Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program - Santa Maria Rapid Transit

2025111143

City of Santa Maria

NOE - Notice of Exemption

11/26/2025

11/26/2025

Gamaliel Anguiano

City of Santa Maria

Transit Services Manager

Lead/Public Agency

110 South Pine Street Suite 101
Santa Maria, CA 93458

(805) 925-0951 ext. 2480

ganguiano@cityofsantamaria.org

The sites include: 1401 West Fairway Drive (APN:111-760-028) City of Santa Maria Transit Center at 400 East Boone Street (APN: 125-150-005) and City of Santa Maria Transit Yard at 1301 Fairway Drive (APN: 111-580-013). Potential acquisition sites include the NE Corner of E Boone St and Miller St (APNs: 125-112-010 through 125-112012 and 125-112-014).

Categorical Exemption

Section 15301 - Class 1, Section 15302-Class 2 and Section 15303-Class 3

As noted in the SBCAG Charging Forward Project application, the Transit Transformation component includes a Bus Rapid Transit system, which will be implemented by Santa Maria Rapid Transit along the highly congested State Route 135/Broadway corridor in Santa Maria, featuring dedicated bus lanes, level boarding stations, signal priority, and other infrastructure to ensure faster, more reliable transit. This component is exempt under Class 1 (Existing Facilities) and Class 2 (Replacement or Reconstruction). The Santa Maria Regional Transit Opportunity Charging project involves the purchase, construct, equip, or enhance a SMRT Transit Administration building(s) with electric bus opportunity charging infrastructure. The City of Santa Maria Transit Center at 400 East Boone Street (APN: 125-150-005) is a 3.82 acre developed site, where the project may add additional administrative space and up to eighteen transit chargers. The facility(s) at 1401 West Fairway Drive (APN:111-760-028) may serve as a SMRT Transit Administration building to allow for rapid charging of electric buses during layovers. This site is an existing, fully developed 3.36-acre site with an existing over 50,000 square foot building. The existing developed SMRT Operations and Maintenance Yard location will support an additional seventeen dual port chargers with the ability to charge up to 32 vehicles. These locations and project components are exempt under Class 1 (Existing Facilities) and under Class 3 (Small Structures). A potential acquisition site which could also accommodate a SMRT Transit Administration building(s) with electric bus opportunity charging infrastructure and a function as a multiservice provider hub for cross and intercounty-wide transit connectivity, is located at the NE Corner of E Boone St and Miller St (APNs: 125-112-010 through 125-112-012 and 125-112-014). This is a vacant 1.3-acre site within the Downtown Specific Plan. The development of properties within the Downtown Specific Plan, including for public uses and facilities, was analyzed in the adopted Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Santa Maria Downtown Specific Plan (State Clearinghouse No. 2007041105) pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) State Guidelines Section 15162. The development of the site will be subject to land use provisions of the Specific Plan and the mitigation measures identified in the Final EIR. A SMRT Transit Administration building(s) with electric bus charging infrastructure are uses and operating characteristics consistent with the analysis performed for the Downtown Specific Plan Environmental Impact Report, does not represent a substantial change to the type and scale of development contemplated by the Specific Plan, will not require major revisions to Specific Plan, nor would such facility result in any new significant environmental effects not already analyzed and mitigated in the adopted Downtown Specific Plan EIR. Therefore, project fits within the parameters included in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 and the activity does not require additional CEQA analysis. None of the exceptions to the exemption identified in CEQA Section 15300.2 apply and no further environmental review is required.