Housing Element Environmental Impact Review (EIR)

Housing Element Environmental Impact Review (EIR)

The California Environmental Quality Act (Section 21000, et. seq. of the California Public Resources Code, hereafter CEQA) requires analysis of projects or actions that have the potential to result in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. The adoption of the Housing Element is a "project" under CEQA. Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines, the City has determined that a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) is the appropriate review for the Housing Element.

In addition to the Housing Element Update, the SEIR also considers proposed amendments to the Safety Element of the General Plan as required by Senate Bill 99 (2019). More information is available on the General Plan webpage.

There are four general stages to the CEQA process and the EIR:

  • 1. Notice of Preparation and Scoping

    Under this stage, the City provides notice (through a Notice of Preparation) that an EIR will be prepared. This provides other local and State agencies, as well as the public, with an opportunity to comment on the scope of the SEIR.
  • 2. Draft SEIR

    The City will prepare and release for public comment, a draft SEIR. The SEIR will be available on this page for review and comment.
  • 3. Final SEIR

    The City will review comments received on the draft SEIR and prepare responses to comments, along with technical corrections to the draft SEIR. This will be documented in a Final SEIR.
  • 4. Certification

    Once the Final SEIR is prepared, the document will be presented to the Planning Commission and City Council for review. The City Council will be asked to certify the document.

The Housing Element SEIR is currently at Step 3, Final SEIR.

Final Subsequent EIR

On April 12, 2021, the City released the Final SEIR for the Housing Element Update. The document is available for review at the links below.

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The City received public comments on the Draft SEIR at a public meeting on March 17, 2021 at noon. Consistent with Executive Order N-29-20 issued March 17, 2020, and Executive Order N-35-20 issued March 21, 2020, by the Governor of the State of California, this meeting was held online only via Zoom.

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Notice of Preparation and Scoping

A Notice of Preparation (NOP) was prepared and is available for review on this website. The comment period for the NOP was from June 22, 2020 to July 22, 2020.

CEQA provides for the City to facilitate one or more Scoping Meetings, which provide opportunity for determining the scope and content of the EIR. Traditionally, the City hosts one Scoping Meeting for the public during the NOP comment period. In accordance with State and local health orders limiting in-person public meetings, the City is providing an alternative method for the Scoping Meeting. A video presentation by staff, introducing the Project and outlining the CEQA process, is available below.

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