San Mateo County Coastal Area Annexation EIR
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
1998-2004

EIR for expansion of the District's Boundary and Sphere of Influence. The Coastal Annexation Area encompasses approximately 144,000 acres of unincorporated western San Mateo County, including the City of Half Moon Bay, urban areas to the north, and relatively undeveloped lands in active agriculture and ranching, low density housing, and open space uses. In addition to TRA Environmental Sciences, the multi-disciplinary team includes master planning, economic, and legal consultants.
Lead Agency: Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD)

Stream Maintenance Program EIR
Santa Clara County
2001

TRA oversaw the environmental planning services for the Santa Clara Valley Water District's (SCVWD) sediment removal, bank protection, and vegetation management programs throughout Santa Clara County. For this multi-faceted and long-term project, TRA directed a multi-disciplinary team that included leading experts in stream geomorphology and strategies in erosion control and bank protection. TRA prepared the Program EIR and worked with a multi-agency task force to prepare multiple USACE 404 permit applications for interim urgent need projects.

The Program EIR identified all of the Programmatic Mitigation Measures (PMMs) that could be applied to maintenance design (selection of the most appropriate maintenance method) and to maintenance implementation (the actual work in the field). The EIR included a mitigation and monitoring program, a portion of which was a Mitigation Bank to address offsite mitigation for cumulative loss of wetlands and other biological resource values due to the District's five-year and longer-term work plan.

Under the same master contract, TRA prepared two Categorical Exemptions under CEQA: one for projects considered de minimus (too small to exceed significance thresholds), and the other for projects in modified channels that were restored to "as-built" conditions. In 1995, the first year of the project, we prepared an IS/MND for that year's work, which was considered an interim project as the Program EIR was being prepared. TRA also worked with geomorphologists to prepare an analysis of geomorphic and structural design alternatives that might be applied at the watershed planning level for areas with a history of recurring maintenance problems. These design alternatives offered environmentally sensitive and cost-effective approaches to reducing maintenance in areas with long-standing problems. Lead Agency/Client: Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Brisbane General Plan Technical Studies and EIR
Brisbane, San Mateo County
1992-1993

This project resulted in several technical studies to support the effort to update the general plan. These studies provided City-wide mapping of resources including geologic units, soils, mineral resources, landfill areas, faults, potential ground-shaking, landslides and debris flows, liquefaction, plant communities, sensitive species, watersheds and water resources, flood prone areas, cultural resources, wildlife fire hazard, and hazardous waste. The major issues addressed in the EIR included: traffic mitigation, balance of land uses, environmental constraints and hazards, toxics, infrastructure and urban services. Lead Agency/Client: City of Brisbane

Claratina/Coffee North Beyer Park Reorganization EIR
1992

This EIR, prepared for the Stanislaus County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), concerned the annexation to the City of Modesto of two parcels of about 150-acres each lying just north of the Modesto city boundary. The parcels comprise prime agricultural land, and have been under cultivation in the past with orchards and row crops on 10-acre farms. The sites lie at the urban/rural boundary with protected agricultural land to the north, residential subdivisions and commercial development to the south and west, and a golf course on the east. While no development was proposed, the annexations clearly foreshadowed future development -- most likely mixed residential and commercial use.

Principal issues for the EIR were the localized and cumulative impacts of loss of prime agricultural land, and provision of urban-level services to the parcel -- water, sewerage, schools, parks and fire protection. The extension of sewer lines to the property would probably be subject to an advisory vote by the citizens of Modesto. The EIR considered the issue of growth-inducing impact of annexation and provision of urban-level services to agricultural lands just at the urban/rural boundary, including the likelihood that sewer, water lines and storm drain systems extended to these properties could serve further development, leading to premature conversion of nearby productive farmlands. Lead Agency/Client: Stanislaus County LAFCO

Levinson Project General Plan Amendment EIR
1992

This project addressed the impacts of a retail commercial/light industrial complex. The major issues of concern were traffic, hazardous materials, hydrology, geology, and compliance as a parcel within the planning area of an HCP for an endangered species.
Lead Agency/Client: San Mateo County

Gilroy Hot Springs Resort Project General Plan Amendment EIR
Santa Clara County
1992

This was a spa-resort hotel complex composed of 184 resort units on a 242-acre site. The major issues included the following: growth-inducing impacts of zoning ordinance text change, land use compatibility with adjacent State Park, development of Historic Preservation Plan for onsite cultural and religious structures, development of Public Access Plan with connecting access trails and day use areas between Henry Coe State Park and the project site, impacts to Coyote Creek from road widening and a proposed onsite treatment plant, water supply adequacy, traffic safety, impacts to biological resources, and fire safety. Mitigation was developed for exotic species control, oak management, fire use and suppression, and wild pig management to avoid conflict with State Park policies. Lead Agency/Client: Santa Clara County

Doolan Road Sphere of Influence
Study and EIR
Alameda County
1990

A study was prepared for the Alameda County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to recommend an appropriate sphere allocation for 3,185 acres located between the cities of Dublin and Livermore. The Study Area was comprised of Doolan Canyon and adjacent land west to Croak Road. Roughly half of the Study Area was already placed within Dublin's Sphere of Influence. The lower portion of Doolan Canyon was unallocated. Livermore City Limits abuts the unallocated portion of the Study Area. Both cities were undergoing major planning efforts for the area.

The Sphere of Influence Study considered existing uses and those planned by both cities. The ability of each city to extend public services to the site under a high and low development scenario was evaluated. The economic and social interests of the existing Study Area residents and future residents were also evaluated. The Study considered the merits of several actions that were available to LAFCO including: No Action, Unallocation, Partial Unallocation, Allocation to one city or the other, and Split Allocation.

An environmental assessment was provided to support the action taken by LAFCO. The concerned public identified many potential environmental impacts resulting from development of the area. Specific impacts could not be identified in the EIR since no development plan was actually proposed. The primary environmental impact of any alternative allocating the Study Area to a city sphere of influence is growth inducement. Lead Agency/Client: Alameda County LAFCO