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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAvila Ranch DEIR Public Comment received 1-18-17 (Heal SLO)heal x,sfo i COALITION PARTNERS: Bike SLO County Boys and Girls Club —South County Cal Poly State University Art and Design Department Center for Sustainability Food Science & Nutrition Department Kinesiology Department STRIDE CenCal Health City of San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Community Action Partnership of SLO Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County Dairy Council of California Diringer & Associates First 5 San Luis Obispo County Food Bank Coalition of SLO County French Hospital Medical Center Lucia Mar Unified School District One Cool Earth Rideshare — Safe Routes to School San Luis Sports Therapy SLO Council of Governments SLO County Departments: Board of Supervisors Health Commission Planning and Building Public Health January 18, 2017 TO: Doug Davidson, Deputy Director RECEIVED CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO JAN 18 2017 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FROM; HEAL SLO - Healthy Communities Work Group RE: Avila Ranch Draft EIR HEAL SLO is the SLO County obesity prevention coalition and its mission is to increase healthy eating and regular physical activity among County residents through policy, behavioral and environmental changes. In carrying out that mission, a subcommittee called the Healthy Communities Work Group provides reports to Planning staff from a healthy community's perspective on proposed land development projects, ordinance and general plan amendments, and special projects. The group's objective is to provide research and evidence -based recommendations to planning commissions in order to create a healthy place for all residents to live, work, and play. The Healthy Communities Workgroup is concerned that, according to the Draft EIR, the proposed Avila Ranch Project will generate air pollution beyond that allowed by the County Climate Action Plan of 2001, both during the projected 10 year construction period (DEIR 3.3-30 as well as operationally for the foreseeable future at build -out (DEIR 3.3-39), even after all available mitigations are applied. The conclusion from the Draft is that these emission impacts will be "significant and unavoidable." This is simply unacceptable. SLO County Office of Education Similarly, the Draft EIR projects inconsistencies with City policies designed The Community Foundation SLO County to protect biological and agricultural resources, leading to potential UC Cooperative Extension YMCA of rat County degradation of public health. Research has shown that loss of prime agricultural land and residential development in close proximity to agricultural operations can threaten human health. Further, the draft finds that the planned development Phases #1, 2 and 4 each will cause increased traffic on existing roads and with neighborhood volumes in excess of General Plan thresholds. This development, with 720 housing units and a projected 1649 residents to be located at the edge of City limits and quite far from most services and all schools, will generate a great deal of traffic, especially drive -alone automobile traffic. What is most telling is that Avila Ranch is projected to produce one-third more driving miles per household (72 per day) than the City average of 54 per day (DEIR: 3.12-33). It is true that the projected rate is less than the County -wide average rate of 80 miles per day (which is due to long commutes between north and South County because of work/housing Panter J., Desousa C., and Ogilvie D. Incorporating walking or cycling into car journeys to and from work: The role of individual, workplace and environmental characteristics. Preventive Medicine: March —April 2013, Vol. 56, No. 3-4, pp. 211-217. Saelens, Brian E., and Susan L. Handy. "Built Environment Correlates of Walking: A Review." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 40.7 Simnl PMC._ Wah.4 Nov. ?()1F. HEAL-SLO is the SLO County obesity prevention coalition and its mission is to increase healthy eating and regular physical activity among County residents through policy, behavioral and environmental changes. In carrying out that mission, a subcommittee called the Healthy Communities Work Group provides responses to Planning staff from a healthy community's perspective on proposed land development projects, ordinance and general plan amendments, and special oroiects. heal �x slo COALITION PARTNERS: Bike SLO County Boys and Girls Club — South County Cal Poly State University Art and Design Department Center for Sustainability Food Science & Nutrition Department Kinesiology Department STRIDE CenCal Health City of San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation imbalances). Likely reasons for generating so many more driving miles is not only distance from services and schools, but disproportionately slow phasing of new bicycling links to regional routes and minimal support for mass transit. If the project will produce one-third more mileage per household than in the City, then it cannot demonstrate that it is truly an infill development. Infill projects can improve public health by taking advantage of in-place infrastructure and services, generating viable options to driving alone, and thus reducing air pollution and congestion. Since excess daily vehicle mileage is predicted for Avila Ranch, we urge that the project be postponed until and unless it can be shown to manage the reduced traffic volumes typical of an infilling city. Community Action Partnership of SLO Furthermore, San Luis Obispo County is consistently ranked as having one Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo of the highest rates of bicycle collisions in the State by the Office of Traffic County and Safety. This project will add significant vehicle traffic to an already Dairy Council of California congested and dangerous roadway, further increasing the risk to cyclists Diringer & Associates and pedestrians. Additionally, traffic is known to increase stress, which is First 5 San Luis Obispo County Cou associated with negative health outcomes. From a health perspective, the Food Bank Coalition of County SLOFrench Hospital Medical Center proposed Avila Ranch development poses many significant health threats Lucia Mar Unified School District to the community of San Luis Obispo. One Cool Earth Rideshare — Safe Routes to School San Luis Sports Therapy SLO Council of Governments SLO County Departments: Board of Supervisors Health Commission Planning and Building Public Health SLO County Office of Education The Community Foundation SLO County UC Cooperative Extension YMCA of SLO County Thank you for the opportunity to review this project. CC: City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission Panter J., Desousa C., and Ogilvie D. Incorporating walking or cycling into car journeys to and from work: The role of individual, workplace and environmental characteristics. Preventive Medicine: March—April 2013, Vol. 56, No. 3-4, pp. 211-217. Saelens, Brian E., and Susan L. Handy. "Built Environment Correlates of Walking: A Review." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 40.7 Sunni 0nngl. PMC. Wph. 9 Nnv ?nl6- HEAL -SLO . HEAL-SLO is the SLO County obesity prevention coalition and its mission is to increase healthy eating and regular physical activity among County residents through policy, behavioral and environmental changes. In carrying out that mission, a subcommittee called the Healthy Communities Work Group provides responses to Planning staff from a healthy community's perspective on proposed land development projects, ordinance and general plan amendments. and special oroiects.