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FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (FEIR) Transportation Element General Plan Amendment (FEIR)
AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW (August 5 - September 22, 2008): Transportation Element General Plan Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE DEIR AND TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 25, 2008, 7:00 PM IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 2263 SANTA CLARA AVENUE, ALAMEDA, CA. For information, contact the City's Department of Planning and Building, at (510) 747-6850.
The City is undertaking an update of the Transportation Element from the General Plan. The current General Plan was approved in 1991. Since that time, major changes have taken place in Alameda, primarily the closing of the former Alameda Naval Air Station. The redevelopment of this area — now known as Alameda Point — will have to address major transportation challenges, given that the only means of travel into and out of Alameda through the west end are via the Webster and Posey Tubes, or the Alameda/Oakland Ferry Service. With other redevelopment projects such as Alameda Landing and the Northern Waterfront also in the works, sound transportation planning will be critical to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in Alameda.
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Virtually every street in Alameda is a residential street. Therefore, transportation decisions need to balance the goals of moving traffic smoothly and quickly with Alamedans' much loved quality of life.
—Draft Transportation Element |
The "Transportation Element"
A key step in updating the City's transportation policies is updating the Transportation Element of the City's General Plan. This effort is being undertaken as part of Alameda's Transportation Master Plan (TMP), which is led by the City’s Transportation Commission. The TMP is a comprehensive approach to address Alameda's current and future transportation needs for motor vehicles, transit, bicycling, and walking, as well as policies to encourage the reduction of trips. While the final TMP will include both policies and a set of prioritized projects, only the recommended TMP policies have been included in the proposed update to the Transportation Element. The TMP process will continue to move forward to develop a recommended project list.
The Transportation Commission's recommended Transportation Element includes the following components:
- Multimodal circulation plan policies
- Street Functional Classification System
- EIR policies
- Transportation Systems Management/ Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM) policies
- Pedestrian Policies
Consultant to Review Proposed Transportation Element, Prepare EIR
The City has hired a consultant, Dowling and Associates, to review the proposed Transportation Element and prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR), in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). CEQA requires that plans and projects be evaluated for a broad range of factors, including impacts on traffic, air quality, noise levels, wildlife habitat, and historical resources.
 The EIR will identify the potentially significant impacts of these polices and strategies for mitigating those impacts, where possible. The EIR will then be presented to the Transportation Commission for comment, and the Planning Board and City Council for approval.
Public Comment Opportunities
Once the draft EIR is complete, there will be a public comment period, and all comments submitted will be responded to and included in the final report. Meetings of the Transportation Commission, Planning Board, and City Council also offer opportunities for public input.
The Transportation Element is scheduled to be brought to the City Council for adoption in the summer of 2008.
For More Information
If you have any questions about the draft Transportation Element, please contact Obaid Khan, Supervising Civil Engineer, at (510) 749-5926 or okhan@ci.alameda.ca.us.
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