March 14: City Council to review Parkline comments and SB 7 agreement

Published on March 13, 2023

On March 14, 2023, the City Council will review comment letters received by the City during the notice of preparation comment period, and through the continued Planning Commission study session (Feb. 6, 2023), as well as the transcript from the Dec. 12, 2022, Planning Commission scoping hearing, on the scope and content of the environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed Parkline master plan development. Staff recommends that the City Council provide any additional input on the scope and content of the EIR, and accept the proposed scope and content of the EIR to allow the City to move forward with the preparation of the EIR for the Parkline master plan development. The Parkline project would comprehensively redevelop the SRI campus with a residential, office, research and development, and retail mixed-use project.

Lane Partners, LLC, the applicant, intends to submit an application to the Governor's Office of Planning and Research for certification of the project as an environmental leadership development project eligible for streamlining under the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021, commonly referred to as SB 7. Certification of the project would, among other benefits, require the project to achieve “net zero” greenhouse gases emissions, and provides the project streamlining benefits related to any subsequent CEQA litigation. The March 14, 2023, Parkline item includes a staff recommendation that the City Council authorize the city manager to enter into an environmental leadership act processing agreement with the applicant.