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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-12-01; City Council; 11976; SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION FOR GRANT FROM STATE OF CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM- L.4 L!& CZ EL i5 % .. z 0 F 0 4 d 0 2 3 0 0 g*- - Clq); OF CARLSBAD - AGENU BILL DEPT. I AB# ’’; ”‘ MTG. I,%-‘/ 9% FROM STATE OF CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL CITY A’ DEPT. GM ENHANCEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM CITY M TITLE: SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION FOR GRANT RECOM M EN DED ACTION: ADOPT Resolution No. S2-3’% authorizing the submission of an application for grant State of California Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program. ITEM EXPLANATION The Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program was established by the state’s er of the Transportation Blueprint Legislation of 1989 (AB 471). This legislation provides $1( annually for 10 years for grants to mitigate the adverse environmental effects of trans] projects. Grant funds must be used to supplemental mitigation above and beyond any mitigation required of the transportation pr The proposed grant application which is attached requests $500,000 to revegetate manL slopes necessary to construct a portion Rancho Santa Fe Road. The road project is the SI a larger and more complex mitigation program in which the Fieldstone Company will I significant acreage of coastal sage scrub habitat to mitigate for loss of habitat. H revegetation of manufactured slopes alongside the road is not specifically addressed in th mitigation plan. This revegetation would be particularly beneficial where the road passes Fieldstone’s proposed preserve lands. In addition to the value of revegetation to wild proposed grant project would provide benefits under the secondary category of Highway La and Urban Forestry. The deadline for submission of the grant application was November 30. In order to not deadline, staff has submitted a preliminary application to the state contingent upon the C formal approval of this agenda bill. If the City’s grant application is approved, funds H available in the 1993-94 fiscal year. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact to the City of Carlsbad relating to filing the application. The maximum grant is typically $500,000. EXHIBITS 1. 2. Grant Application City Council Resolution No. 9% - 3g6 P 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 I.3 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 0 0 RESOLUTION NO. 92-346 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CAF CALIFORNIA, APPROVING THE APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS F ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM UN[ SECTION 764.56 OF THE STREETS AND HIGHWAYS CODE F FOLLOWING PROJECT: RANCHO SANTA FE ROAD REVEGETATION, WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of California has enacted (Chapter 106 of the Statutes of 19891, which is intended to provide S1( annually for a period of 10 years for grant funds to local, state and federal ager nonprofit entities for projects to enhance and mitigate the environmental im modified or new public transportation facilities; and WHEREAS, the Resources Agency has established the procedures and CI reviewing grant proposals and is required to submit to the California Trans! Commission a list of recommended projects from which the grant recipient! selected; and WHEREAS, said procedures and criteria established by the Resources require a resolution certifying the approval of application by the applicant's g body before submission of said application to the State; and WHEREAS, the application contains assurances that the applicant mus with; and WHEREAS, the applicant, if selected, will enter into an agreement with t of California to carry out the environmental enhancement and mitigation proj NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of C California, as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 0 0 1. 2. That the above recitations are true and correct. That approval is given for the filing of an application for the Enviroi Enhancement and Mitigation Program for grant assistance. 3. The City Council certifies that said applicant will make adequate prc for operation and maintenance of the project. 4. That the City Council appoints the City Manager as agent of the Carlsbad to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents, includ not limited to applications, agreements, payment requests and so on, which necessary for the completion of the aforementioned project. PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Carlst Council held on the 1st day of DECEMBER , 1992 by the fc vote, to wit: AYES: NOES: None ABSENT: Council Member Nygaard Council Members Lewis, Kulchin, Larson, Stanton ATTEST: q 4jf1- AL$k?f%AUTENKRANZ, City Clerk (SEAL) 2. A. GRANT PROJECT (Name) Rancho Santa Fe Road Revegetation GRANT APPLICANT (Agency - Address - ZIP code) @ LOCAL AGENCY STATE AGENCY 0 FEDERAL AGENCY 0 NONPROFIT City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive Carlsbad, CA 92008 AMOUNT OF GRANT REQUEST $ 500,000 ESTlMATED TOTAL PROJECT COST $ 5 rnillic (Grant. Donations, etc., excluding Transportation Pri GRANT PROJECT LOCATION Rancho Santa Fe Road Nearest Cross Street San Diego county Nearest City Within City of Carl 38th 74th Senate District No. Assembly Distnct No. 0 0 IMPORTANT All state requirements must be met and an agreement between the state and the applicant signed and approved befoi expenditure costs are incurred against the grant in order to be assured of reimbursement. PLEASE NOTE: Acomplete application for grant funds consists of five copies each of the following items pertaining to the grant project. Api must be submitted on 8%-by-l l inch paper, and all pages must be consecutively numbered (foldouts are acceptable). 1. An Application Form plus an attached narrative and quantitative description of the project that explains how (1) Minimum Requirements; (2) General Criteria; and (3) Project Category Criteria as listed in Procedures and Crite 2. A project cost estimate and proposed budget showing any contributions from other sources, in kind, or otherwise. 3. A project completion schedule including a quarterly cash expenditure plan. 4. A drawing or drawings indicating the project design or concept. 