Item 26 - Public Hearing Vista Heritage Charter School (601 North Fairview Street)

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Vista Charter Public Schools District Office and Outdoor Space Project CEQA Exemption 15183 The SCAQMD acknowledges that health effects quantification from 03, as an example, is correlated with the increases in ambient level of 03 in the air (concentration) that an individual person breathes. The SCAQMD's Brief of Amicus Curiae for Sierra Club vs. County of Fresno states that it would take a large amount of additional emissions to cause a modeled increase in ambient 03 levels over the entire region. The SCAQMD states that based on their own modeling in the SCAQMD's 2012 AQMP, a reduction of 432 tons (864,000 pounds) per day of NOx and a reduction of 187 tons (374,000 pounds) per day of VOCs would reduce 03 levels at highest monitored sites by only nine parts per billion. As such, the SCAQMD concludes that it is not currently possible to accurately quantify Os -related health impacts caused by NOx or VOC emissions from relatively small projects (defined as projects with regional scope) due to photochemistry and regional model limitations. Thus, as the project would not exceed SCAQMD thresholds for construction and operational air emissions, the project would have a less than significant impact for air quality health impacts. LOCALIZED POLLUTANTS AND SENSITIVE RECEPTORS Sensitive receptors are defined as facilities or land uses that include members of the population that are particularly sensitive to the effects of air pollutants, such as children, the elderly, and people with illnesses. Examples of these sensitive receptors are residences, schools, hospitals, and daycare centers. The CARB has identified the following groups of individuals as those most likely to be affected by air pollution: the elderly over 65, children under 14, athletes, and persons with cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis. The closest sensitive receptor to the project site is the Vista Heritage Global Academy School adjacent to the south of the project site. The closest residential uses are located approximately 100 feet to the north of the project site and the existing Romero -Cruz Academy school is located approximately 100 feet to the west. Localized Significance Thresholds Localized Significance Thresholds (LSTs) were developed in response to SCAQMD Governing Boards' Environmental Justice Enhancement Initiative (1-4). The SCAQMD provided the Final Localized Significance Threshold Methodology (dated June 2003 [revised 2008]) for guidance. The LST methodology assists lead agencies in analyzing localized air quality impacts. The SCAQMD provides the LST lookup tables for one-, two-, and five -acre projects emitting CO, NOx, PM2.5, and/or PM1o. The LST methodology and associated mass rates are not designed to evaluate localized impacts from mobile sources traveling over the roadways. The project site is located within Source Receptor Area (SRA) 17, Central Orange County. Construction LST The SCAQMD guidance on applying CaIEEMod to LSTs specifies the number of acres a particular piece of equipment would likely disturb per day.6 SCAQMD provides LST thresholds for one-, two, and five -acre site disturbance areas; SCAQMD does not provide LST thresholds for projects over five acres. The project proposes to remodel and reoccupy a building formerly occupied by an automotive repair use as an office building for Vista Charter Public Schools and would not involve any grading or major construction related activities and therefore, there would not be any 6 The number of acres represent the total acres traversed by grading equipment. In order to properly grade a piece of land, multiple passes with equipment may be required. The disturbance acreage is based on the equipment list and days of the grading phase according to the anticipated maximum number of acres a given piece of equipment can pass over in an 8-hour workday. Dec I y ounci1 26 — 76 1/16/20'2 e 16