West Valley College Baseball Complex Improvement Project
Summary
SCH Number
2020100020
Public Agency
West Valley-Mission Community College District
Document Title
West Valley College Baseball Complex Improvement Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/1/2020
Document Description
Proposed New and Upgraded Facilities West Valley College has initiated a comprehensive upgrade project for its existing baseball field and associated facilities. Many of these upgrades are planned for in the WVC 2020 Educational Facilities Master Plan (Sequence 4A). The field is located at the southeast area of the WVC campus, near Fruitvale Avenue and Athletics Way. The overall area of the project site is 233,785 sq. ft. (approximately 5.37 acres).
The project site is surrounded by vegetated open space associated with the Vasona Creek corridor on the east, WVC parking lot #6 and tennis courts to the south, WVC parking lot #5 to the north, single- family residences and a former orchard across Fruitvale A venue to the west.
The proposed project would convert the existing field from natural grass to artificial turf, and install new, improved, and/or expanded dugouts, bathrooms, press boxes, team building, batting cages, pitching lab, storage areas, and storm water management area.
Contact Information
Name
Javier Castruita
Agency Name
West Valley - Mission Community College District
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Santa Clara
Other Location Info
This project is situated on the West Valley College (WVC) campus in the City of Saratoga, County of Santa Clara. The campus is located at the intersection of Fruitvale and Allendale avenues (14000 Fruitvale Avenue).
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
§15301(d), Class 1: Existing Facilities §15304, Class 4: Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
The project is exempt pursuant to categorical exemptions per CEQA Guidelines § 15301( c ), Existing Facilities, which identifies exemptions for the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that existing at the time of the lead agency's determination. This project involves the installation of small new structures and facility improvements on the existing campus baseball field. The increase in use by up to 10 baseball-related events per year would be a negligible expansion of existing uses.
The land-disturbing portions of the project also are exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15304 defines" Class 4 "Minor Alterations to Land" as "minor public and private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees except for 3, forestry or agricultural purposes." The CEQA guidelines provide a number of examples of Class 4 projects including (b) new gardening or landscaping." The installation of a storm water detention basin and practice area adjacent to the ballfield, as well as the replacement of natural grass with artificial turf, would require minor modifications to the condition of land, water, and vegetation. No mature trees are proposed for removal. Therefore, the proposed project qualifies for Class 4 categorical exemption.
See NOE for full reasons why project is exempt.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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