Palm Desert Sheriff Station - Dispatch Expansion
Summary
SCH Number
2025030384
Public Agency
Riverside County
Document Title
Palm Desert Sheriff Station - Dispatch Expansion
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/11/2025
Document Description
The Palm Desert Station – Dispatch Expansion will create additional capacity and allow for the Coachella Valley Dispatch Center personnel to relocate to a county-owned facility. The project consists of constructing a one-story, 11,000 sq ft building and furnishing the facility with specialized dispatch consoles, furniture, and equipment.
Contact Information
Name
Matthew
Agency Name
Riverside County Sheriff's Office
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Palm Desert
Counties
Riverside
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
Gerald Ford Dr and Monterey Ave
Zip
92211
Total Acres
10.87
Jobs
1
Parcel #
694310004
State Highways
10fwy
Railways
N/A
Airports
N/A
Schools
N/A
Waterways
N/A
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
Section 15061(b) (3), General Rule or “Common Sense” Exemption
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed project is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA
specifically, by the State CEQA Guidelines as identified below. The project will not result in any specific or general exceptions to the use of the categorical exemption as detailed under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2. The project will not cause an impact to an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern, nor would the project include unusual circumstances that could have the possibility of having a significant effect on the environment. The project would not result in impacts to scenic highways, hazardous waste sites, historic resources, or other sensitive natural environments or have a cumulative effect on the environment. No significant environmental impacts are anticipated to occur with the expansion at Palm Desert Sheriff Station.
• Section 15061 (b) (3) – “Common Sense” Exemption: In accordance with CEQA, the use of the Common Sense Exemption is based on the “general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.” State CEQA Guidelines, Section 15061(b) (3). The use of this exemption is appropriate if “it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” Ibid. This determination is an issue of fact, and if sufficient evidence exists in the record that the activity cannot have a significant effect on the environment, then the exemption applies, and no further evaluation under CEQA is required. See No Oil, Inc. v. City of Los Angeles (1974) 13 Cal. 3d 68. The ruling in this case stated that if a project falls within a category exempt by administrative regulation or 'it can be seen with certainty that the activity in question will not have a significant effect on the environment', no further agency evaluation is required. With certainty, there is no possibility that the project may have a significant effect on the environment. The proposed expansion to the Palm Desert Station will not result in any direct or indirect physical environmental impacts. The use of the facility for public services would remain unchanged. Therefore, in no way would the project, as proposed, have the potential to cause a significant environmental impact, and the project is exempt from further CEQA analysis.
Based upon the identified exemptions above, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office hereby concludes that no physical environmental impacts are anticipated to occur, and the project as proposed is exempt under CEQA. No further environmental analysis is warranted.
County Clerk
Riverside
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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