By: David A. Bobardt, Planning Ma r DATE: November 18, 2004 (CC Meeting of 12/1/2004) SUBJECT: Consider the Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Focused Update of the Ventura County General Plan BACKGROUND On November 1, 2004, the County of Ventura released a Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for its Focused General Plan Update. A CD -ROM of this Draft EIR has been distributed to City Council under separate cover. Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report are due on December 15, 2004. This update program proposes both substantive and procedural changes to the Goals, Policies and Programs document with amendments to the Land Use, Public Facilities and Services, and Hazards chapters. Direction from the City Council is sought for comments on both the Draft EIR and proposed General Plan update. DISCUSSION Comments on Draft EIR - On February 24, 2004, the County of Ventura issued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Subsequent EIR for its Countywide General Plan Update program. The City Council considered this matter on March 17, 2004, and directed specific comments to be submitted to the County. Comments primarily focused on changes to planned roadway lanes, requesting analysis of the resulting shift in truck traffic to the SR -118. A copy of the City's comment letter is attached. City comments have been briefly summarized in Section 1.5 of the Introduction Chapter 1.5 (Areas of Known Controversy) . However, the requested analysis has not been performed. The only note by 000029 Honorable City Council December 1, 2004 Page 2 the County with respect to City concerns is a general statement in Section 2.5 (Project Components that have Potential for Adverse Environmental Impact) that reads, "The planned widening of roads of the Regional Road Network will have both direct impacts and growth inducing impacts on the environment." The proposed changes to the County General Plan include changes to the planned number of lanes of 5th Street (SR -34) between Oxnard and Camarillo, Somis Road (SR -34) between Camarillo and SR -118, Hueneme Road between Rice Avenue and Las Posas Road, Rice Avenue between Hueneme Road and Oxnard, and Los Angeles Avenue (SR -118) between Santa Clara Avenue and SR -34, all from two planned lanes to four planned lanes. When combined with other existing or planned four -lane roads under this proposed plan, Moorpark would be connected by a web of planned four -lane roads to major inter - regional trucking routes and the Port of Hueneme. With the significance of the SR -118 freeway as a less - congested trucking alternative to the U.S. 101 freeway, these planned roadways would greatly increase the desirability for truck drivers to travel through Moorpark. No analysis of the shift in truck traffic has been performed. Comments on Focused General Plan Update - The City's response letter to the NOP included a statement that the City's comments on the proposed changes to the County's General Plan would be submitted at the time that comments are submitted on the Draft EIR. Staff recommends that the proposed changes to the planned roadway lanes on the sections of the SR -118 and SR -34 identified in this report be opposed by the City Council. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Direct staff to prepare a letter to the County of Ventura, resubmitting comments made in response to the Notice of Preparation, along with a recommendation that certain sections of SR -118 and SR -34 remain planned as two -lane roads in the General Plan update. Attachments 1. March 24, 2004, Comment Letter on Notice of Preparation 2. CD -ROM of Draft EIR (under separate cover) 90003® March 24, 2004 CITY OF MOURPARK COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PLANNING — BUILDING AND SAFETY -- CODE COMPLIANCE 799 Moorpark Avenue, Moorpark, California 93021 (805) 517 -6200 fax (805) 529 -8270 www.ci.mooroark.ca. us Christopher Stevens, Planning Director Attention: Bruce Smith, Manager, General Plan Section Ventura County Planning Division 800 S. Victoria Avenue, Loc. #1740 Ventura, CA 93009 RE: Notice of Preparation of a Subsequent EIR Focused Countywide General Plan Update Dear Mr. Smith, Thank you for consulting with the City of Moorpark on the Subsequent EIR that will be prepared for the Countywide General Plan Update. The Moorpark City Council and city staff have reviewed the Notice of Preparation along with the proposed changes to the General Plan and offer the following comments: 1. The City of Moorpark is particularly concerned over traffic impacts that could result through the change in