5. A project location map and photos of project site. 6. An acquisition schedule, if any. 7. An acquisition map showing exterior boundaries and parcel numbers. 8. For projects sponsored by an organization other than the lead agency for the related transportation facility, a signed s from the lead agency for the related transportation facility identifying and briefly describing the transportation project, it status and date of beginning construction, and agency's comments on the compatibility of the proposed enhancer mitigation project with the transportation project. 9. An authorizing resolution and statement describing related prior experience and the authority of a local govemmer or nonprofit organization to carry out the proposed project. 10. Internal Revenue SeM'ce determination of exempt status under Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS code for nonprofit orgar 11. A statement indicating that the project meets the requirements of or is consistent with local, state, and federal p a list of permits or approvals needed from other agencies. (Indicate whether an application has been filed with these ai 12. For all projects involving the planting of trees, a certification as specified under Section X., L. of the Procedures anc 13. For Highway Landscape and Urban Forestry projects, a description of the number of plantings, species, sizes, der Failure to submit complete information and the required number of copies may be cause for disqualification. Applic; not be considered until all required information is received. 1 locations. ASSURANCES Applicant possesses legal authority to apply for the grant and to finance, acquire, and construct the proposed projec formal action (e.g., a resolution) the applicant's governing body authorized the filing of the application, including all under! and assurances contained therein, and authorized the person identified as the official representative of the applicanl connection with the application and to provide such additional information as may be required. Applicant will manage and maintain any property acquired, developed, rehabilitated, or restored with grant funds in tl With the granting agency's prior approval, the applicant or its successors in interest may transfer the management and mai responsibilities in the property. If the property is not managed and maintained for the purposes stated in the project a$ the state shall be reimbursed an amount at least equal to the amount of the grant award or such other amount as is agreed to by the parties. Applicant will give the state's authorized representative access to and the right to examine all records, books, papers, or d related to the grant. Applicant will cause work on the project to be commenced within a reasonable time after receipt of notification from that funds have been approved and that the project will be carried to completion with reasonable diligence. Applicant will comply where applicable with provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act and the California F Assistance Act, and any other state, and/or local laws, rules and/or regulations. RA (7/B2) 1 0 0 City of Carlsbad Rancho Santa Fe Road Revegetation Project This material is submitted in support of the City of Carlsbad's application for grant funds under the Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program. This packet is intended to provide all information and documentation required for a complete application submittal. I. Minimum Requirements A. The grant project is intended to help offset the environmental impacts of the realignment and construction of Rancho Santa Fe Road. The new alignment of the road passes through an area of very high biological value which is being protected as a wildlife corridor. The habitat found on the site is coastal sage scrub and is occupied by several pairs of California Gnatcatchers as well as a variety of other sensitive species. The proposed project will help to offset the loss of coastal sage scrub habitat due to construction of the road through the corridor by revegetating already disturbed portions of the corridor and other areas that may be disturbed by the construction. The proposed grant project revegetation is in addition to the overall mitigation program required of the project. The EIR for the project called for entirely offsite mitigation. However, because of the sensitivity of the California Gnatcatcher, the road and adjacent private development have subsequently been addressed in a pre-listing Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) under the federal Endangered Species Act. The draft HCP is now under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game. The HCP proposes to mitigate the loss of habitat due to the combined road/private development project by the onsite preservation of approximately 500 acres of habitat. Approximately 200 acres of the total preserved land is mitigation for the impacts of the road itself. Rancho Santa Fe Road will pass through the corridor portion of the preserved lands along a frontage of approximately 1,000 ft. Although the HCP proposes some revegetation, it is not a requirement of the HCP. Furthermore, the proposed revegetation does not address the full extent of the need. Specifically, the revegetation proposed in the HCP does not address the need for revegetation of areas that will be disturbed along the road right-of-way. The requested grant funding to carry out additional revegetation within the wildlife corridor would provide additional mitigation not called for in the EIR and HCP to enhance the value of the preserved land and corridor. In addition, the proposed grant project will provide secondary benefits in the category of Highway Landscape and Urban Forestry. The revegetation will help to offset vehicular emissions of carbon dioxide by partially compensating for the loss of existing vegetation due to the road project. B. 4 m e C. The mitigation will be compatible with, and will not interfere with, the operation and safety of Rancho Santa Fe Road. Coastal sage scrub is generally low growing, approximately 3-4 ft. in height, which will not interfere with drivers’ sight distance and will not obscure signs. The vegetation will be set back an appropriate distance from the edge of pavement. The mitigation will not in any way limit planned or anticipated future improvements to Rancho Santa Fe Road. The road will be constructed to ultimate prime arterial width, and no further widening