Title
Public Hearing to consider a Resolution Recommending that the City Council Amend the Health and Safety Element and Conservation and Climate Action Element of the Alameda General Plan 2040 to align with the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan 2022. The City Council certified a Final Environmental Impact Report for Alameda General Plan 2040 (State Clearinghouse #2021030563). No further environmental review with respect to the General Plan Amendment EIR is required.
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Danielle Mieler, Sustainability and Resilience Manager
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
Date: May 9, 2022
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Alameda's General Plan 2040 was adopted by the City Council on November 30, 2021. In 2021, staff worked with the community to develop the City's Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan (Mitigation Plan), which will serve as the City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and 5-year update to the 2016 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Planning Board reviewed the draft Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan at its September 27, 2021 meeting.
Staff recommends revisions to policies in both the Health and Safety Element and Conservation and Climate Action Element of the General Plan so that the information is aligned and consistent with the Mitigation Plan strategies. The adopted Alameda General Plan is available at www.alameda2040.org <http://www.alameda2040.org> and the Draft Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan is available at www.alamedaca.gov/HazardMitigationPlan <http://www.alamedaca.gov/HazardMitigationPlan>.
BACKGROUND
In 2021, the City convened an interdepartmental planning team and worked with the community to develop the City's Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan (Mitigation Plan), which will serve as the City's Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and 5-year update to the 2016 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Planning Board reviewed the draft Mitigation Plan at its September 27, 2021 meeting.
The Mitigation Plan was submitted to the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) for review and was determined to meet the planning requirements on February 17, 2022. The plan was forwarded to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region IX Mitigation Division by CalOES for review and feedback. On March 14, 2022, FEMA's review identified the need for minor modifications in the risk assessment in order to fulfill the planning requirements. These modifications have been addressed by staff and will be forwarded to FEMA.
DISCUSSION
As the Mitigation Plan was being finalized, staff reviewed the mitigation and adaptation strategies alongside the relevant policies and strategies in the General Plan and Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP) and determined that there was significant overlap between the three sets of strategies and policies. Staff determined that it would be beneficial to more fully align the sets of strategies and develop one comprehensive set of strategies that addresses natural hazards in the City of Alameda.
Furthermore, AB 2140 (2006) allows for local governments to be considered for additional post-disaster funding for certain recovery activities if the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and General Plan Safety Elements are aligned. AB 2140 requires at a minimum that the Mitigation Plan be adopted as an appendix to the General Plan Safety Element, however more comprehensive alignment is also encouraged and staff determined that it would be beneficial for Alameda.
Staff recommends revisions to policies in both the Health and Safety Element and the Conservation and Climate Action Element of the General Plan so that the strategies and policies are aligned and consistent with the Mitigation Plan strategies. The recommended revisions are outlined in the Addendum List (Exhibit 1 to the Draft Resolution) and ensure that the strategies in the Hazard Mitigation Plan align closely with the General Plan policies.
Following a Planning Board recommendation on the proposed General Plan amendments and FEMA's determination that the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan is "Approvable, Pending Adoption", staff will recommend the final Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan and General Plan amendments to City Council for final adoption. The Plan will be adopted as an appendix to the General Plan Safety Element in compliance with AB 2140.
FEMA requires that the Mitigation Plan be reviewed annually and updated every 5 years to remain in compliance. This review will be conducted in conjunction with the CARP annual report and will also include a review of the General Plan's Health and Safety Element and Conservation and Climate Action Element, as relevant to the Mitigation Plan. Amendments to the Elements may be recommended to the Planning Board at that time. In this way, all the plans will remain current and up to date over time.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On November 30, 2021, by Resolution No. 15841, the City Council certified a Final Environmental Impact Report (State Clearinghouse No. 2021030563) in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, and adopted written findings, a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the General Plan Amendment to update the Alameda General Plan, which evaluated the environmental impacts of 12,000 additional housing units in Alameda over 20 years, including 5,353 housing units to accommodate the RHNA between 2023 through 2031.
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15162 and 15163, none of the circumstances necessitating further CEQA review are present. The proposed General Plan amendments (Exhibit 1 to the Draft Resolution) would not require major revisions to General Plan Amendment EIR due to new significant impacts or due to a substantial increase in the severity of the significant environmental effects. There have been no substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which the policies would be implemented that would require major revisions of the General Plan Amendment EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. Further, there has been no discovery of new information of substantial importance that would trigger or require major revisions to the General Plan Amendment EIR due to new or substantially increased significant environmental effects. For these reasons, no further environmental review with respect to the General Plan Amendment EIR is required.
RECOMMENDATION
That the Planning Board hold a public hearing and adopt a resolution recommending that the City Council amend the Health and Safety Element and Conservation and Climate Action Element of the Alameda General Plan 2040 to align with the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan 2022 as amended by the Addendum List (Exhibit 1 to the Draft Resolution).
Respectfully Submitted,
Danielle Mieler, Sustainability and Resilience Manager
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
Exhibit:
1. Draft Resolution