planned width of Highway 118 between Santa Clara Avenue and Highway 34 from two lanes to four lanes. Widening of this highway segment would further encourage truck traffic to favor Highway 118 over Highway 101, impacting Moorpark residents and businesses with additional truck traffic, noise, and air pollution, particularly toxic diesel emissions. Interregional truck traffic should be discouraged from any routes other than grade- separated highways, except for local deliveries. The EIR should consider these impacts in a cumulative context, due to the already heavy truck traffic along the Highway 118 corridor through Moorpark. Even though the segments of Highway 118 between Highway 232 and Santa Clara Avenue and between Highway 34 and Moorpark City Limits are already planned for four lanes, the cumulative effect of the proposed amendment would result in a planned four lane highway between Highway 126 and Moorpark City Limits. The additional traffic from the buildout of Highway 118 needs to be evaluated in this context. 2. The change in the planned width of Highway 34 south of Highway 118 from two lanes to four lanes would further encourage the use of Highway 118 as an interregional truck route. The impact of this change in policy should also be fully addressed in a cumulative context in the Draft EIR. F1 LEO u PATRICK HUNTER JANICE PARVIN CLINT HARPER ROSEANN MIKOS KEITH F. MILLHOUSE Mayor Mayor Pro Tom Councilmember Councilmember Councilmember CC ATTACHMENT 1 900031 County GPU NOP March 24, 2004 Page 2 3. Although already part of the General Plan, the widening of Santa Clara Avenue to four lanes from Highway 101 to Highway 118, when combined with a proposed planned four -lane extension of Rice Avenue to Hueneme Road would result in a very direct route of Port truck traffic to Highway 118 through the City of Moorpark to the 118 Freeway. The Draft EIR should consider plans of the Port of Hueneme for increased activity when evaluating traffic impacts on Highway 118 in the City of Moorpark. 4. In addition to the proposed changes to the planned road widths noted above, a number of the proposed changes to the planned County road network could affect interregional traffic movements, particularly through the encouragement of interregional traffic to use State Highway 118 through Moorpark instead of U.S. Highway 101. This potential for shifts in traffic patterns needs to be fully addressed in the Draft EIR. 5. The proposed alternative of a Highway 34 Bypass may also increase interregional truck traffic on Highway 118 by making this route quicker in relation to the U.S. Highway 101. The impacts associated with a potential shift in traffic needs to be addressed in the Draft EIR. 6. The City supports the exploration of other alternatives to changes to the planned widths of State Highways 118 and 34, including one alternative noted in the NOP that would by policy reduce the County's LOS standard from "D" to "E ". The City would like to see alternatives that do not encourage the use of State Highway 118 as an alternative to U.S. Highway 101. 7. One alternative not mentioned in the NOP is the potential increased development of the rail infrastructure to handle increased movement of goods through Ventura County. Such an alternative should be evaluated to determine if the impacts of truck traffic can be reduced by improvements to the County's rail network. The addition of parallel tracks and extensions of existing lines could encourage the use of rails to accommodate future growth of goods movement without severely impacting the road network, except for local deliveries. 8. The use of community sewage treatment facilities should be carefully considered to avoid urbanization in areas planned for open space. 9. Moorpark has already passed the population and dwelling units forecast through the year 2015. Please consult with the Moorpark Community Development staff on up to date projections for these years. Although a Notice of County of Ventura Focused General Plan Update was sent the day after the Notice of Preparation for the EIR, giving 45 days for comments on the proposed changes to County General Plan, the City will reserve its comments on the merits of the General Plan update until the EIR has been prepared. The contact person for the City of Moorpark is Barry K. Hogan, Community Development Director, at (805) () O's') 93 '02: County GPU NOP March 24, 2004 Page 3 517 -6258 or bhogan(cD-ci.moorpark.ca.us questions. incerely a pment Director c: Honorable City Council Honorable Planning Commission Steven Kueny, City Manager Chron File Please let me know if you have any 90010�0