Project Planning

NEW!  Update on 15183 CEQA Exemption Process After Adoption of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)

Background on County’s 15183-Exemption Process:

Projects submitted to the County are required to go through environmental review under CEQA, which is State law. CEQA may be a lengthy and expensive process, depending on the project.  One special procedure allowed under CEQA to help streamline the process is the 15183-exemption.  The 15183-exemption process is for projects that are consistent with the County’s General Plan and zoning, where environmental review has already been completed and mitigation measures have been imposed.

Since the adoption of the General Plan Update in 2011, County frequently used the 15183-exemption process on development projects that were consistent with the County’s General Plan and zoning.  In 2020, a new State law (SB 743) went into effect setting a requirement that moving forward projects would need to use VMT as the metric for transportation impacts in replacement of level of service (LOS), but the General Plan Update Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) remained using the LOS metric.

In 2020 and 2022, the County adopted new Transportation Study Guidelines which incorporated VMT requirements (VMT Guidelines).  The VMT Guidelines determined that projects less than 11 units and within VMT Efficient and Infill Areas, among other screening criteria,  would not have transportation impacts and could therefore be exempt from further VMT analysis.  Projects that were General Plan consistent and exempt from the VMT analysis were able to move forward using the 15183-exemption process. However, projects that were General Plan consistent but not exempt from VMT analysis, have been required to complete a VMT analysis. Typically, these were housing projects located outside of VMT Efficient and Infill Areas. 

Recent Changes

Recent case law  on VMT supports the County expanding the application of the 15183-exemption process and prohibits the County from requiring additional CEQA review on projects consistent with the General Plan if all the impacts were previously analyzed and there are no significant impacts peculiar to the project. Because transportation impacts were adequately analyzed in the General Plan Update Program EIR (albeit using LOS), projects deemed consistent with the County’s General Plan and zoning (by means of an LOS comparison study) may now proceed under the 15183-exemption process with no additional VMT analysis, including projects located outside VMT Efficient or Infill Areas.  The LOS comparison study would be required on a case-by-case basis to demonstrate no significant transportation impacts peculiar to the project.

Connect with Us!

If you're considering a potential development project and would like to understand whether your project would quality for the 15183-exemption process, please submit an Initial Consultation (Pre-Application) Request. Staff will evaluate your individual project and meet with you to discuss it in detail. For more information on this topic, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Removing Barriers to Housing

As directed by the Board of Supervisors (Board) on May 24, 2023, under Short-Term Actions 1, 2, and 3a to go into effect on July 1, 2024., PDS has developed Guaranteed Review Timelines for certain housing projects, including discretionary projects that are required to go through environmental review per the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as well as ministerial permits like building permits. To qualify for a guaranteed review time, the project must a be a deed restricted affordable housing project (all units), a workforce housing project, or a housing project within a Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) efficient and/or qualify as infill area as identified in the County's Transportation Study Guide. For further information please visit the  Guaranteed Review Times page.

Project Issue Resolution

After listening to feedback from customers and applicants, the County is providing opportunities to meet with our Executive Management team. A Project Issue Resolution Conference is a meeting that includes an applicant, our Executive Management team, and County Project Staff to discuss issues and identify solutions that were not able to be resolved with a County Project Manager due to interpretations of a code or other unique circumstances related to a project. Please Click Here for more information.