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R11408DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF 1 City Council Meeting: March 22, 2022 Santa Monica, California RESOLUTION NUMBER 11408 (CCS) (City Council Series) A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA CERTIFYING THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE PROVIDENCE SAINT JOHN’S HEALTH CENTER PHASE II MASTER PLAN PROJECT WHEREAS, the California Environmental Quality Act, California Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq.(“CEQA”) requires that cities consider the environmental consequences of their actions before approving a “project”; and WHEREAS, the Santa Monica City Council approved a Development Agreement (DA) for the Providence Saint John’s Saint John’s Health Center (PSJHC) effective in July 1998; and WHEREAS, the DA provides for two phases of development consisting of Phase I and Phase II. WHEREAS, Phase I, which was completed in 2014, involved the serial demolition and reconstruction of PSJHC core hospital facilities on the North Campus in a smaller configuration than previously existed. WHEREAS, the DA requires that a Phase II Master Plan be approved by the City Council prior to the approval of the Development Review Permits for the proposed Phase II Project buildings. WHEREAS, the Phase II Master Plan is a comprehensive master plan that DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF 2 governs the Phase II portion of the PSJHC Campus, including with respect to development, uses, circulation, parking, open space, and timing for implementation of the Phase II Master Plan. WHEREAS, the DA’s provisions for Phase II established vested rights for up to 799,000 square feet of development on the North and South Campuses that include various hospital and health care uses, health and wellness uses, education and conference facilities, visitor housing, replacement multifamily housing units, and parking. WHEREAS, a Notice of Preparation (“NOP”) of an Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) for the Providence Saint John’s Health Center Phase II Project Master Plan (“Project”) was published and circulated on April 10, 2017; and WHEREAS, a Notice of Completion/Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (“Draft EIR”) was published on July 30, 2019 in compliance with CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3 of the California Code of Regulations; and WHEREAS, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15105, the Draft EIR was circulated for a 45-day period, which ended on September 13, 2019; and WHEREAS, the Draft EIR analyzed the potential environmental impacts that could result from the proposed Project and five alternatives; and WHEREAS, the Final Environmental Impact Report (“Final EIR”) that includes responses to written comments on the Draft EIR was published in January 2022; and WHEREAS, the Final EIR analyzes the environmental effects of the Providence Saint John’s Health Center Phase II Project Master Plan, consisting of ten (10) Phase II DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF 3 Project buildings with related infrastructure improvements and open space on the North and South Campuses, amendments to the HASP, Development Agreement amendments that include modifications to Mullin Plaza and on-site circulation, a vesting tentative subdivision map, a street vacation of the northern portion of 21st Street, a Child Care Implementation Plan for Phase II, and an amended Santa Monica Community Access Plan for Phase II. WHEREAS, the Final EIR also analyzes the environmental effects of five alternatives: Alternative 1 – No Project/No Build, Alternative 2 – Tier 1 Only, Alternative 3 – Reduced Healthcare Uses with Tier 2 Housing on South Campus, Alternative 4 – Reduced Master Plan, and Alternative 5 – Partial Master Plan. WHEREAS, on January 26, 2022, the Planning Commission received public testimony and written submittals, reviewed and considered the City staff report and the Final EIR, and engaged in a deliberative process; and WHEREAS, after considering all such oral and written testimony at the public hearing on January 26, 2022, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve the project and certify the Final EIR; and WHEREAS, on March 22, 2022 the City Council, received public testimony and written submittals, including the Final EIR, and engaged in a deliberative process; and WHEREAS, after considering all such oral and written testimony in its decision- making process, the City Council desires to consider approval of the project; and WHEREAS, the City Council as lead agency has reviewed and considered the contents of the Final EIR in its decision-making process, and independently determined that the Final EIR has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF 4 Quality Act (“CEQA”) (Public Resources Code sections 21000 et seq.) and CEQA guidelines. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The City Council hereby certifies that: 1. The Final EIR for the Providence Saint John’s Health Center Phase II Project Master Plan (“Project”) was completed in full compliance with State law and the CEQA Guidelines, there was adequate public review of the Draft EIR, and the Final EIR adequately analyzes all potentially significant environmental issues; and 2. The Final EIR was presented to the City Council, and the City Council has reviewed and considered the information contained in the Final EIR, including all comments on the Draft EIR and responses to comments, in its decision-making process prior to acting on the Project; and 3. The Final EIR reflects the independent judgement and analysis of the City. SECTION 2. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15128, Section 4 of the Final EIR and the Initial Study (Appendix A of the Final EIR) determined that the following environmental impacts were not considered potentially significant and were not analyzed in detail in the Final EIR: agricultural and forest resources, biological resources, mineral resources, utilities (electric power, natural gas, and telecommunications), and wildfire. SECTION 3. