Draft Environmental Impact Report - California Off Highway Vehicle ...

3.3 Noise
3.3.2 Regulatory Setting
Section 2.7.3, “Regulatory Influences,” of the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan provides a description of
the state standards, including the Off‐Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Act of 2003 and
California Vehicle Code Section 38370, related to noise at and surrounding Clay Pit SVRA. No
federal or regional plans, policies, laws, or ordinances have regulatory significance related to
noise.
3.3.3 Thresholds of Significance
The significance criteria for this analysis are based on the environmental checklist in Appendix G
of the State CEQA Guidelines, as amended. Implementation of the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan,
including construction and operation of the headquarters facilities, would have significant
environmental impacts related to noise if it would:
result in a substantial temporary or periodic increase in ambient noise levels in the project
vicinity above levels existing without the project;
expose people residing or working in the project area to excessive noise levels;
expose persons to or generate excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise
levels;
for a project located within the area of an airport land use plan or, where such a plan has
not been adopted, within 2 miles of a public airport or public use airport, expose people
residing or working in the project area to excessive noise levels; or
for a project within the vicinity of a private airstrip, expose people residing or working in
the project area to excessive noise levels.
Generally, a project may have a significant effect on the environment if it would substantially
increase the ambient noise levels for adjoining areas or expose people to severe noise levels. In
practice, more specific professional standards have been implemented. These standards state that
a noise impact may be considered significant if it would generate noise that would conflict with
local or regional planning criteria or ordinances or substantially increase noise levels at noise‐
sensitive land uses.
For the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan, the significance of anticipated noise effects is based on a
comparison between predicted noise levels and noise criteria defined by Caltrans and the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA). Noise impacts would be considered significant if:
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
February 2012 3.3-14 Draft EIR