Subject: What Happened Last Night – Seeno Business Park EIR
Date: 2008-02-20

After extensive public testimony on the adequacy – or lack thereof - of the 527 acre Seeno Business Park EIR (at East Second and Lake Herman Road) and the project - it is virtually impossible to separate the EIR and project discussion - Vice Mayor Campbell made a motion to send the EIR back to the Planning Commission. I voted for this motion for these reasons:
a. The EIR and project should be considered together.

b. The project would be denied (since it can’t be approved because it is inconsistent with the General Plan) The EIR would not need to be certified. The new project would be subject to all our new ordinances and AB 32, greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements.

The motion failed to gain a third vote.

Council Member Schwartzman moved and Hughes seconded to certify the EIR with “caveats” to the resolution. I negotiated several new items including:
  1. A new California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review - an initial study for the new or the “environmentally superior project” that would determine the potential impacts of grading, traffic, air quality, wetlands, and urban decay of the "hillside alternative".
  2. Low Impact Development standards as described last night by Michael Steinman (see LID http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/);
  3. Environmental review for meeting the requirements of greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements required by
    AB 32 http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/global_warming/AB-32-fact-sheet.pdf;
  4. Environmental review of sustainable development and walkability;
  5. An alternative mitigation measure for traffic impacts on I-780 (avoid widening the freeway) - this alternative would be achieved by a less intense or dense project.
After intense negotiating with Council Member Schwartzman to add these requirement for a new initial study and the other items, I called for the vote. I voted in good faith for a negotiated compromise. As Mayor I believe it is right to show good faith in negotiating.

Some argue that the language in the resolution is meaningless. Since the EIR was clearly going to be certified by the council majority, I did the next best thing and strengthened the resolution. I agree that getting the new project to meet our standards and fit Benicia will be hard. I am prepared to work to ensure Benicia comes first.






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