RECOMMENDATION(S): (CONT'D)
DETERMINE that the Project will not have a significant effect on the environment and is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Article 5, Section 15061 (b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, and
DIRECT the Director of the Department of Conservation and Development to file a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk.
AUTHORIZE the Public Works Director, or designee, to arrange for the payment of a $25 fee to the Department of Conservation and Development for processing, and a $50 fee to the County Clerk for filing the Notice of Exemption.
DIRECT the Real Estate Division of the Public Works Department to cause said Permanent Easements and a certified copy of this Board Order to be delivered to the City for acceptance and recording in the office of the County-Clerk Recorder. The Temporary Construction Easement will not be recorded.
FISCAL IMPACT:
100% City of San Ramon Funds. The City will reimburse the County for its administrative, environmental and survey costs related to this transaction.
BACKGROUND:
The County owns and manages a strip of land that runs from Mayette Avenue in the City of Concord to the City of San Ramon, Contra Costa County. Said strip of land is more commonly known as the Iron Horse Corridor (IHC). The City of San Ramon is planning to construct the Iron Horse Trail Pedestrian and Bike Overcrossing Project (Project) in San Ramon over portions of the existing IHC located on the north and south alignment of Bollinger Canyon Road. The Project will improve safety and air quality by reducing at grade crossing conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists and improve motor vehicle traffic by reducing idling at the intersection.
In order for the City to construct the Project, the City requires the County to convey two permanent easements and temporary construction easements to the City for construction, access and maintenance of the bridge, landscaping irrigation and incidentals related to each.
The City will reimburse 100% the County’s costs to process this transaction, including CEQA environmental review and filing fees. The Real Estate Division has determined that the conveyance of the easements will not substantially conflict or interfere with the County’s use of the property. The conveyance of the easements are in the public interest insofar as it is for the public use.
As further described in the attached CEQA Notice of Exemption, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The City of San Ramon will not have the necessary rights to construct the Project.