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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO Inter-Departmental Correspondence | ||
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY | ||
DATE: |
June 21, 2004 | |
SET TIME: |
10:15 a.m. | |
BOARD MEETING DATE: |
July 6, 2004 | |
TO: |
Honorable Board of Supervisors | |
FROM: |
Marcia Raines, Director of Environmental Services | |
SUBJECT: |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Consideration of an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision to approve a Coastal Development Permit to construct the Devil’s Slide Tunnel project. This project is appealable to the California Coastal Commission. | |
RECOMMENDATION | ||
Deny the appeal and uphold the decision of the Planning Commission to approve the Coastal Development Permit by adopting the required findings and conditions of approval. | ||
PROPOSAL | ||
The applicant is proposing to construct approximately 6,500 linear feet of new alignment along State Route 1, consisting of two parallel tunnels with a length of 4,000 feet, a north portal approach of 1,500 feet that includes parallel bridges measuring 1,050 feet, and a south portal approach of 1,000 feet. Each tunnel will be 30 feet wide and will provide a single traffic lane. Approximately 5,250 feet of the existing Highway 1 alignment will be abandoned as a result of this project. The applicant has proposed constructing parking areas at both ends of the abandoned highway and converting this portion into a non-vehicular public trail. | ||
The project will generate approximately 610,000 cubic yards of material. All excess soil will be transported to a fill disposal site located approximately 1,800 feet south of the south portal. A Tunnel Operations and Maintenance Center (OMC) will be constructed near the existing highway on a portion of the disposal site. The OMC/disposal site will be contour graded and re-vegetated with coastal scrub species. | ||
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION | ||
The Planning Commission voted 4-0 to approve this project (Commissioner Wong absent). In doing so, the Commission adopted the recommended findings and conditions of approval as presented by the Planning Division, with some minor modification. | ||
SUMMARY | ||
The appellant filed an appeal with the Planning and Building Division regarding this project on June 3, 2004. This appeal is included as Attachment B. The appeal states that the Coastal Family Alliance is appealing the granting of this Coastal Development Permit because the project does not fully comply with the San Mateo County Local Coastal Program and the California Coastal Act. No further reasoning for the appeal is provided. The appellant does not provide any specifics as to how, in his view, the project does not comply with the County LCP or Coastal Act. The Board is directed to the discussion on project compliance contained in Section C of the attached staff report. The same analysis was presented to the Planning Commission on May 26, 2004. While it is acknowledged that the project will have significant, unavoidable impacts to specific wetland and riparian resources, on balance, the project has been found to be consistent with the provisions of the certified LCP, including the certified provisions of Measure T, which allow for unavoidable impacts in this instance. | ||
