Agenda Item Wording:
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Adopt Resolution for Updated VMT Thresholds - Request to adopt by Resolution No. 2025-04 an update to Vehicles Miles Traveled Thresholds and Implementation Guidelines pursuant to Senate Bill 743 and the California Environmental Quality Act.
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Deadline for Action: None
Submitting Department: Community Development - Engineering
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Leslie Blair, Senior Civil Engineer, leslie.blair@visalia.city (559) 713-4633
Brandon Smith, Principal Planner, brandon.smith@visalia.city (559) 713-4636
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, chris.crawford@visalia.city (559) 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering and Building Director, jason.huckleberry@visalia.city (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2025-04 approving the update to the numerical thresholds for Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) metrics, screening maps, and guidelines, based on the latest edition of Tulare County Association of Government's (TCAG's) travel demand model, as contained in the City of Visalia Vehicle Miles Traveled Thresholds and Implementation Guidelines document for purposes of analyzing transportation impacts under Senate Bill 743 and the California Environmental Quality Act.
Background Discussion:
The City adopted in March 2021 the City of Visalia VMT Thresholds and Implementation Guidelines (Guidelines). The purpose was for the City to establish its own VMT policy that was specific to Visalia's unique needs, and better equip the City to evaluate transportation impacts under CEQA in compliance with SB 743 which mandated a change in the way transportation impacts were evaluated under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Adoption of VMT into the CEQA process did not eliminate level of service (LOS) analysis since that tool is still a necessary metric for evaluating traffic operations and determining infrastructure needs. Furthermore, the VMT requirement does not preclud...
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