Construction and Operation of the Guest House Building

Final Initial Study / Negative Declaration

Summary
Project Description
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) proposes to construct and operate a 25,000
gross square foot (gsf) Guest House that would range in height between 2 and 4 stories. The
proposed Guest House would be composed of 60 guest rooms, common spaces, a reception area,
storage areas, an outdoor patio area, and access facilities including stairwells and ADAcompliant ramps. The proposed project, located in Berkeley, California, would be located near
the center of the LBNL main hill site between Buildings 2 and 54 and accessible via Lawrence
Road.
The 60 rooms within the Guest House would include one or two beds per room and three
different room types to best serve the varying needs of guests who are conducting business and
research at LBNL. To minimize the variations in unit types all accessible units would be studio
suites. The quantity and summary description of the room types are as follows:
y Standard Guest Rooms: 44 units (73 percent of guest rooms)
y Larger Guest Rooms: 12 units (20 percent of guest rooms)
y Studio Suites (Accessible): 4 units (7 percent of guest rooms)
The guest rooms are designed to provide for the best mix of quality views, natural ventilation,
and solar exposure for energy efficiency, with considerations for cost control. In addition to the
60 guest rooms, the facility would also include space for lobbies, corridors, stairways,
mechanical/electrical equipment, an elevator, an office, housekeeping, maintenance, storage,
laundry, and a fitness center. Minimum room sizes are supported by a variety of common and/or
lounge spaces with the aim to promote a sense of collaboration and community within the
building.
Project Objectives
The proposed Guest House Project would support the ongoing scientific, engineering, and
technological research conducted at LBNL. The Guest House would address a lack of
convenient, affordable, and short-term accommodations on the LBNL campus for faculty, post
doctoral associates, students, and other visitors to affiliated UC Berkeley science facilities. The
proposed Guest House would be in close proximity to the Advanced Light Source facility, the
primary user facility at LBNL where approximately 50 percent of the Guest House visitors
would be visiting. The availability of on-site accommodations would facilitate visitors access
to LBNL facilities and encourage collaboration through the provision of common areas. The

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Guest House Project would provide visiting researchers with 24-hour access to user facilities and
equipment at LBNL, including some equipment that needs to be checked multiple times
throughout a 24-hour period.
Environmental Analysis
The tiering of the environmental analysis for the Project allowed the Project Initial Study to rely
on the 1987 LRDP EIR, as amended for: (1) a discussion of general background and setting
information for environmental topic areas; (2) overall growth-related issues; and (3) issues that
were evaluated in sufficient detail in the 1987 LRDP EIR, as amended for which there is no
significant new information or change in circumstances that would require further analysis. The
purpose of the tiered Project Initial Study was to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of
the Project with respect to analysis in the existing 1987 LRDP EIR, as amended to determine
what level of additional environmental review, if any, is appropriate.
The Tiered Initial Study/Negative Declaration analyzes the potential impacts of the project and
the adequacy of the existing environmental analysis in the 1987 LRDP EIR, as amended, with
regard to the following environmental topic areas: (1) aesthetics; (2) agriculture resources; (3)
air quality; (4) biological resources; (5) cultural resources; (6) geology/soils; (7) hazards and
hazardous materials; (8) hydrology/water quality; (9) land use/planning; (10) mineral resources;
(11) noise; (12) population/housing; (13) public services; (14) recreation; (15)
transportation/traffic; and (16) utilities/service systems. The Initial Study effort included
updated field work and analysis in several areas, including aesthetics, air quality, biological
resources, cultural resources, geology, hazards, land use, noise, traffic, utilities, and cumulative
effects. This was used to help determine whether any new information or change in
circumstances required further analysis pursuant to Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines.
Based on the analysis contained in the Project Initial Study, the Project would not result in any
significant impacts that would not be mitigated to a less-than-significant level by the previously
adopted LRDP mitigation measures that have been incorporated into the Project.
Based on current information, LBNL determined that the Project would not result in any
additional significant incremental contribution to the cumulative air quality impacts identified as
significant and unavoidable in the 1987 LRDP, as amended. Any contribution to the impact
identified as significant in the 1987 LRDP, as amended, would not be cumulatively considerable.
There is no new or substantially more severe cumulative air quality impact beyond that impact
previously analyzed in the 1987 LRDP EIR, as amended, and determined in that EIR to be
unavoidable and significant.
The Initial Study did not identify any significant new information or change in circumstances
that would require further analysis pursuant to Section 15162 of the CEQA Guidelines. Based
on this analysis, LBNL prepared a Negative Declaration that reflects these conclusions.
Mitigation Measures
Several mitigation measures identified in the IS/ND from the 1987 LRDP EIR, as amended, are
included in the Guest House project description and will be implemented and monitored as part

