Roads to Restoration Project

2024040407

Sonoma County

NOE - Notice of Exemption

4/9/2024

4/9/2024

Hunter McLaughlin

Sonoma County Public Infrastructure

Assistant Engineer

Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant

2300 County Center Drive, Suite A220
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

(707) 565-1757

hunter.mclaughlin@sonoma-county.org

12 roadways throughout unincorporated Sonoma County

Categorical Exemption

Classes 1, 2 & 4; California Code of Regulations, title 14, Sections 15302, 15302 and 15304

CEQA Statute Section 21084 – Categorical Exemptions Article 19 of CEQA (State CEQA Guidelines Sections 15300–15333) includes a list of classes of projects that have been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment and, as a result, are categorically exempt from review under CEQA. The project is categorically exempt per State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 (Existing Facilities), Section 15302 (Replacement or Reconstruction), and Section 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land). Class 1 consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration to existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. Class 2 consists of replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the structure replaced and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced. Class 4 consists of minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation that do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees except for forestry or agricultural purposes. According to State CEQA Guidelines Article 19, a project does not qualify for a Categorical Exemption if it falls under one or more of the following exceptions: State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2. Exceptions to Categorical Exemptions (a)Location. Classes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11 are qualified by consideration of where the project is to be located--a project that is ordinarily insignificant in its impact on the environment may in a particularly sensitive environment be significant. Therefore, these classes are considered to apply in all instances, except where the project may impact on an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies. (b)Cumulative Impact. All exemptions for these classes are inapplicable when the cumulative impact of successive projects of the same type in the same place, over time is significant. (c)Significant Effect. A categorical exemption shall not be used for an activity where there is a reasonable possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. (d)Scenic Highways. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may result in damage to scenic resources, including but not limited to, trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or similar resources, within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway. This does not apply to improvements which are required as mitigation by an adopted negative declaration or certified EIR. (e)Hazardous Waste Sites. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project located on a site which is included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. (f)Historical Resources. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. The proposed project would provide maintenance on existing roadways and adjacent culverts and would replace several culverts. The project does not propose the removal of any trees. Location. (Applicable to Class 4, but not to Classes 1 and 2) The project would perform maintenance activities on roads and adjacent ditches and culverts; therefore, it would not be located in a particularly sensitive environment. As discussed above, the BRE for the project determined that any potential impacts to biological resources would be reduced to less-than-significant levels with the inclusion of AMM-1 through AMM-6 (see Appendix B). Cumulative Impact. The project would include maintenance of roads and culverts, including replacing some culverts and guardrails. The project would not result in environmental impacts, nor increase the capacity of roadways or culverts; therefore, this project would not contribute cumulatively to cumulative impacts. Significant Effect. The project includes standard maintenance of roads and culverts and does not include “unusual circumstances” that could cause a significant effect. Scenic Highways. The project would include maintenance activities on Nuns Canyon Road adjacent to State Route 12, which is a State Scenic Highway. In addition, there is one County scenic corridor (Sonoma Mountain Road) within the list of streets being improved. The project would not result in damage to scenic resources but would provide a slight beneficial impact to the corridors by repaving the roadway, replacing two culverts, installing new guardrails, and removing sediment from roadside ditches, thus improving the quality of the scenic corridor. Hazardous Waste Sites. The project would take place within the roadways and culverts and does not contain a listed hazardous waste site. Historical Resources. No known archaeological resources or historic properties will be adversely affected. The County will work with the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria to avoid impacts to potentially sensitive tribal cultural resources adjacent to the construction areas along Fort Ross Road. The project would include environmentally sensitive area fencing as a construction control to ensure that areas adjacent to the roadways containing biological and cultural resources are protected. Therefore, there are no exceptions to the exemptions, and the project would have no adverse effect on the environment.