CC Resolution 2000-136RESOLUTION NO. 2000-136
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA, CERTIFYING AN ADDENDUM
TO A PREVIOUSLY CERTIFIED MITIGATED NEGATIVE
DECLARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PREPARED
FOR GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT 2000-072, ZONE
CHANGE 2000-097, AND TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP
29897
CASE NO: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 97-341 ADDENDUM
CHAPMAN GOLF DEVELOPMENT, L.L.C.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of La Quinta, California, did on
the 17th day of October, 2000, hold a duly noticed Public Hearing to consider an
Addendum to Environmental Assessment 97-341, as prepared for General Plan
Amendment 2000-072, Zone Change 2000-097, and Tentative Parcel Map 29897;
and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission of the City of La Quinta, California,
did on the 10"' day of October, 2000, hold a duly noticed Public Hearing. to consider
an Addendum to Environmental Assessment 97-341, as prepared for General Plan
Amendment 2000-072, Zone Change 2000-097, and Tentative Parcel Map 29897;
and
WHEREAS, said applications has complied with the requirements of "The
Rules to Implement the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970" (as amended;
Resolution 83-68 adopted by the La Quinta City Council) in that the Community
Development Department has prepared an Addendum to Environmental Assessment
97-341 pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15164; and,
WHEREAS, on November 18, 1997, the La Quinta City Council certified
a Mitigated Negative Declaration of Environmental impact for Environmental
Assessment 97-341 for The Tradition Tract Map 28470 (Resolution 97-26) for a 242
lot a Country Club with an 18-hole golf course.
WHEREAS, the Revised Project does not call for the preparation of a
subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration or EIR pursuant to CEQA Guideline 15162
or Public Resources Code Section 21166, in that the Revised Project does not involve:
(1) substantial changes to the project analyzed in the Mitigated Negative Declaration
which would involve new significant effects on the environment or substantially
increase the severity of previously identified impacts; (2) substantial changes with
respect to the circumstances under which the project is being undertaken which would
involve new significant effects on the environment not analyzed in the Mitigated
Resolution No. 2000-136
Environmental Assessment 97-341 Addendum
October 17, 2000
Page 2
Negative Declaration substantially increase the severity of previously identified
impacts; or (3) new information of substantial importance which would involve new
significant effects on the environment not analyzed in the Mitigated Negative
Declaration substantially increase the severity of previously identified impacts.
WHEREAS, upon hearing and considering all testimony and arguments,
if any, of all interested persons desiring to be heard, said City Council did find the
following facts, findings, and reasons to justify certification of said Addendum:
1. The proposed General Plan Amendment and related applications will not have
the potential to degrade the quality of the environment, as the project in
question will not be developed in any manner inconsistent with the General Plan
and other current City standards. The project does not have the potential to
eliminate an important example of California prehistory, as extensive
archaeological investigations of the site have been conducted as part of the
project to implement appropriate mitigation alternatives. The applicant has
agreed to implementing the necessary mitigation prior to site development
activities and is in concurrence with project conditions relating to this.
2. The proposed General Plan Amendment and related applications will not have
the potential to achieve short term goals.
3. The proposed General Plan Amendment and- related applications will not have
impacts which are individually limited, but cumulatively considerable when
considering planned or proposed development in the immediate vicinity, in that
the proposed project is undertaken pursuant to the General Plan for which a
Mitigated Negative Declaration has been certified.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of
La Quinta, California, as follows:
1 . That the recitations are true and correct and constitute the findings of the City
Council for this Addendum to Environmental Assessment 97-341 .
2. That it does hereby certify an Addendum to Environmental Assessment 97-341
in that the changes proposed to the project are a minor nature and do not
require the preparation of a subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration pursuant
to Public Resources Code Section 21166 and there are no new circumstances
which would require the preparation of a subsequent Mitigated Negative
Declaration and there is no new information or change in circumstances which
would require the preparation of a subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration.
Resolution No. 2000-136
Environmental Assessment 97-341 Addendum
October 17, 2000
Page 3
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the La Quinta
City Council held on this 17th day of October, 2000 by the following vote:
AYES: Council Members Adolph, Henderson, Perkins, Sniff, Mayor Pena
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: None
rod 74i ril , bom t In
• T' TP-EIq—A'—iVTior
Quinta,City of La
ATTEST:
J GREEK, CMC, C' lerk
City of La Quinta, California
(City Seal)
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
M"/
M. KATHERINE JE ON, City Attorney
City of La Quinta, falifornia
ADDENDUM TO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 97-341
FOR
GENERAL PLAN 2000-072, CHANGE OF ZONE 2000-097, AND
TENTATIVE PARCEL MAP 29897
Prepared by:
City of La Quinta
78-495 Calle Tampico
La Quinta, California 92253
Contact: Principal Planner Fred Baker
(760)777-7125
Prepared for:
Chapman Golf Development, L.L.C.
