Environmental Assessment No. P23-03606

2025090130

City of Fresno

NOE - Notice of Exemption

9/4/2025

9/4/2025

Brittany Martin

City of Fresno

Planner II

Lead/Public Agency

2600 Fresno St
Fresno, CA 93721

(559) 621-8059

Brittany.Martin@fresno.gov

36°41'30.8"N 119°47'37.6"W

On the southern side of West North Avenue between South Clara and South Elm Avenues in Fresno, C

93706

2.23

4

329-020-33

State Highway 41 and 99

Southern Pacific Railroad

None

West Fresno Elementary, West Fresno Middle, Fresno City College

None

14S

20E

28

M.D.B.&M

Categorical Exemption

Section 15332/Class 32 (In-Fill Development Projects)

This project is exempt under Sections 15332/Class 32 (In-fill Development Projects) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines as follows: Section 15332/Class 32 (Class 32/In-Fill Development Projects) of the CEQA Guidelines exempts from the provisions of CEQA, projects characterized as in-fill development, which meet the following conditions: a) The project is consistent with the applicable general plan designation and all applicable general plan policies as well as with applicable zoning designation and regulations. The proposed project (Commercial Truck Repair Shop) will meet all the provisions of the Fresno Municipal Code. The project is consistent with the Fresno General Plan designation, policies, and zoning. The existing BP (Business Park) zone district is consistent with the Employment-Business Park planned land use designation approved for this site by the Fresno General Plan, Southwest Fresno Specific Plan, and the Fresno County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan. The project does not propose any changes to the current land use designation and zoning, and further anticipates Automobile/Vehicle Repair, Major, Large Vehicle and Equipment Sales, Service, and Rental, and Warehousing, Storage, and Distribution (Outdoor Storage) uses, all of which are permitted uses within the existing Employment - Business Park zone district. The commercial truck repair shop is also subject to additional regulations outlined in the Fresno Municipal Code. Compliance with these regulations is required, and the project is conditioned accordingly in the Conditions of Approval issued for the project. Given the conditions of approval, the project is expected to comply with all applicable provisions of the Citywide Development Code including but not limited to special use regulations for Automobile/Vehicle Service and Repair, Major and Minor (Section 15-2710), and Concrete Batch Plants, Storage Yards, and Similar Uses (Section 15-2721). b) The proposed development occurs within city limits on a project site of no more than five acres substantially surrounded by urban uses. The proposed project (Commercial Truck Repair Shop) is located within the city limits, occurs on a project site of ±2.23 acres, which is less than the 5-acre maximum, and is surrounded by light manufacturing and residential uses. c) The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species. The project site was not identified as habitat for rare or threatened species based on online resources from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), also known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These federal agencies oversee the monitoring of endangered species and their habitats. Additionally, the project site is an urban infill lot surrounded by existing residential and light manufacturing uses. The site consists of previously disturbed land and holds no ecological value as habitat for endangered, rare, or threatened species. d) Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. The proposed project was routed to the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District, the City of Fresno Public Utilities Department-Water Division, Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District, and no significant effects were identified relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. Traffic Senate Bill (SB) 743, signed in 2013, changes how transportation studies are conducted in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents. Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) replaces motorist delay and level of service (LOS) as the metric for impact determination. VMT measures how much actual auto travel (additional miles driven) a proposed project would create on California roads. If the project adds excessive car travel onto our roads, the project may cause a significant transportation impact. The State CEQA Guidelines were amended to implement SB 743, by adding Section 15064.3. Among its provisions, Section 15064.3 confirms that, except with respect to transportation projects, a project’s effect on automobile delay shall not constitute a significant environmental impact. Therefore, LOS measures of impacts on traffic facilities are no longer a relevant CEQA criteria for transportation impacts. CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.3(b)(4) states that “[a] lead agency has discretion to evaluate a project’s vehicle miles traveled, including whether to express the change in absolute terms, per capita, per household or in any other measure. A lead agency may use models to estimate a project’s vehicle miles traveled and may revise those estimates to reflect professional judgment based on substantial