812 Green Street Subdivision and Residential Project

2025110447

City of East Palo Alto

NOE - Notice of Exemption

11/12/2025

11/12/2025

Michelle Huang

City of East Palo Alto

Associate Planner

Lead/Public Agency

1960 Tate Street
East Palo Alto, CA 94303

(650) 853-3169

mhuang@cityofepa.org

Green Street and Cooley Avenue

94303

0.87 ac

Highway 101

Categorical Exemption

Categorical Exemption CLASS: 32 SECTION NO: 15332 – In-fill Development Project

Finding 1: 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. Evidence: The project implements the Low-Density Residential (LDR) land use designation in the General Plan and Single-Family Residential (R-LD) zoning district. The proposed residential project is consistent with the allowed uses of the zoning and land use designation. The proposed subdivision to create five lots, with four proposed residential is consistent with the maximum of twelve (12) dwelling units per acre allowed as the parcel density. The project will have a density of 5.68 units per acre. The project also meets all standards for parking, setbacks, parcel size, FAR, site coverage, and building heights. Finding 2: The proposed development occurs within city limits on a project site of no more than five (5) acres substantially surrounded by urban uses. Evidence: The project site is 0.87 acres and is completely within the city limits. Based on a review of Google satellite imagery and a field visit by Planning on May 20, 2025 and October 7, 2025, the site is located adjacent to residential neighborhoods and a vacant parcel also zoned for residential use. Urban development is adjacent on most of the sides and therefore surrounds the site. Finding 3: The project site has no value as habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species. Evidence: The site is currently developed with a single-family residence and consists primarily of disturbed, flat, urbanized land that has been used for recreational farming by the property owner. The site does not contain wetlands, riparian areas, or other sensitive habitats and is not located within or adjacent to any designated critical habitat. Therefore, the property has no value as habitat for endangered, rare, or threatened species. Finding 4: Approval of the project would not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality. Evidence: Traffic: The project site plan shows a total of 17 vehicle parking spaces (10 resident parking spaces and 7 guest parking spaces). In total, the project provides sufficient parking with the combination of guest parking and resident parking for each lot. Since the project consists of five single-family dwellings, it is below the threshold that would require preparation of a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan. Based on the City of East Palo Alto Resolution 94-2020 VMT Policy adopted on July 7, 2020, various types of developments such as infill developments, small projects, and/or projects near major transit corridors may be presumed to have a less than significant impact on VMT. This includes, but is not limited to, small infill residential projects proposing fewer than 20 residences. Therefore, the proposed project as four new single-family residences would have a less than significant VMT and transportation impact. Noise: Construction-related activities would be temporary and short-term, and all work would be required to comply with the City’s noise regulation per East Palo Alto Municipal Code Chapter 8.52. Typical maximum instantaneous noise levels during project construction would range from 70 to 90 dBA Lmax1 at a distance of 50 feet. Section 15.04.125 of the City’s Municipal Code limits construction activity between hours of 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays. No construction activity is allowed on Sundays or on national holidays. Noise from construction activities during these allowed hours and days is exempt from the City’s noise standards. Project construction activities would occur during the days and times allowed under the City’s Municipal Code and, consistent with the General Plan. For these reasons, project construction activities would not result in a noise impact. Air Quality: As a small infill project, construction and operational emissions resulting from it would be consistent with the General Plan. The 2017 Clean Air Plan Progress Report could address construction emissions through required permit conditions as the project would not trigger operational impact thresholds, nor result in significant cumulative effects from project emissions. The potential for objectional odors, increased GHG emissions, and CO concentrations would also be less than significant. Water Quality: The project includes a preliminary drainage plan and erosion control plan designed to stabilize soils during construction and treat surface waters entering the storm drain system. Surface water quality in East Palo Alto is primarily a function of compliance with the City of East Palo Alto drainage design criteria and C.3 stormwater control and treatment requirements. On-site stormwater treatment will be provided through a network of infiltration swales and a stormwater infiltration trench located on the individual residential lots. With these stormwater management controls, water quality would not be adversely impacted. Finding 5: The site can be adequately served by all required utilities and public services. Evidence: The site is in an urbanized area which is currently served by existing utilities and service providers. The project would connect to existing electrical, communications, water, sewer, and storm drain infrastructure that currently exists within public rights of way. The project would be required to pay development impact fees intended to support public service systems such as police, fire, and government services. The application included a utility plan, domestic water analysis, and sewer capacity analysis to confirm that the project can be served by existing infrastructure. Finding 6: The site is not listed on any regulatory databases that track hazardous material sites. Evidence: Staff performed a regulatory database search of the Department of Toxic Substances Control Envirostor website (http://www.envirostor.dtsc.ca.gov/public/) and the State Water Resources Control Board's (SWRCB) Geotracker website (http://geotracker.waterboards.ca.gov/) to identify if any new hazardous material regulated facilities or sites within or proximate to the project are present. The target property was not listed in any of the databases searched.