Sonoma County 2026 Pavement Preservation Program - Bloomfield Area Roads

2026060098

Sonoma County

NOE - Notice of Exemption

6/2/2026

6/2/2026

Olguin Caban

Sonoma County Public Infrastructure

Assistant Engineer

Lead/Public Agency

400 Aviation Blvd Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

(707) 565-2857

olguin.caban@sonomacounty.gov

Countywide 2026 Pavement Preservation Program 10 road segments located in Bloomfield Moro St - Valley Ford Rd (Hwy 116) to Broderick St - 0.14 - Overlay Broderick St - Bloomfield Rd to Moro St - 0.06 - Overlay Broderick St - Hillview St to Church St 0.26 Overlay College St - Church St to Bloomfield Rd 0.13 Overlay Cockrill St - College St to End of County Maintenance 0.28 Overlay Church St - Broderick St to Mill St 0.24 Overlay Merchant St - Valley Ford Rd (Hwy 116) to Sutton St 0.23 Overlay Lincoln St - Broderick St to Mill St 0.24 Overlay Hillview St - Broderick St to Sutton St 0.11 Overlay Mill St - Begin County Maintenance to Bloomfield ·Rd 0.36 Overlay

Categorical Exemption

Class 1 - Existing Facilities §15301 & Class 2 - Reconstruction §15302

The Project is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301; Class 1 and 15302; Class 2. The Project would modify existing facilities as allowed by the Class 1 categorical exemption. The Project would replace or reconstruct existing facilities as allowed by the Class 2 categorical exemption. The Project does not meet any of the exceptions listed in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2. Reasons Why the Project is Exempt The Project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to the following categorical exemptions from the State CEOA Guidelines. Section 15301, Class 1: This exemption permits the operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of existing or former use. The Project would repair existing road facilities using pavement preservation techniques. No new roads, culverts, ditches, or guardrail would be created by the Project. The Project would not create any additional automobile lanes. Section 15302, Class 2: This exemption permits the replacement or reconstruction of existing structures and facilities where the new structure will be located on the same site as the replaced structure and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the structure replaced. The Project would pave only existing roads. The Project would not expand utility capacity. Categorical Exemption Exceptions The Project does ~ot meet any of the exceptions to Categorical Exemptions, which are listed in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2. The analysis below identifies the exceptions with a discussion that substantiates how the Project does not meet those exceptions. a) Location. Classes 3, 4, 5, 6, and 11 are qualified by consideration of where the project is to be located - a project that is ordinarily insignificant in its impact on the environment may in a particularly sensitive environment be significant. Therefore, these classes are considered to apply in all instances, except where the project may impact an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern where designated, precisely mapped, and officially adopted pursuant to law by federal, state, or local agencies. The Project qualifies for exemption classes 1 & 2, which are not qualified by consideration of project location. b) Cumulative Impact. All exemptions for these classes are inapplicable when the cumulative impact of successive projects of the-same type in the same place, over time ,is significant. The Project repairs, maintains, and replaces in-kind existing facilities located entirely within previously disturbed areas. Surrounding areas would not be impacted by the Project beyond the impacts from the existing facilities. No significant adverse impacts would occur as a result of the Project. Therefore, the Project would not contribute to or cause a cumulative impact based on successive projects of the same type in the same place over time. c) Significant Effect. A categorical exemption shall not be used for an activity where there is a reasonable possibility that the activity will have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. The Project site has been previously disturbed by the construction and installation of the existing facilities 'to be repaired, maintained, and/or replaced. The Project is part of the County's annual maintenance program and comprises roads and work specifically identified and designed, respectively, to have no impact while maintaining County infrastructure. The Project site does not have any unusual circumstances that would cause the Project to negatively impact the environment. The Project would not result in any significant effects on the environment due to unusual circumstances. d) Scenic Highways. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may result in damage to scenic resources, including but not limited to, trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings, or similar resources, within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway. This does not apply to improvements which are required as mitigation by an adopted negative declaration or certified EIR. There are no Officially Designated State Scenic Highways within the Project site. Sonoma County includes two Officially Designated State Scenic Highways: Sonoma Highway (Highway 12) and Highway 116. None of the proposed Project segments are located within or adjacent to either of the listed officially designated or eligible scenic highways in Sonoma County. The Sonoma County General Plan 2020 (General Plan) Open Space & Resource Conservation Element designates scenic landscape and corridors within unincorporated Sonoma County. None of the Project road segments are located within designated scenic corridors. The Project does not coincide with an Officially Designated State Scenic Highway or General Plan designated scenic corridors. Where Project road segments fall within Scenic Landscape Units, work would not have a visual impact on the scenic quality of the unit as no new vertical features would be added and tree and vegetation removal would be minimal. Thus, this exception to the exemption does not apply. e) Hazardous Waste Sites. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project located on a site which is included on any list compiled pursuant to Section 65962.5 of the Government Code. Project construction would not require excavation or grading on adjacent properties, only within the existing road and right of way. The closest recorded hazardous waste site to the Project site, according to a review of the State Water Resources Control Board's GeoTracker database, is located approximately 40 feet from the Project site near the Church Street segment, near the intersection of Church Street and Broderick Street. The site is a gasoline LUST cleanup site on private land that was removed in 2002, has been closed since 8/29/2012, and requires no further action. Since there are no hazardous waste sites near or adjacent to the Project site, this exception to the exemption does not apply. f) Historical Resources. A categorical exemption shall not be used for a project which may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource. No ground disturbing activities are proposed in the Project. Project construction would occur entirely within the existing road and right-of-way and would not affect structures adjacent to Project roadways. Therefore, the Project would not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.