2.
Response
to
Comments
2.9
Individual
Responses
to
Comments
from
Organizations
construction
activities
or
operations
on
the
Baylands
site.
More
distant
receptors
would
be
affected
to
a
lesser
degree
due
to
the
attenuation
of
sound
with
distance.
Ambient
noise
was
monitored
at
eight
locations
all
of
which
are
within
the
City
of
Brisbane,
six
of
which
were
on
the
flatlands
and
two
of
which
were
off-site
at
elevations
of
75
and
225
feet
above
mean
sea
level,
respectively.
Noise
monitoring
locations
at
off-site
receptors
were
selected
based
on
proximity
to
the
project
site
in
order
to
establish
the
existing
noise
levels
at
the
closest
sensitive
receptors
that
would
be
most
impacted
by
construction
activities
or
operations
on
the
Baylands
Project
Site.
More
distant
receptors
would
be
affected
to
a
lesser
degree
due
to
the
attenuation
of
sound
with
distance.
Kings
Road
is
located
over
4,000
feet
from
the
Project
Site
development
area
and
would
be
impacted
to
a
much
lesser
degree
than
other
locations
analyzed
and
therefore
more
distant
sites
such
as
this
were
not
included
in
the
noise
monitoring
effort.
The
following
analysis
is
a
demonstration
of
why
more
distant
sites
were
not
included.
As
stated
on
page
4.J-33
of
the
Draft
EIR,
pile
driving
noise
of
103
dBA
at
the
southern
end
of
the
project
site
would
be
attenuated
to
73
dBA
at
the
nearest
receptor
1,600
feet
away.
At
a
distance
of
4,000
feet
where
Kings
Road
is
located,
the
noise
would
be
further
attenuated
to
65
dBA.
The
comment
refers
to
the
discussion
of
local
regulations,
and
in
particular,
General
Plan
Policy
179,
which
calls
for
“incorporation,
when
feasible,
of
new
road
or
landscaping
features
that
buffer
impacts
on
adjacent
areas.”
For
a
vegetative
strip
to
have
a
noticeable
effect
on
noise
levels,
it
must
be
dense
and
wide.
A
stand
of
trees
with
a
height
that
extends
at
least
16
feet
above
the
line
of
sight
between
source
and
receiver
must
be
at
least
100
feet
wide
and
dense
enough
to
completely
obstruct
a
visual
path
to
the
source
to
attenuate
traffic
noise
by
5
dBA
(Caltrans,
2013).
A
vegetative
barrier
of
this
extent
along
the
northern
portion
of
the
Baylands
site
is
not
proposed
in
any
scenario.
Thus,
the
primary
method
of
buffering
noise
between
adjacent
uses
would
be
physical
separation
of
noise
sensitive
uses
from
noise
generators.
Site
7
is
an
existing
residence
at
the
terminus
of
San
Francisco
Street
adjacent
to
Bayshore
Boulevard,
which
is
identified
in
Table
4.J-1
as
having
an
existing
Community
Noise
Equivalent
Level
(CNEL)
of
70
dBA.
According
to
Table
4.J-1,
the
existing
CNEL
of
70
would
require
noise
reduction
mitigations
for
residential
and
certain
other
land
uses
proposed
in
such
an
area.
However,
the
project
does
not
propose
to
develop
new
land
uses
at
this
location.
The
noise
data
at
this
location
serves
to
establish
the
existing
noise
level
so
that
an
assessment
can
be
made
of
the
potential
noise
increases
generated
by
Project
Site
development
f
rom
construction
or
increased
traffic
volumes.
Brisbane
Baylands
Final
EIR
2.9.2-113
May
2015