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Response to Mitchell M. Tsai Comment Letter dated May 11, 2020 <br />Comment 1: The comment provides an introductory statement and notes the comments on the Final EIR are <br />submitted on behalf of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters that is a labor union representing <br />50,000 carpenters. The comment also provides generalized information about the provision of comments <br />under CEQA, and requests future notices about the Project. In addition, the comment states that the city <br />must consider proposing that the Applicant provide additional community benefits such as requiring local <br />hire and paying prevailing wages to benefit the City. <br />Response 1: The comment is general in nature. This comment from an attorney for the Southwest <br />Carpenters Union provides an introduction to comments and includes background information on the <br />Southwest Carpenters and CEQA and associated regulations. The comment requests additional community <br />benefits but does not provide any substantive comments or questions about the content of the EIR. <br />Therefore, no further response is required. However, the City acknowledges that the commenter will <br />receive future CEQA notices regarding the project. <br />Comment 2: The comment states that the letter includes comments related to air quality and greenhouse <br />gas from Matt Hagemann, P.G., C.Hg. and Paul Rosenfeld, Ph.D. concerning the Draft EIR. The comment <br />asserts they are technical experts, and their Curriculum Vitae (CV) is attached to the letter. <br />Response 2: The comment provides background information related to the commenters, is general in <br />nature, and does not provide any substantive comments or questions about the content of the EIR. <br />Therefore, no further response is required. <br />Comment 3: The comment provides a summary of CEQA requirements through references to case law and <br />statutes. The comment states that CEQA directs public agencies to avoid or reduce environmental damage <br />when possible by requiring alternatives or mitigation measures, and that the EIR's function is to provide a <br />full understanding of the environmental consequences of projects. <br />Response 3: The comment is general in nature and does not identify any specific alleged deficiency with <br />the analysis in the EIR. Therefore, no further response is required. <br />Comment 4: The comment asserts that the EIR does not maintain a stable and consistent project description <br />because the Final EIR identifies modifications to the Project that include changes to the commercial space, <br />landscaping, and the ratio of required parking spaces that the Project would provide per residential unit. <br />Response 4: Since publication of the Notice of Preparation, the Project description has remained stable <br />and proposes to redevelop the Project site with up to 80,000 square feet of retail and restaurant <br />commercial space and 1,150 multi -family residential units. As detailed in the Final EIR, minor details to the <br />Project site plan have been revised in response to the City's detailed review of the proposal, applicant <br />revisions in response to the City's review, and comments received on the Draft EIR. These revisions include: <br />1) clarification of the types of retail and restaurants that would be within the 80,000 square feet of <br />proposed commercial space; 2) an increase in residential parking from 1.7 spaces per unit to 2.0 spaces <br />per unit to be consistent with similar developments within the City; and 3)(in response to SCAQMD <br />comments) requiring the Project to provide information to commercial tenants about the availability of <br />electric landscaping equipment through SCAQMD's Commercial Electric Lawn and Garden Equipment <br />Incentive and Exchange Program. <br />The CEQA process provides for revisions to environmental analysis in response to response to comments <br />and/or any other information added by the Lead Agency (CEQA Guidelines Section 15132(e)). <br />75C-191 <br />