Plot Plan No. 250036 (PPT250036)

2026080245

Riverside County

NOE - Notice of Exemption

8/10/2026

8/10/2026

Nate Tran

Olivet University

Vice President

Project Applicant

36401 Tripp Flats Road
Anza, CA 92539

(408) 455-7736

gtran@olivetuniversity.edu

Elizabeth Mora Rodriguez

Riverside County Planning Department

Senior Planner

Lead/Public Agency

4080 Lemon Street, 13th Floor
Riverside, CA 92501

(951) 955-3024

emorarodriquez@rivco.org

33°34'5.2"N 116°38'7.1"W

Tripp Flats Road / Highway 371

92539

885

Several

371

7S

2E

2

SBPM

Project Site APNs: 568-030-018, -019; 568-050-002, -003; 572-040-001, -002, - 004, -009, -010; and 572-050-056, -057 north of US Highway 371/Cahuilla Road, east of Reed Valley Road, south of Allesandro / Bautista Road, west of State Highway 74/Pines To Palms Highway

Other

Section 15061(b)(3) Common Sense exemption.

The Project is exempt from the provisions of CEQA, specifically by the State CEQA Guidelines as identified below. The Project will not result in any specific or general exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions as detailed under State CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 as identified below, including impacts to scenic resources, historic resources or unique sensitive environments. Further, no unusual circumstances or potential cumulative impacts would occur where it can be seen with certainty as to create a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical environmental impact. Section 15061(b)(3) – Common Sense exemption allows for an exemption where "the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA." The Project, Plot Plan No. 250036 (PPT250036), involves a proposal to allow the continued use of the existing Olivet University Educational Facility. Because the Project consists of the formalization and ongoing operations of existing facilities previously allowed under an expired Public Use Permit (PUP 312) on an established campus, the entitlement does not result in a physical expansion of the use or new construction that would alter baseline environmental conditions. The developed, disturbed area of the campus grounds occupies a fixed footprint of 43.62 gross acres, leaving the remaining 809.44 gross acres of the 853.06-acre site entirely untouched as undeveloped land and open space. The site is already serviced by existing infrastructure, and the continued operation of the educational facility will not result in a significant increase in noise, traffic, or air emissions beyond existing levels. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment. None of the exceptions pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply in this case, as detailed below: • A. Location: The project qualifies for an exemption because its ongoing use on 43.62 gross acres of previously disturbed facility grounds does not threaten any critical habitats or sensitive environments, and the campus maintains fully defensible, mandatory Fuel Modification Zones within its fire hazard severity zone. • B. Cumulative Impact: The project will have no significant cumulative impact because it is a stand-alone entitlement with no successive expansion phases planned in the vicinity, and its limited daily trip generation falls well below the local threshold required for a full Transportation Analysis. • C. Significant Effect: No unusual circumstances or significant environmental effects exist, as the facility's ongoing operations will not substantially increase utility or traffic demands, and its annual greenhouse gas emissions fall well below the regional screening level. • D. Scenic Highways: The project will not damage scenic resources within a state-designated scenic highway because the continued use of its long-standing masonry infrastructure remains entirely consistent with the established visual character of the area. • E. Hazardous Waste Sites: The project is not classified as a hazardous waste site under Government Code Section 65962.5, having received a "Cleared" status from the Environmental Cleanup Program following a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Review. • Historical Resources: The project will not cause a substantial adverse change to a historical resource, as it merely continues the decades-long institutional operation and physical continuity of the existing masonry infrastructure. Conclusion: Based on the above, the Project will not result in significant physical environmental impacts and is exempt from further CEQA review.

Categorical Exemption

Section 15301 = Class 1

The Project is exempt from the provisions of CEQA, specifically by the State CEQA Guidelines as identified below. The Project will not result in any specific or general exceptions to the use of categorical exemptions as detailed under State CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 as identified below, including impacts to scenic resources, historic resources or unique sensitive environments. Further, no unusual circumstances or potential cumulative impacts would occur where it can be seen with certainty as to create a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical environmental impact. Section 15301 – Class 1 exemption consists of 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 proposed Project allows for the ongoing operation of 19 existing single-story buildings , which include an Athletics/Gym/Assembly building (9,400 square feet), an Administrative/Multipurpose building (12,000 square feet), a classroom building (7,200 square feet), a Classroom/Administrative building (5,200 square feet), a Library (7,000 square feet), an Administrative/Cafeteria/Kitchen building (13,400 square feet), eight (8) Residential Dormitories (3,000 square feet each), four (4) staff residences (ranging from 2,000 to 3,800 square feet each), and on-site storage areas. The site also utilizes an existing infrastructure layout featuring 2 swimming pools, 1 baseball/softball field , and 150 parking spaces (including 3 ADA and 3 EV spaces). Because the application is strictly intended to maintain the existing, historically permitted institutional use with no new development or operational changes, it represents zero expansion of use and squarely qualifies under Class 1. None of the exceptions pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply in this case, as detailed below: • A. Location: The project qualifies for an exemption because its ongoing use on 43.62 gross acres of previously disturbed facility grounds does not threaten any critical habitats or sensitive environments, and the campus maintains fully defensible, mandatory Fuel Modification Zones within its fire hazard severity zone. • B. Cumulative Impact: The project will have no significant cumulative impact because it is a stand-alone entitlement with no successive expansion phases planned in the vicinity, and its limited daily trip generation falls well below the local threshold required for a full Transportation Analysis. • C. Significant Effect: No unusual circumstances or significant environmental effects exist, as the facility's ongoing operations will not substantially increase utility or traffic demands, and its annual greenhouse gas emissions fall well below the regional screening level. • D. Scenic Highways: The project will not damage scenic resources within a state-designated scenic highway because the continued use of its long-standing masonry infrastructure remains entirely consistent with the established visual character of the area. • E. Hazardous Waste Sites: The project is not classified as a hazardous waste site under Government Code Section 65962.5, having received a "Cleared" status from the Environmental Cleanup Program following a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Review. • Historical Resources: The project will not cause a substantial adverse change to a historical resource, as it merely continues the decades-long institutional operation and physical continuity of the existing masonry infrastructure. Conclusion: Based on the above, the Project will not result in significant physical environmental impacts and is exempt from further CEQA review.