Difference between revisions of "CEQA review and land use planning"

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(Tiering)
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==Tiering==
 
==Tiering==
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Tiering allows general environmental effects associated with some projects to be incorporated into an EIR prepared for a general plan or policy so that subsequent EIRs specific to individual projects may limit the scope of its analysis.
  
 
==Master EIR==
 
==Master EIR==

Revision as of 15:47, 3 April 2013

Projects which are consistent with the development density established by existing zoning, community plan, and or general plan policies for which an EIR was certified shall not require additional environmental review, except as might be necessary for project specific effects peculiar to the project or site. If the project includes specific effects additional to those already considered under the plan EIR, the scope of the review will be limited to the additional effects. [1] [2]

Tiering

Tiering allows general environmental effects associated with some projects to be incorporated into an EIR prepared for a general plan or policy so that subsequent EIRs specific to individual projects may limit the scope of its analysis.

Master EIR

CEQA Streamlining for Infill Projects

Senate Bill 226 was signed into law on October 4, 2011. In response to population growth and accelerated outward growth of urban areas in the last several decades, the legislature passed SB 226 to encourage development which occurs within established growth boundaries, also known as infill. [3] The goal of infill development is supported by SB 375, a bill enacted in 2008 that requires metropolitan planning agencies to adopt a sustainable community strategy that will comprehensively integrate land use planning, transportation investments, and climate policy. [4] SB 226 integrates environmental review and comprehensive planning. [5]

SB 226 achieves streamlining by narrowing the scope of impacts that need to be addressed at the project level. As a result, projects whose impacts have already been studied under a land-use plan may gain approval with a checklist instead of an EIR. It allows infill projects to avoid repeating analysis of environmental effects that have already been analysed at the programmatic level. [6]


Eligibility Requirements The project must be within an incorporated city or in an area entirely surrounded by incorporated cities. The site must be previously developed, or vacant and surrounded on three sides by other urban uses. The project must be consistent with the general use designation, density and building intensity designed in a sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy. The project may be residential, commercial, a public office building, a transit station, or a school, but it must satisfy environmental performance standards. Standards are intended to advance policies designed to

  • reduce vehicle miles traveled
  • prioritize infill development
  • reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • reduce per capita water use
  • promote transit supportive communities
  • protect public health,

among others. [7]
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