A. Environmental Questionnaire. The applicant shall provide a completed environmental questionnaire in the form and containing the information determined by the director. The director may require an applicant to also submit additional information, including technical reports prepared by qualified consultants to aid in the preparation of adequate environmental documents.
B. Determination of Environmental Baseline. The environmental baseline for a project is the description of all of the physical environmental conditions in the vicinity of a project.
1. For purposes of CEQA, the environmental baseline of a project shall be determined pursuant to State Guidelines Section 15125 prior to preparation of an EIR or negative declaration.
2. For purposes of this chapter, the director may also include within a project’s environmental baseline any significant effects on the environment on the project site resulting from past activities or uses on the project site, or in the vicinity of the project site, that were commenced or maintained in violation of (1) any law or regulation prohibiting or restricting such activities or uses, or (2) any condition of approval or mitigation measure for any subdivision, permit or other entitlement previously approved or issued for the project site. As to any significant effect from actual or alleged prior unlawful activity, the director shall consider whether including the effect in the baseline will (1) interfere or conflict with or unfairly amplify any pending enforcement action by any state or federal agency with jurisdiction over that activity, or (2) complement any pending enforcement action by the city as to that activity. As to any significant effect from a violation of a condition or mitigation measure of a prior approval for a project or use on the project site, or on adjacent property owned by the project applicant at the time of the violation, the director shall consider whether the applicant’s project, as proposed, will mitigate, exacerbate or have no impact on that significant effect.
C. Initial Study Checklist. Based on the environmental questionnaire and other information available or required of the applicant, an initial study checklist shall be prepared on a form and contain the information determined by the director and the State Guidelines. The initial study checklist and supporting information, together with the environmental questionnaire, shall comprise the initial study.
D. Mitigation Measures. The initial study shall identify feasible mitigation measures, including but not limited to changes in a project, that would enable significant impacts, as identified in the initial study and measured against the environmental baseline, to be avoided or substantially reduced. Whenever feasible, mitigation measures shall be tangible, specific actions that will avoid or substantially lessen significant environmental impacts and shall specify the mitigation objective, specific changes to be made in the project and mitigation actions to be taken, the entity responsible for implementation, and an implementation schedule.
(Ord. 2067, Ord. 2312 §13, Ord. 2364 §34)