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Home My WebLink About23544 RESOLUTION NO. 23544 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, ADOPTING AND ORDERING THE FILING OF A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR THE RAMON ROAD WIDENING PROJECT (CP 08-25). WHEREAS, On January 30, 2008, the City of Palm Springs ("City"), the City of Cathedral City and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians submitted a request for funding from the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) to prepare a Project Study Report (PSR) for the Ramon Road Widening Project Between San Luis Rey Drive and Landau Boulevard, City Project No. 08-25; and WHEREAS, the Project is listed on the 2010 Transportation Project Prioritization Study (TPPS) and is therein listed as a backbone project; and WHEREAS, the Project will result in the widening of Ramon Road from a 4-lane arterial to a 6-lane arterial (3 lanes in each direction) between San Luis Rey Dr. and Landau Blvd., including the widening and seismic retrofitting of the Ramon Road Bridge over the Whitewater River (Bridge No. 56CO287). The project will also include new guardrails, bridge supports within the Whitewater River Channel, installation of a -median, reconstruction of gutters, curbs, and driveways, restriping of travel lanes and crosswalks, roadway rehabilitation, new and relocated bus stops, sidewalks and multi- purpose trail, utilities relocation, drainage improvements, landscaping, and all appurtenant work. The project also includes sidewalks across the bridge, including a 10- foot wide multi-purpose trail; and WHEREAS, the Project is consistent with the Circulation Element of the 2007 Palm Springs General Plan Update, which identifies Ramon Road as a "Major Thoroughfare" and the 2009 Cathedral City General Plan, which identifies Ramon Road as an "Arterial Highway"; and WHEREAS, the Project is listed on the Southern California Association of Governments ("SCAG") 2013 Federal Transportation Improvement Program ("FTIP") as Project ID# RIV110124, approved by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration on December 14, 2012; and WHEREAS, the Project implements the goals and policies of the General Plans of the Cities of Palm Springs and Cathedral City; and WHEREAS, an Initial Study was prepared pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA"), Division 13 of the Public Resources Code of the State of California, beginning with §21000 (hereinafter "Act'); and Resolution No. 23544 Page 2 WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 21152 of the Act, a public notice announcing circulation and availability of the document and intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration was published in the Desert Sun on March 19, 2014, and Notice of Opportunity for Public Hearing, was filed with the Riverside County Clerk; and WHEREAS, the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration ("IS/MND") was circulated for public comment from March 19 through April 19, 2014; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 15202 of the CEQA Guidelines, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, Article 13 'Review and Evaluation of EIRs and Negative Declarations", of the California Code of Regulations, CEQA does not require formal hearings at any stage of the environmental review process, and public comments may be restricted to written communications; and WHEREAS, the IS/MND prepared for this project has concluded, and following public review, it has been determined that the Project will not have a significant effect on the environment with the adoption of avoidance and mitigation measures identified in the MND; and WHEREAS, the City Council has carefully reviewed and considered all of the evidence presented in connection with the Project, including, but not limited to, the staff report, the IS/MND, and all written and oral testimony presented. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1: The above recitals are all true and correct. SECTION 2: The City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, is hereby designated the custodian of the documents and other materials which constitute the record of proceedings upon which the City Council has based its decision. The custodian of the documents is located at 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, California. SECTION 3: Pursuant to Section 15063 of the CEQA Guidelines, a Mitigated Negative Declaration ("MND") of environmental impact was prepared and circulated for a 30-day public review period ending on April 19, 2014. The Mitigated Negative Declaration adequately analyzes the general environmental setting of the Project, its potentially significant environmental impacts, and mitigation measures related to each potentially significant environmental impact on the Project, and has determined that there are no potentially significant impacts associated with the Project. SECTION 4: The Project implements the following goals and policies of the City of Palm Springs General Plan: Resolution No. 23544 Page 3 Goal CR1: Establish and maintain an efficient, interconnected circulation system that accommodates vehicular travel, walking, bicycling, public transit, and other forms of transportation. Goal CR2: Establish improved levels of service for efficient traffic flow and provide a safe circulation system. As stated in the Project's Statement of Purpose of Need, the Project will accomplish the following: • Provide a gap-closure and improved regional roadway access between the Cities of Palm Springs and Cathedral City; • Provide expanded all-weather access across the Whitewater River Stormwater Channel between the Cities of Palm Springs and Cathedral City. Policy CR2.2: Make street improvements at problem intersections and bottleneck locations to improve specific traffic operations and safety, with all such improvements to be considered selectively on the basis of speck studies of the affected intersection and streets, and the impacts on the surrounding area and on pedestrian activity. As stated in the Project's Statement of Need, the Project will resolve the following: • Design Inadequacies: Majority of the Ramon Road between Gene Autry Trail in the City of Palm Springs and Da Vail Drive in the City of Cathedral City consists of 6 traffic lanes (3 lanes in each direction). However, the arterial within the project area between San Luis Rey Drive and Landau Boulevard consists of only 4 to 5 lanes including the Ramon Road Bridge, which consists of only 4 lanes; • Safety Deficiencies: Proposed project will improve traffic safety and traffic flow on the existing river crossing by widening the narrow bridge and improving its roadway approaches. It will improve access to the Palm Springs International Airport, which is located approximately 2 miles west of the proposed roadway and bridge widening. The widening of the bridge will also enhance public health by improving access through the bridge to reduce response time of the Emergency Response Centers • Capacity Deficiencies: Four-lane roadway and bridge currently creates a traffic bottleneck situation as Ramon Road narrows from a 6-lane roadway to a 4-lane roadway over the Whitewater River and bridge approaches. As a result, the project area experiences undesirable traffic congestion during peak hours and intermittently throughout the day especially from San Luis Rey Drive to Landau Boulevard. SECTION 5: The City Council has carefully reviewed and considered all of the evidence presented in connection with the Project, including, but not limited to, the staff report, the Initial Study and public comments received, the proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration, the proposed Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, and all written and oral testimony presented. The City Council further finds that on the basis of the entire Project record, there is no substantial evidence that the Project will have a Resolution No. 23544 Page 4 significant effect on the environment and that the Mitigated Negative Declaration reflects the City's independent judgment and analysis. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that based upon the foregoing, and pursuant to Section 15074 of the CEQA Guidelines, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, Article 6 "Negative Declaration Process", of the California Code of Regulations, the City Council adopts and orders the filing of a Mitigated Negative Declaration, and approves the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program, for the Ramon Road Widening Project Between San Luis Rey Drive and Landau Boulevard, City Project No. 08-25. ADOPTED THIS 7T" DAY OF MAY, 2014. DAVID H. READY, ANAGER ATTEST: 4; ES THOMPSON, CITY CLERK CERTIFICATION STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss. CITY OF PALM SPRINGS ) I, JAMES THOMPSON, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that Resolution No. 23544 is a full, true and correct copy, and was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs on the 7ch day of May, 2014, by the following vote: AYES: Councilmember Lewin, Councilmember Mills, Mayor Pro Tern Hutcheson, and Mayor Pougnet. NOES: None. ABSENT: Councilmember Foat. ABSTAIN: None. ES THOMPSON, CITY CLERK City of Palm Springs, California 05�1$/LOr