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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 04 CorrespondenceSTATE OF CALIFORNIA—BUSINESS TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AGENCY EDMUND G. BROWN Jr.,Govemor DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION District 12 3347 Michelson Drive, Suite 100 Irvine, CA 92612-8894 Tel: (949) 724-2241 Fax: (949) 724-2592 October 8, 2012 Dana Ogdon City of Tustin Community Development Department 300 Centennial Way Tustin, California 92780 File: IGR/CEQA SCH#: 2012061063 Log #: 3086 SR -261, I-5 Flex your power! Be energy efficient! Subject: Development Agreement (DA) 2012-002, Concept Plan (CP) 2012-003, Design Review (DR) 2012-005, MCAS -Tustin Specific Plan (Tustin Legacy) Dear Mr. Ogdon, Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on the Development Agreement (DA) 2012-002, Concept Plan (CP) 2012-003, Design Review (DR) 2012-005 for the MCAS - Tustin Specific Plan (Tustin Legacy). The proposal is to amend the Development Agreement and associated Disposition Packages within the MCAS -Tustin Specific Plan to allow construction of a total of 225 affordable residential apartment units. The project site is located at the corner of Tustin Ranch Road and Warner Avenue in the City of Tustin. The nearest State routes to the project site are State Route 261 and Interstate 5. The Department of Transportation (Department) is a responsible agency on this project and we have the following comments: L This project will impact the SR -261 and I-5 mainline and the Jamboree Road interchanges, ramps and intersections. Impacts.of development causing operating conditions to deteriorate past the Level of Service D/E cusp, or impacts adding to an existing deficient level of service condition require mitigation. 2. Due to the lack of mitigation provided for cumulatively impacted intersections on I-5 at Jamboree Road as a result of the proposed development at Tustin Legacy, the Department requests to establish and implement "fair share" mitigation for the aforementioned project impacts. The Department has an established methodology standard used to properly calculate equitable project share contribution. This can be found in Appendix B of the Department's Guide for the Preparation of Traffic Impact Studies which is available at: htip://www.dot.ca. og v/hq/traffops/developsery/operationalsystems/reports/tis u� ide.pdf 3. Considering the large size of the project (up to 225 residential units), a Traffic Impact Study (TIS) should analyze the ramp intersections of 1-5 at Jamboree Road, as well as the Jamboree Road on and off -ramps at Warner Avenue. These intersections should be analyzed to properly determine the impact of the project on these intersections for present (year 2012) and future (year 2035) conditions. The analysis included in the TIS should also include potential mitigation measures for impacted locations. "Caltrans improves mobility across California" 4. The Department's Traffic Operations Branch requests an analysis of I-5 at Jamboree Road, as well as the Jamboree Road on and off -ramps at Warner Avenue using the method outlined in the latest version of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) when analyzing traffic impacts on State Transportation Facilities. The use of HCM is the standard methodology of the Department because it is an operational analysis as opposed to the Intersection Capacity Utilization (ICU) method, which is a planning analysis. In the case of projects that have direct impacts on State Facilities, the Department recommends that the Traffic Impact Analysis be based on HCM method. Should the project require an encroachment permit, Traffic Operations may find the Traffic Impact Analysis based on ICU methodology inadequate resulting in possible delay or denial of a permit by the Department. All input sheets, assumptions and volumes on State Facilities including ramps and intersection analysis should be submitted to the Department for review and approval. The analysis should include appropriate mitigation measures to offset any potential impacts. The traffic impact on the State transportation system should be evaluated based on the Department's Guide for the Preparation of Traffic Impact Studies. 5. CEQA statute 21092.4(a) states, "For a project of statewide, regional, or area -wide significance, the lead agency shall consult with transportation planning agencies and public agencies which have transportation facilities within their jurisdiction which could be affected by the project." Pursuant to the aforementioned statute, the Department would like to request a scoping meeting to determine appropriate and reasonable mitigation for this project. 6. In addition, CEQA statute 21092.4(b) states, "As used in this section, "transportation facilities" includes major local arterials and public transit within five miles of the project site and freeways, highways and rail transit service within 10 miles of the project site." The failure to analyze the intersections, ramps and mainline at 1-5 and Jamboree Road using HCM methodology would be considered a violation of this statute. 7. CEQA statute 21081.2(e) states, "Nothing in this section relieves a city or county from the requirement to analyze the project's effects on traffic at intersections, or on streets, highways, or freeways, from making a determination that the project may have a significant effect on traffic." Again, failure to analyze the intersections, ramps and mainline at I-5 and Jamboree Road using HCM methodology would be considered a violation of this statute. Please continue to keep us informed of this project and any future developments, which could potentially impact the State Transportation Facilities. If you have any questions or need to contact us, please do not hesitate to call Marlon Regisford at (949) 724-2241. Sinter , Christopher Herre, Branch Chief Local Development/Intergovernmental Review C: Scott Morgan, Office of Planning and Research "Caltrans improves mobility across California'"