Tradition Club Associates
78-505 Old Avenue 52
La Quinta, CA 92253
September 11, 2000
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INTRODUCTION
This Addendum to the previously certified Environmental Assessment (EA) 97-341, for
Tract 28611 has been completed pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA) in order to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with minor changes.
PREVIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTATION
Proposed changes to Tract 28611 now require further environmental evaluation. This
evaluation need not take the form of another EA, as explained below, but can take
place in an Addendum to the EA 97-341 for General Plan 2000-072, Change of Zone
2000-097, and Tentative Parcel Map 29897 .
EA ADDENDUM CRITERIA
According to CEQA Guidelines § 15164, if a project does not fulfill any of the criteria
enumerated in CEQA Guidelines § 15162(a)(1)-(3) then an Addendum, rather than a
subsequent or Supplemental EA is appropriate. The determination that none of the
criteria outlined in CEQA Guidelines § 15162(a)(1)-(3) are fulfilled must be supported
by substantial evidence.
As stated in CEQA Guidelines § 15162:
a. When an EIR has been certified or negative declaration adopted no
subsequent EIR shall be prepared for that project unless the lead agency
determines, on the basis of substantial evidence in the light of the whole
record, one or more of the following:
(1) Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances
under which the project is undertaken which will require major
revisions of the previous EIR or Negative Declaration due to the
involvement of new significant environmental effects or a
substantial increase in the severity of previously identified
significant effects;
(2) Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances
under which the project is undertaken which will require major
revisions of the previous EIR or Negative Declaration due to the
involvement of new significant environmental effects or a
substantial increase in the severity of previously identified
significant effects; or,
(3) New information of substantial importance, which was not known
and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable
diligence at the time the previous EIR was certified as complete or
Negative Declaration was adopted shows any of the following:
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(A) The project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in the
previous EIR or Negative Declaration;
(B) Significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe
than shown in the previous EIR;
(C) Mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible
would in fact be feasible and would substantially reduce one or more
significant effects of the project, but the project proponents decline to
adopt the mitigation measure or alternative; or
(D) Mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from
those analyzed in the previous EIR would substantially reduce one or
more significant effects on the environment, but the project proponents
decline to adopt the mitigation measure or alternative.
A detailed description of the initially proposed project and the currently proposed
project is provided in Section (Project Site Characteristics) of this document. Using
the information provided in Section 2, a brief refutation of the criteria set forth in
CEQA Guidelines § 15162 is provided as follows.
Subsection (a)(1) does not apply to the proposed changes to the Project because the
revision is not a substantial change in the Project's scale with commensurate increase
in environmental impacts from those initially anticipated and disclosed in the Negative
Declaration. No new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the
severity of previously identified significant effects would occur as a result of
construction of the currently proposed project.
Subsection (a)(2) does not apply because there are no substantial changes to he
existing environmental conditions such that new and significant environmental impacts
or a substantial increase in the severity of the environmental impacts would occur. As
previously stated, the proposed Project is not a substantial change, with a
commensurate increase in environmental impacts. In summary, the environmental
circumstances under which the Project is undertaken are substantially similar to, or in
some cases are, improved over the conditions in 1998.
Lastly, Subsection (a)(3) does not apply because the environmental analysis did not
identify any significant environmental effects that were not previously disclosed in the
Negative Declaration, nor did this analysis find that any significant environmental
effects previously examined in the Negative Declaration will be substantially more
severe with the revised plan. In fact, some effects were determined to be less severe
as a result of the project redesign. Further, this analysis did not reveal that there are
any new mitigation measures that would substantially reduce one or more significant
effects.
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In summary, CEQA Guidelines § 15164 (b) states that:
"An addendum to an adopted negative declaration may be prepared if only minor
technical changes or additions are necessary"
Given that none of the conditions outlined in CEQA Guidelines § 15162 have occurred,
an Addendum to the Negative Declaration is the appropriate document for evaluating
environmental impacts resulting from the revised Tentative Tract.
PROJECT SITE CHARACTERISTICS
The project boundaries are defined as a 13,230 square foot graded portion of Lot 34
within Tract 28611 located on Peerless. The request is to change the Golf Course
designation located on Peerless to Low Density Residential use on the General Plan and
Zoning Maps.
REVISED IMPACTS
The elimination of the Golf Course designation and changing it to Low Density
Residential (LDR)use will not change the environmental impacts. Tract Map 28611
consists of 148.64 acres with 33 residential lots; with LDR Zoning on 148.64 acres
the tract could achieve 595 residential lots. With the addition one residential lot, no
significant change in impacts will result in the areas of air quality, noise, population
generation, use of natural and energy resources, traffic, public facility and services
demand, and cumulative impacts.
CONCLUSION
The La Quinta Community Development Department has determined that based on this
addendum to the previously certified Negative Declaration, no further environmental
review is deemed necessary, pursuant to the Guidelines for Implementation of the
California Environmental Quality Act, Section 15304.
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