Environmental Documents

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Certain "discretionary" "projects" must comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, most commonly referred to as "CEQA." "Discretionary" means that the development project requires some form of judgment and decision by a hearing body, such as a Development Services Director, Planning Commission, or City Council. "Project" is defined by CEQA state law as "an activity that (1) is a discretionary action by a governmental agency and (2) will either have a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect impact on the environment." (Pub. Res. Code, § 21065).

The Planning Division is responsible for conducting these environmental reviews, typically in consultation with a pre-qualified list of CEQA experts. The environmental review can vary depending on the complexity of the project. Generally, a project undergoes an "initial study," after which point, depending on the potential for environmental impacts, a "negative declaration," "mitigated negative declaration," or "environmental impact report" is prepared. In cases where a project qualifies for an exemption from CEQA, a "notice of exemption" is prepared and included for consideration as part of the discretionary action.

Environmental Notices