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of the Labs ongoing Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program. They would be adopted as
part of project-approval and would reduce project related impacts to a less-than-significant level.
In addition, while they are not mitigation measures, several LBNL standard operating procedures
(SOPs) would also be incorporated as part of the project and would further reduce potential
impacts. These SOPs are identified in the IS/ND document.
Environmental Review Process
The IS/MND was prepared in accordance with CEQA and the University of California
procedures for Implementation of CEQA. The Initial Study for the project, in accordance with
Section 15168 of the CEQA Guidelines, is tiered from the 1987 LRDP, as amended.
The draft IS/ND was circulated for agency and public review from May 1, 2007 to May 31,
2007.
Comments and Responses
The draft IS/ND was reviewed by state and regional agencies, as well as by interested
individuals and organizations. Comments that were received and responses to those comments
are included in the Appendix C of this final IS/ND. In addition to a communication from the
Governors Office of Planning and Research acknowledging submittal and circulation of the
Initial Study, written comments from two public agencies, three organizations, and four
individuals were received throughout the public review period. The letters do not raise any new
environmental impacts that have not already been addressed in the IS/ND. The comments and
responses to all comments are contained in the Final IS/ND. A summary of the key concerns
raised in the comment letters is provided below:
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) noted that not all vault-based
stormwater treatment measures are capable of providing water quality treatment that is consistent
with the NPDES Municipal Storm Water Permit that covers projects in Alameda County. The
RWQCB clarified that vault-based stormwater treatment systems do not provide mitigation for
post-project hydro-modification.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) noted that as the project would not result in a
net increase in population on the LBNL campus and would not result in an increased demand for
potable water over the long term, it had no comments regarding environmental issues for this
project.
The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) expressed concerns regarding the
project site, its location in Strawberry Canyon, and the City of Berkeley Landmarks Preservation
Commissions (LPC) recent assessment that the Canyon constitutes a cultural landscape.
The Friends of Strawberry Creek Watershed expressed concerns regarding the adequacy of the
sanitary sewer system and storm water systems both on the main hill site and within the City of
Berkeley. Additional concerns related to groundwater and seismic activity were accompanied by
a request to complete an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

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Rebea Chaudry (individual) expressed concerns related to the removal of ground-level

vegetation and the potential adverse effects on the larger, surrounding ecosystem.
Gene Bernardi (individual) expressed concerns regarding the Strawberry Canyon Watershed, the
use of off-site rental housing as a project alternative, and the potential risks associated with
seismic activity.
Janice Thomas (individual) questioned the methodology of tiering from the 1987 LRDP EIR, as
amended, based on her opinion that the proposed use was not analyzed in the aforementioned
program-level document.
Gale Garcia (individual) questioned whether any soil testing had been completed on the site to
determine the potential presence of contamination. Ms. Garcia also questioned whether the
project site was located in close proximity to a fault and why an EIR was not being completed
for the project.
The Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste (represented by Pam Sihvola) expressed concerns
regarding the location of the project site within the Strawberry Creek Watershed. The
commenter was particularly concerned with potential impacts related to landslides, groundwater
quality, hazardous materials, and seismic activity. The commenter expressed an opinion that an
EIR/EIS should be completed for this project.