Senate Bill 743 (SB 743) requires project reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to evaluate the transportation impacts of new developments in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, rather than automobile delay (Level of Service (LOS)). Specifically, the legislation directed the State of California’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), which oversees CEQA compliance, to consider different metrics for identifying transportation impacts and make corresponding revisions to the CEQA Statute & Guidelines. The goal of this legislation and the pursuant change in metrics was to reform transportation impact analysis such that it was more in line with other statewide goals pertaining to infill development, reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG),
and promotion of public transit and active transportation.
C/CAG is supporting member agencies as they implement Senate Bill 743 requirements by providing the following resources:
- SB 743 Implementation Decisions Whitepaper – The purpose of this white paper is to help C/CAG member agencies meet the new requirements of CEQA under SB 743 by providing curated SB 743 implementation information to support decisions for VMT metrics, VMT calculation methods, VMT impact thresholds, and VMT mitigation actions for use by C/CAG member agencies. For the full document, click here.
- San Mateo Countywide VMT Estimation Tool – The countywide, web, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based tool will be able to evaluate transportation effects of land use projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by C/CAG member agencies. The tool was modeled by a similar tool developed by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), but has been customized to reflect San Mateo County characteristics and incorporates data from the C/CAG Travel Demand Model. To access the tool, click here. Quickstart Guide – click here & Quickstart Video – click here.