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15091 and 15092, and as analyzed in the Final EIR, the City Council finds that the following Project impacts would be less than significant without mitigation: aesthetics, operational air emissions (specifically those issues related to potential conflicts with applicable air quality plans as DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF 5 well as carbon monoxide hotspots and odors), energy consumption, geologic and seismic related risks, construction and operational greenhouse gas emissions, hazards related to emergency access, hydrology/water quality, land use/planning, construction-related and operational noise levels, population and housing, public services, tribal resources, utilities and service systems (specifically water supply, wastewater treatment, and solid waste), and transportation issues related to potential conflicts with plans, policies, or regulations as well as geometric design hazards and emergency access. SECTION 4. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Sections 15091 and 15092, and as analyzed in the Final EIR, the City Council finds that the following Project impacts could be reduced to a less than significant level with the implementation of mitigation measures established in Section 11 of the Final EIR: disturbance of archaeological resources and human remains, disturbance of paleontological resources, potential release of hazards due to on-site contamination, and utilities and service systems (specifically sewer capacity). SECTION 5. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Sections 15091 and 15092, and as analyzed in the Final EIR, the City Council finds that the following Project impacts cannot feasibly be avoided or mitigated to below a level of significance: construction-related and operational criteria air pollutant emissions, historic cultural resources, ground-borne vibration during construction, neighborhood effects due to traffic, and transportation (specifically traffic impacts on intersection level of service and street segments). SECTION 6. The Final EIR found that the No Project Alternative would be environmentally superior to the project on the basis of the minimization or avoidance of physical environmental impacts. Of the other alternatives, the Final EIR found that the DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF 6 Alternative 5 is the environmentally superior alternative. Alternative 5 would include less development than the Project, such that the level of most of the impacts would be less under Alternative 5. In addition, Alternative 5 would avoid the significant unavoidable historical resources impacts to the Saint John’s Cancer Institute building (formerly the John Wayne Cancer Institute) that would occur under the proposed Project and other alternatives studied, and would result in significant unavoidable operational level of service impacts to fewer intersections and street segments than these other alternatives. Therefore, Alternative 5 (Partial Master Plan) is identified as the environmentally superior alternative. However, Alternative 5 would not meet all the Project objectives. In particular, Alternative 5 would not: (1) provide the range and/or extent of medical services to be provided under the Project due to its reduced amount of floor area (Objective 1); (2) accommodate all the Phase II development vested by the DA or provide 35 percent of the Project Site as open space (Objective 3); (3) provide a comprehensive circulation plan on the entirety of the Phase II Development Sites (Objective 4); or (4) reduce VMT to the same extent of the Project due to lower-density development than the Project in close proximity to transit (Objective 5). It would also not be as effective as the Project in meeting the balance of the Project objectives. Further, while Alternative 5 would result in direct reductions in impacts to the environment, it would have greater impacts than the Project in terms of a lack of support for applicable City goals and policies that are intended to support the continued operation of PSJHC, accommodate future growth, and promote sustainable development patterns to reduce VMT. The Project, as proposed, would better achieve these City goals and policies, and would provide a higher level of community benefits. DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF 7 SECTION 7. The preceding findings, although based primarily on conclusions in the Final EIR, have not attempted to describe the full analysis of each environmental impact contained in the Final EIR. Instead, the findings incorporate by reference the discussions and analyses in the Final EIR and supporting reference documents supporting the Final EIR’s determinations regarding the nature and severity of the impacts of the Project and mitigation measures designed to address those impacts. In making these findings, the City Council ratifies, adopts, and incorporates into these findings the analysis and explanation in the Final EIR and ratifies, adopts, and incorporates in these findings the determinations and conclusions of the Final EIR. SECTION 8. Consistent with Public Resources Code Section 21081.6, the documents which constitute the record of proceedings for approving this Project are located in the Community Development Department, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, California. The custodian of these documents is Rachel Kwok, Environmental Planner. SECTION 9. The City Clerk shall certify the adoption of this Resolution, and thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect. APPROVED AS TO FORM: JOSEPH LAWRENCE Interim City Attorney DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B DocuSign Envelope ID: D13613E0-1151-4ED9-BB73-60D3E115C9BF Adopted and approved this 22nd day of March 2022. Sue Himmelrich, Mayor I, Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby certify that Resolution No. 11408 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of the Santa Monica City Council held on the 22nd day of March 2022, by the following vote: AYES: Councilmembers Brock, Davis, De la Torre, Parra, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich NOES: None ABSENT: Councilmember Negrete ATTEST: Nikima Newsome, Assistant City Clerk DocuSign Envelope ID: 95376F74-32D5-409F-9A4D-14371F77FF2B