Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 99-53 RESOLUTION NO. 99-53 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH CERTIFYING MASTER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT NO. 99-1 FOR THE MASTER PLAN OF RECREATION USES FOR CENTRAL PARK WHEREAS, Master Environmental Impact Report No. 99-1 has been prepared to address the environmental effects, mitigation measures, and project alternatives associated with the proposed Master Plan of Recreation Uses Central Park; and The Draft Master Environmental Impact Report was prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and the City's environmental procedures; and Written and oral comments on Master Environmental Impact Report No. 99-1 were received from the public and responsible public agencies during and after the review period; and Such comments and testimony were responded to through a Response to Comments document and said document was made available in a manner prescribed by CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines; and Public Records Code 21092.5(a) requires that the City of Huntington Beach provide a written proposed response to any pubic agency that commented on the Master Environmental Impact Report, and the Response to Comments included in the Final Master Environmental Impact Report satisfy this provision; and Section 15092 of CEQA Guidelines provides that the City shall not decide to approve or carry out a project for which an Environmental Impact Report was prepared unless it has: (a) eliminated or substantially lessened all significant effects on the environment where feasible as shown in the findings under Section 15091 of the CEQA Guidelines; and (b) determined that any remaining significant effects on the environment found to be unavoidable under Section 15091 are acceptable due to overriding concerns as described in Section 15093 of the CEQA Guidelines; and Section 15093(a) of the CEQA Guidelines requires the City to balance the benefits of a proposed project against its unavoidable environmental risks in determining whether to approve the project, NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach does hereby find and resolve as follows: SECTION 1: The City Council hereby finds and certifies the Final Master Environmental Impact Report as complete and adequate in that it addresses all environmental effects of the Master Plan of Recreation Uses for Central Park and fully complies with the requirements of CEQA and the Guidelines. The Final Master Environmental Impact Report will ultimately be composed of the following: 7X99reso/EIR99-1/07/14M 1 Res. -4/0. P?-S3 (a) Draft Master Environmental Impact Report and Appendices; (b) Planning Commission and City Council Staff Reports; (c) Planning Commission and City Council Minutes; and (d) Comments received on Draft Master Environmental Impact Report and responses to those comments. All of the above information has been and will be on file with the City of Huntington Beach Planning Department, 2000 Main Street, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, and with the Secretary of the Commission. SECTION 2: The Final Master Environmental Impact Report has identified all significant environmental effects of the project and that there are no known potential environmental impacts not addressed in the Final Master Environmental Impact Report. SECTION 3: The City Council finds that the Final Master Environmental Impact Report has described all reasonable alternatives to the project that could feasibly obtain the basis objectives of the project (including the "no project" alternative), even when these alternatives might impede the attainment of project objectives and might be more costly. Further, the City Council finds that a good faith effort was made to incorporate alternatives in the preparation of the Draft Master Environmental Impact Report and all reasonable alternatives were considered in the review process of the Final Master Environmental Impact Report and ultimate decisions on the project. SECTION 4: The City further finds that the benefits gained by the City and its current and future residents by virtue of implementing the goals and policies of the proposed General Plan, override the unmitigatible effects of Aesthetics and Air Quality as detailed in Master Environmental Impact Report No. 99-1 (Exhibit A). SECTION 5: The City Council hereby adopts Master Environmental Impact Report No. 99-1. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach at a regular meeting thereof held on the 2nd day of August , 1999. ATTEST: Mayor 4 City Clerk APPROV D AS TO FORM: REVIEWED AND APPROVED: wtne y_ �-,q INITIAT D AND APPROVED: City Administrator Dir r of Planni 7/k/99reso/EIR99-1/07/14/99 2 Res Alco_ ff-33 EXHIBIT A STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS The Final Master Environmental Impact Report(MEIR) identified and discussed significant impacts on geologic issues, water, air duality, transportation/circulation, biological resources, hazards, noise, public services, utilities and service system, aesthetics, cultural resources and recreation which could occur as a result of construction and operation of the project and program level elements of the Master Plan. With the implementation of the mitigation measures discussed in the Final MEIR, these impacts can be mitigated to levels of insignificance except for unavoidable significant impacts on air quality (during construction) and aesthetics as identified in Section IV of these Findings. The City Council of the City of Huntington Beach determined that the environmental and social (recreational) benefits of implementing the project outweigh and override the unavoidable adverse effects of the project. The City of Huntington Beach has determined that the benefits of the project, when balanced against all adverse effects, cause those effects remaining after mitigation to be acceptable due to the following considerations: • The Master Plan would allow