evidence. Any assumptions used to estimate used to estimate vehicle miles traveled and any revision to model outputs should be documented and explained in the environmental document prepared for the project. The standard of adequacy in Section 15151 shall apply to the analysis described in this section.” On June 25, 2020, the City of Fresno adopted CEQA Guidelines for Vehicle Miles Traveled Thresholds, dated June 25, 2020, pursuant to Senate Bill 743 to be effective of July 1, 2020. The thresholds described therein are referred to herein as the City of Fresno VMT Thresholds. The City of Fresno VMT Thresholds document was prepared and adopted consistent with the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Sections 15064.3 and 15064.7. The December 2018 Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA (Technical Advisory) published by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), was utilized as a reference and guidance document in the preparation of the Fresno VMT Thresholds. The City of Fresno VMT Thresholds adopted a screening standard and criteria that can be used to screen out qualified projects that meet the adopted criteria from needing to prepare a detailed VMT analysis. The City of Fresno VMT Thresholds Section 3.0 regarding Project Screening discusses a variety of projects that may be screened out of a VMT analysis including specific development and transportation projects. For development projects, conditions may exist that would presume that a development project has a less than significant impact. These may be size, location, proximity to transit, or trip-making potential. For transportation projects, the primary attribute to consider with transportation projects is the potential to increase vehicle travel, sometimes referred to as “induced travel.” Staff utilized the Fresno Council of Governments (COG) Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Screening Tool to determine the VMT for the proposed project. The adopted threshold of significance is 13%, which means that projects that generate VMT in excess of 13% than the existing regional VMT per capita or per employee would have a significant environmental impact; projects that meet the 13% threshold are determined to have a less than significant effect on regional VMT. According to the VMT screening tool, the proposed commercial truck repair shop project is located within a medium-VMT zone and is estimated to generate 27.97 VMT, higher than the 25.60 VMT (13%) threshold. As the estimated VMT for the parcel exceeded the 13% threshold identified by the Fresno Council of Governments (COG) Screening Tool, a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis was prepared by Peters Engineering Group, dated April 17, 2024, for the proposed commercial truck repair shop in Fresno, California. The analysis estimates that the project would generate approximately 51.80 average daily trips, including 17 new AM peak hour and 17 new PM peak hour trips. Projects generating fewer than 110 daily trips or fewer than 500 Active Daily Trips (ADT) are generally considered to result in a less-than-significant transportation impact and may be screened out from further VMT analysis due to their low trip generation. As the proposed project is expected to generate fewer than 500 daily trips, it qualifies as a low trip generator and meets the criteria for screening out under the applicable COG guidelines. In summary, the VMT analysis demonstrates that the project will not adversely affect VMT and is projected to result in less-than-significant traffic impacts on regional VMT. Noise The project site is an infill site located within an urban neighborhood surrounded by existing urban uses including existing residential and light manufacturing uses. As such, there are existing ambient noise levels that are typical of these types of developments including traffic. Development of the site for a commercial truck repair garage would not generate a new, noise generating source that would not otherwise occur in the Project vicinity (i.e., 0.25-mile radius). The nearest sensitive land uses are single-family residences within ±0.01 miles north and west of the site and West Fresno Elementary School located approximately ±0.14 miles north of the site. While the project would require construction, construction-related noise standards would be temporary, short-term, and subject to compliance with FMC Section 10-109, which limits construction hours. Operational uses would not create significant noise impacts since no amplifying system is proposed. While noise would mainly be generated for traffic, traffic generation would be limited as analyzed above. For these reasons, the project would not result in any significant effects relating to noise. Air Quality The proposed project is conditioned to comply with all applicable regulations and requirements from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) and the project is subject to review by the agency in regard to air quality during construction and operation. The Project lies within one of the communities in the state selected by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for investment of additional air quality resources and attention under Assembly Bill (AB) 617 to reduce air pollution exposure in impacted disadvantaged communities. Per the SJVAPCD’s