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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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