the City of Huntington Beach (City) to fulfill their goals in providing passive and active recreational opportunities to residents within the service area for Central Park. Specifically, the Master Plan provides an opportunity for development of the following active and passive recreation facilities:Sports Complex, Outdoor Music Area, Consolidated Camping Area, Low Intensity Recreation Area, Midden Arealurban Forest/Trai I head, Semi Active Recreation Area and Sully Miller Lake Group Facility. The Master Plan provides for development of facilities and programs on 136 undeveloped acres and 14 improved acres within an existing 356.8 acre regional park facility. The project and program level elements of the Master Plan would help the City meet the current and future (2010) demand for such facilities. The Master Plan would also help to relieve the over-use of nearby recreational facilities experienced mainly at Murdy and Edison Parks. In addition, the Master Plan would help the City comply with its park standard of five (5) acres per 1,000 people (City of Huntington Beach 1994a). Given the projection of estimated population growth of 9.8 percent to the year 2010, the City will need to expand its park land by 93.3 acres for a total of 1,053.6 acres to meet this requirement. • Development of the Sports Complex converts a 45-acre capped landfill with bare/ruderal vegetation (fenced to preclude public access)to a usable, and aesthetically pleasing public venue for recreation. + Implementation of the Master Plan will provide diverse recreational opportunities for all citizens consistent with the City of Huntington Beach General Plan goals adopted by the City Council, 1996. Huntington Central Park Master Plan of Recreation Uses Findings and Overriding Considerations June 22, 1999 W.•tPRO/ECTSI I096-004 ifIND1NG511096004.509 —1— • Implementation of the Master Plan is consistent with a number of goals and objectives identified in the Recreation and Community Services Element of the City of Huntington Beach Genreal Plan, including : + Enriching the quality of life for residents through the provision of additional passive and active recreation opptunities; Providing additional passive and active recreation facilities to meet the needs of existing and anticipated population levels; ♦ Provide upgraded and renovated facilities to meet current recreation demands of youth and adults as described in the Draft Youth Sports Needs Assessment Study; t Maximize the effectivnessof Central Park through the provision of additional facilities in existing undeveloped areas of the Park; + Provide for operation of the Park in a safe, effective, and efficient manner through the appropiate design of new facilities; + Provide for phased implementation of project and program level elements of the Master Plan to coincide with the demand for services as well as with the City's fiscal resources. • Implementation of the Sports Complex element of the Master Plan includes a parking lot that provides for revenue generating opputunities. • Implementation of the Sports Complex element of the Master Plan accomplishes Recommendation No.1 of the Draft Youth Sports Needs Assessment Study to develop a multi-purpose Sports Complex. • Implementation of the Master Plan is consistent with Measure L land use authorization to allow for construction of lighted soccer and softball fields, a roller hockey rink and snack bar concessions, parking, restrooms and related improvements. • Implementation of the Master Plan will provide recreation facilities that have been desgined consistent with the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Guidelines. • Implementation of the Master Plan will provide recreation facilities desgined in compliance with the requirments of the Americans with Disabilities Act. • The short-term unavoidable impacts generated from construction related activities are outweighed by air quality improvements in the long-term. The Master Plan, through its landscaping design, will reduce current levels of nuisance dust and PM,a emissions from wind-driven dust clouds from the vacant lot(45 acres of capped landfil0 adjacent to the mobile home park. * The impacts of the night lighting on the adjacent Ocean Park Mobile Home Estate are outweighed by the benefits of replacing the adjacent vacant lot(an attractant for illicit Huntington Central Park Master Plan of Recreation Uses Findings and Overriding Considerations June 22, 1999 W.iPROJECT511096-0041F1ND1NG511096004.509 —2— activities) with a recreation facility designed consistent with the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Guidelines. • The Master Plan would improve the storm drainage system by replacing the 36-inch metal pipe between Talbert Lake and Sully Miller Lake that is currently inadequate and unable to properly serve its intended function of directing storm water flows between the two lakes and preventing storm water from overflowing onto city streets. Huntington Central Park Master Plan of Recreation Uses Findings and Overriding Considerations June 22, 1999 WAPROJECT511096-0041FINDINGSI 1096004.S09 —3— Res. No. 99-53 STATE OF CALIFORNIA } COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss: CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH ) I, CONNIE BROCKWAY, the duly elected, qualified City Clerk of the City of Huntington Beach, and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of said City, do hereby certify that the whole number of members of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach is seven; that the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all the members of said City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on the 2nd day of August, 1999 by the following vote: AYES: Julien, Garofalo, Dettloff, Harman NOES: Bauer, Green, Sullivan ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None ero� City Clerk and ex-officio Cl rk of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, California