review, the project’s estimated annual emissions from construction and operation are below the significance thresholds outlined in the District’s Guidance for Assessing and Mitigating Air Quality Impacts (GAMAQI). Specifically, emissions are expected to remain under two tons per year for both NOx and PM10. Consequently, under District Rule 9510 Section 4.3, the project is exempt from the rule’s mitigation requirements and off-site emission reduction fee obligations. The District concluded that the project complies with the emission reduction requirements of District Rule 9510 and does not result in significant air quality impacts. Additionally, the project qualifies for the SJVAPCD’s Small Project Analysis Level (SPAL), which establishes screening criteria based on land use type, project size, and vehicle trip generation. The project’s land use characteristics, classified under Automobile Care Center and General Light Industry, fall below SPAL thresholds, generating fewer than 1,550 Average Daily Trips (ADT) for the former, and fewer than 550 ADT for the latter. As such, the project is considered to have a less-than-significant impact on air quality under CEQA and is exempt from further quantification of criteria pollutant emissions. Water Quality The site has been reviewed and conditioned by the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District (FMFCD), Fresno County Public Health, and the City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities in regard to water quality. On May 23, 2024, FMFCD issued a formal Notice of Requirements, outlining specific conditions for the project’s stormwater management infrastructure. These include the construction and dedication of storm drainage facilities in accordance with the FMFCD’s Flood Control Master Plan and City of Fresno standards. As part of these requirements, the project must dedicate a minimum 15-foot-wide storm drain easement along the western property boundary. This easement must remain clear of permanent structures or obstructions such as foundations, roof overhangs, pools, or trees to preserve drainage functionality and maintenance access. Because permanent drainage infrastructure is not currently available to serve the site, FMFCD has conditioned the construction of temporary stormwater facilities, including an on-site ponding basin designed to City standards. This temporary basin will provide adequate stormwater retention and infiltration until a permanent system becomes available. To further protect water quality, FMFCD has established requirements that outdoor storage areas be designed and maintained to prevent potential pollutants from coming into contact with rainfall or runoff. Where feasible, roof drainage from non-residential buildings should be routed through landscaped grassy swale area to enhance pollutant removal. Runoff from areas where industrial activities occur, or where products and materials may contact stormwater, must be treated prior to discharging it off-site or entering the storm drainage system. Cleaning of such areas by sweeping instead of washing is to be required unless such wash water can be directed to the sanitary sewer system. Additionally, storm drains collecting untreated industrial runoff must not be connected to the FMFCD system. The project site is not located within a designated flood prone area, further reducing the risk of stormwater-related water quality impacts. To protect groundwater quality, Fresno County Environmental Health and the City of Fresno Department of Public Utilities have conditioned the applicant to properly destroy any existing or abandoned on-site water wells and septic systems in accordance with California Department of Water Resources Bulletins 74-81 and 74-90, Fresno County standards, and Fresno Municipal Code Section 6-518. These requirements ensure that the project will operate with all applicable water quality, stormwater, and groundwater protection standards, reducing the risk of contamination. Based on agency review and the implementation of the above mitigation and infrastructure requirements, the project will conform to all applicable stormwater, water quality, and water service standards. Therefore, no significant water quality impacts were identified. e) The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. The project has been routed to various utilities and public service providers which have provided project conditions for development of the project. The site has been reviewed and conditioned by the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District, Fresno County Environmental Health Division, City of Fresno Public Works Department, City of Fresno Public Utilities Department, and the City of Fresno Fire Department. In addition, given the surrounding properties and neighborhood have been developed and utilities and public services already exist in the area, the site can be adequately served by all required utilities, including sewer, water, and solid waste, as well as public services. None of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions outlined in the CEQA Guidelines, Section 15300.2 apply to the project. Furthermore, the proposed project is not expected to affect the environment significantly. A categorical exemption, as noted above, has been prepared for the project, and the area is not environmentally sensitive.