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Home My WebLink AboutAMEND 2018-0011; POINSETTIA PARK PHASE IV - DOG PARK; NOISE ASSESSMENT; 2018-12-07HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc. 7578 El Cajon Boulevard La Mesa, CA 91942 619.462.1515 tel 619.462.0552 fax www.helixepi.com December 7, 2018 Barbara Kennedy City of Carlsbad Parks & Recreation Administration 799 Pine Avenue, Suite 200 Carlsbad, CA 92008 Subject: Poinsettia Dog Park Project Noise Assessment Dear Ms. Kennedy: HELIX Environmental Planning HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc. (HELIX) has performed a noise analysis for the operational noise impacts of the Poinsettia Dog Park Project (project) for the City of Carlsbad (City) Parks & Recreation Department. The analysis addresses potential operational noise impacts to nearby residences, focusing on dogs barking within the dog park enclosure (the main source of noise associated with the project). PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING The approximately one-acre park is located at 6600 Hidden Valley Road within Poinsettia Park in the city of Carlsbad. The project proposes a dog park adjacent to an existing parking lot and basketball courts. The dog park would be enclosed by a 6-foot tall vinyl chain link fence. Amenities would include drinking fountains, dog waste stations, leash hooks, dog agility equipment, picnic tables, a shade structure, and access gates. Refer to Attachment 1. The park would operate between the daytime hours of 7:00 a. m. and 10:00 p.m. The project site has a General Plan land use designation and zoning designation of OS (Open Space). The nearest noise-sensitive land uses (NSLUs) are residences and a child care center to the east, across Hidden Valley Road . The nearest NSLUs are residences approximately 220 feet east of the project, across Hidden Valley Road. TERMINOLOGY All noise level or sound level values presented herein are expressed in terms of decibels (dB), with A-weighting (dBA) to approximate the hearing sensitivity of humans. Time-averaged noise levels of one hour are expressed by the symbol LEo, unless a different time period is specified. NOISE MODELING SOFTWARE Modeling of dog barks was accomplished using Computer Aided Noise Abatement (CadnaA) version 2019. CadnaA is a model-based computer program developed by DataKustikfor predicting noise impacts in a wide variety of conditions. CadnaA assists in the calculation, presentation, assessment, and Letter to Barbara Kennedy December 7, 2018 Page 2 of 4 mitigation of noise exposure. It allows for the input of project-related information, such as noise source data, barriers, structures, and topography to create a detailed model for the prediction of outdoor noise impacts. NOISE REGULATIONS The City Noise Ordinance focuses on construction noise limits. The City relies on the General Plan Noise Element to establish operational noise standards for land uses. Standards from the Carlsbad General Plan Noise Element are provided below. Carlsbad General Plan Noise Element The Carlsbad General Plan Noise Element (Carlsbad 2015) establishes noise standards for land uses and allowable noise exposure. Table 1, Performance Standards for Non-Transportation Sources provides standards for noise from non-transportation noise sources such as the proposed dog park. These standards apply to the noise sources as measured at the edge of the property line. Table 1 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR NON-TRANSPORTATION SOURCES1 I Noise level Descriptor Daytime Nighttime I (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.)2 (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.)2 Hourly LEQ, dBA 55 45 Maximum Level, dBA 75 65 1 Performance standards are measured at the property line of source/sensitive use 2 Each of the noise levels specified above shall be lowered by 5 dB for simple tone noises, noises consisting primarily of speech or music, or for recurring impulsive noises. Source: Carlsbad General Plan Noise Element SIGNIFICANCE CRITERIA For the purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that dog barks are considered simple tone noises, and each of the noise levels specified above is therefore lowered by 5 dBA. Based on the standards in Table 1, exterior noise generated by the project would be significant if dog barks would exceed the following noise levels: hourly average (LEO) of 50 dBA during daytime hours (7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.) and 40 dBA LEQ during nighttime hours (10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.). Maximum exterior noise levels shall not exceed 70 dBA during daytime hours or 60 dBA during nighttime hours. DOG BARK NOISE ANALYSIS The loudest noise from the dog park would be from dogs barking. The noise level emanating from a dog park may vary widely depending on the dogs' temperament, activity level, breed, and number of dogs. A single dog bark would typically have a maximum noise level of approximately 85 dBA at about 5 feet and HELIX Environmental Planning .., .) Letter to Barbara Kennedy December 7, 2018 Page 3 of 4 have a duration of less tha n 0.2 second (HELIX 20171). A single dog bark, averaged over the duration of one hour, would be approximately 38.8 dBA LEQ at 5 feet, 19.3 dBA LEQ at 50 feet, and 13.0 dBA LeQ at 100 feet. Dogs would be able to move freely within their enclosed play area, and would be moving across the dog park throughout their visit. For modeling purposes, the dog barks are assumed to be centered in the dog park, approximately 230 feet west of Poinsettia Park's eastern property line at Hidden Valley Road. At this distance, up to a total of 10 minutes per hour of continuous barking, or 3,000 barks, at the dog park would not exceed the City's 50 dBA LEu limit at the nearest property line. The exact number of dogs and their barking patterns would vary during the day of week and hour of the day. A reasonably conservative assumption for the dog park on a given hour during a busy day would be 30 dogs in the park, each with 10 barking events per hour per dog, for a total of 300 barking events per hour. Under these assumptions, the amount of barks per hour would create 39.8 dBA LeQ at the nearest property line. Conclusions The proposed dog park project would not generate noise levels exceeding the City's daytime (7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) 50 dBA LEu limits for non-transportation noise sources. This limit assumes that dog barks are considered "simple tone noises" as described in the City General Plan. The dog park project is not expected to be in operation during the nighttime hours from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Noise from dogs barking at the project would be less than significant. Closing We appreciate the opportunity to work with you on this project. Please let me know if you have any questions or require any further information. Sincerely, Jason Runyan Noise Analyst Joanne M. Dramko, AICP Senior Technical Specialist 1 The Harmony Grove Village South project proposed a similarly-sized dog park in the vicinity of res id ences. Noise levels analyzed to determine significance of barking events. HELIX Environmental Planning Letter to Barbara Kennedy December 7, 2018 Attachments: Attachment 1: Poinsettia Dog Park Landscape Concept REFERENCES Carlsbad, City of. 2015. Carlsbad General Plan Noise Element. September. Page 4 of 4 HELIX Environmental Planning (HELIX). 2017. Harmony Grove Village South Project Acoustical Analysis Report. March. HELIX Environmental Planning J ' j Attachment 1 Poinsettia Dog Park Landscape Concept • Extstln.g StaJ1s 0 Proposed Concrete V\.'allr; • ElriAtlng Vhilk to R8ffl■in 0 OvofflHd Snaoe, Struc1uritt .Duaf-G■le~ 0 e■rkMulch 9 Pl.anting.Ate. O 1111:afntftn:■nce Acc.eu • 12'Wda V•hkul■r G■te • 8' Tai "1ny1 Ch■lrilnli: Fen.cc . ··-8 Proposed Mow Curb Poinsettia D Park Landscape Plan Figure 1