will be required. The mitigation will not interfere with maintenance of the road or signage. D. 11. General Criteria A. The proposed grant project will complement the much larger mitigation provided under the HCP by providing additional acreage of native vegetation, by minimizing the width of the break in the corridor, and by minimizing the edge effect within the corridor. The edge effect results from the boundaries of the corridor, construction of the road through the corridor, and the presence of existing areas of disturbance within the corridor. The requested grant funds will eliminate the areas of disturbance within the corridor and restore habitat along the road right-of-way, thus minimizing the edge effect from those causes. Regarding the width of the break in the corridor, the use of the wildlife corridor for movement of animals merits further discussion. The alignment of the road unavoidably crosses the corridor and will present an obstacle to movement of wildlife. However, the proposed grant project will help to mitigate the obstacle to movement for certain species. One purpose of the wildlife cowidor is to facilitate the movement of California Gnatcatchers between the population in Carlsbad and other populations to the southeast of Carlsbad. Gnatcatchers are not strong flyers and are very reluctant to cross large open spaces with no cover. Revegetation adjacent to the road would give gnatcatchers a shorter distance to cross. Although the birds will still be forced to traverse a larger distance than would be ideal, the proposed grant project will reduce that distance by a significant amount. Even so, gnatcatchers may never attempt to cross the road, or if they do, the mortality rate may be high. In any case, the proposed revegetation will be beneficial to gnatcatchers by providing additional area for foraging and by minimizing the edge effect. Larger mammals such as coyote, bobcat, and deer may be more likely to attempt to cross the road, as they do currently. These animals typically would attempt to cross at night when traffic volumes would be lower. A preferable accommodation for movement of such animals, including mammals, reptiles and amphibians, would be a large culvert or similar uncrossing. This alternative is being explored in the design of the road. In any case, the proposed revegetation will be beneficial to many animals by providing additional foraging area and cover, and by minimizing the edge effect. L : a e B. Matching funds for this project will come from an assessment district that is being formed to pay for the road. The assessment district will contribute approximately $5 million to mitigate the impacts of the road, of which several hundred thousand dollars will be allocated for revegetation of other areas. Thus, the overall private contribution to the mitigation cost is at a ratio of 10 to 1 with the requested grant funds. The road had been previously designed to a state of approximately 90% completion prior to the development of the HCP mitigation plan for the gnatcatcher. It is now being redesigned to take into account the wildlife corridor. The assessment district is in the process of formation and is expected to be formed by early 1993. In any event, the revegetation of the corridor can occur prior to construction of the road, so there will be no delay in implementing the grant project. No land acquisition will be involved. The proposed mitigation project will not require any special permits or lengthy environmental clearances. The project is consistent with all state, regional, and local plans. In particular, the project is highly consistent with the state’s Natural Communities Conservation Planning effort and the state and federal endangered species acts. C. 111. Project Category Criteria -- Resource Lands Projects A. Important Resource Values Although the proposed project will provide roadside landscaping, it is primarily a wildlife habitat project. The intent as discussed above is to provide additional habitat area for various animal species, to minimize the width of the break in the corridor, and to minimize the edge effect. Revegetation with appropriate coastal sage scrub plants would allow gnatcatchers to forage in and make use of an expanded area when compared with typical highway landscaping using exotic ornamental species. In other areas, gnatcatchers have been observed foraging right up to the edge of the 1-5 freeway where suitable vegetation was present. Other species including reptiles and invertebrates would benefit similarly. The early establishment of native plant species would discourage the intrusion of non-native weed species following road grading, thus reducing the edge effect of the road. B. Sustainability The area to be revegetated will be included in any conservation easement or other protective designation that is applied to the wildlife corridor as a whole. The revegetated area will be considered fully a part of the corridor and will be managed for the maximum benefit of wildlife. Management of all preserved land will be carried out by an appropriate wildlife agency or non-profit organization which will be adequately funded to manage in perpetuity. 3 0 0 C. Other Public Benefits As noted above, the proposed grant project will provide secondary benefits under the category of Highway Landscape and Urban Forestry. The plants to be used in revegetation were selected primarily for their benefit to wildlife, but they will also function as consumers of carbon dioxide. Because the project involves landscaping, the following information is provided. Revegetation will be accomplished by a combination of hydroseeding and container plants of up to 15 gallon size. The staggered maturity of plants will allow for immediate colonization of the site and will be more aesthetically pleasing than hydroseeding only. An irrigation system for reclaimed water will be installed below ground and used primarily during the first year. The irrigation schedule will be flexible, based on weather and plant needs. After the first year little or no irrigation will be required, but the irrigation system will be left in place to avoid disturbance to established plants and to be used in case the need arises later. The revegetation site will be inspected monthly for the first year to monitor growth and to remove any weeds and litter. After the first year, the site will be maintained as part of the ongoing management of the overall preserve. 4