Crest Canyon Undergrounding District X1A Project
Summary
SCH Number
2024100305
Public Agency
City of Del Mar
Document Title
Crest Canyon Undergrounding District X1A Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/8/2024
Document Description
The project includes new publicly installed trenches, conduit, equipment pads, and retaining walls for the proposed electrical and telecom facilities within approximately 12,300 lineal feet of existing public right-of-way and private streets in the area. The project will also include homeowner installed trenches and conduit from meters at 85 houses out to the street right-of-way at locations where overhead services currently exist to the homes, as well as public and homeowner repairs to the surface improvements and replacement of vegetation disturbed during construction of the trench, pads, handholes, and retaining walls. The utility agency will install equipment and wiring for the proposed electrical and telecom services and will remove
all overhead wires and poles currently located within the Crest Canyon Undergrounding District. The majority of the work will occur within existing streets and driveways with some exceptions for equipment and walls adjacent to the paved areas, homeowner trenching through yards to existing meter locations, and overhead wire and pole removals for existing lines which cross through open space canyon and lagoon areas.
Contact Information
Name
Jennifer Gavin
Agency Name
City of Del Mar
Job Title
Associate Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Del Mar
Counties
San Diego
Regions
Southern California
Zip
92014
Other Location Info
City of Del Mar- Along Crest Road from the border of the City of San Diego at the south and continues up through Crest Road to incorporate a portion of Avenida Primavera and Zuni Drive and ending at a dead-end portion of Serpentine Drive. The undergrounding also crosses east from Crest Road to Oribia Road and north to San Dieguito Drive. From San Dieguito Drive the undergrounding continues west adjacent to the San Dieguito Lagoon terminating at the Grand Avenue Overlook. The project extends to a portion of Hoska Drive to Hoska Lane intersection, on Amphitheater Drive to the driveway at 980 Crest Road, on Kalamath Drive to the first pole adjacent 1210 Crest Road, to pole at 1329 Via Alta, down to 615 15th Street, to pole at 521 Avenida Primavera, to pole at 660 Zuni Dr, and down Serpentine Drive to Forest Way intersection.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
15302(d)- Class 2 (Replacement or Reconstruction) and 15304- Class 4 (Minor Alteration to Land)
Reasons for Exemption
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the proposed project has been analyzed and determined to be Categorically Exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15302(d) (Class 2) and 15304 (Class 4) in that the project includes the conversion of overhead electric utility distribution systems to underground and includes restoring the surface to the existing condition. It also requires minor alterations of land in five locations with low grading quantities and low retaining wall heights (4.3’ maximum) in order to locate required above ground facilities for the undergrounded lines such as handholes, transformers, and pedestals.
The proposed project has been sited and designed and will be constructed based on
recommendations in a Cultural Resources Assessment titled “Cultural Resource Assessment for the Crest Canyon Undergrounding District X1A Project” prepared by HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc. dated July 8, 2024, and a Biological Resources Letter Report prepared by Busby Biological Resources dated July 11, 2024, to avoid potential impacts to cultural resources and biological resources, respectively, as a result of the proposed activities (reports are on-file with the City of Del Mar, 1050 Camino del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014). The Cultural Resource Assessment determined that no historical resources are present in the project area and the project is not expected to adversely impact any known cultural resource. The assessment concluded that although it is unlikely that resources are present in the majority
of the project area, there is potential for buried archaeological resources to be present within deposits adjacent to the lagoon along San Dieguito Drive within the project site. Therefore, as part of the Environmental Contractor Commitments to be noted on the Final Construction Plan Set, the project would implement an archeological and Native American monitoring program during any trenching or ground-disturbing work that occurs within this portion of the project along San Dieguito Drive, adjacent to the lagoon. The Biological Letter Report found that the project has been designed to avoid significant direct and indirect effects on sensitive biological resources by siting the work to occur predominantly within and adjacent to developed areas (e.g., streets, driveways, and residential landscaped yards), with only minimal work within and adjacent to sensitive native habitats that may support sensitive biological resources (i.e., San Dieguito Lagoon, Crest Canyon Open Space, and other sensitive canyon areas). In addition to the incorporation of specific project design features to
avoid sensitive resources, the project includes project-specific Environmental Contractor Commitments and BMPs to be noted on the Final Construction Plan Set and implemented during construction activities within and adjacent to sensitive native habitats. The combination of these features assures protection of sensitive resources and avoids significant adverse effects to sensitive biological resources in these areas, including natural vegetation/habitats, nesting birds, and protected trees.
With the project’s recommended siting, design, BMPs, and contractor commitments, it has further been determined that none of the six exceptions to the use of a categorical exemption would apply to this project (CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2) and the project has been designed to avoid significant impacts to sensitive environmental resources.
County Clerk
San Diego
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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