| SECTION 8.0 | GROWTH-INDUCING IMPACTS |
8.1 INTRODUCTION
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a discussion of the ways in which a proposed project could be a direct and indirect inducement to growth. The CEQA Guidelines (Section 15126.2 [d]) require a lead agency to identify that a project will have growth-inducing impacts if it is directly or indirectly responsible for, or substantially contributes to:
Typically, the growth-inducing potential of a proposed project would be considered significant if it would foster growth or a concentration of population above what is assumed in local and regional land use plans, or in projections made by regional utilities and transportation planning authorities. Significant growth impacts could also occur if the proposed project would provide infrastructure or service capacity to accommodate growth levels beyond those permitted by local or regional plans and policies.
8.2 IMPACT DISCUSSION
The follow subsections assess the potential growth-inducing impacts of the proposed Trans Bay Cable Project (Project) for each of the considerations listed above in Section 8.1.
8.2.1 Fostering Economic Growth
The proposed Project would not be expected to foster economic growth in the San Francisco Peninsula area (or Pittsburg) because the Project, when operational, would not provide surplus power, but would serve only to provide a reliable source of electrical power to support the economic growth that is already projected by local jurisdictions and regional planners. Similarly, the Project would not be responsible for expanding the size of local markets nor attracting additional economic activity to the area since such demographics are based largely on free market dynamics and service opportunities in the public and private sectors.
8.2.2 Promoting Population Growth
The Project would not contribute to promoting population growth that may further burden existing community services facilities. The Project service area which includes the City and County of San Francisco is, to large degree, a built-out metropolis and suburban area with an intricate community, business, and public services infrastructure. The future of a reliable and adequate power supply to this area is of concern to local jurisdictions for several reasons that are discussed throughout this EIR. As such, a goal of the Project is to ensure an adequate and reliable power supply so that the magnitude of the existing and projected population and community services demographics will continue to be supported. Therefore, over the long term, the Project would have a minimal and less-than-significant impact on population growth and community services.
8.2.3 Construction of Additional Housing
The Project would not be responsible for, nor substantially contribute to, construction of additional housing and would not affect the surrounding environment. As described elsewhere in this section, the construction workforce is minimal in number and would be largely recruited from the existing resident pool in the Greater Bay Area. Similarly, any workforce personnel from outside areas would likely not become resident and, therefore, would not constitute a house-purchasing demographic. Lastly, Project facilities operations do not require onsite personnel and, therefore, would not represent a source of job creation and potential home buyers. As such, the Project would not constitute a factor driving the housing market in the greater Bay Area.
8.2.4 Job Creation
The construction and operation of the Project itself would not affect the employment patterns in the area. The three major components of the Project which include construction of an AC/DC converter station and ancillary facilities in the Pittsburg area, laying of a DC cable in the Bay, and construction of a DC/AC converter station and ancillary facilities in the San Francisco-Potrero area, would require an estimated peak total of about 90 construction workers at any given time over the estimated 27- to 30-month construction period. Half of the peak construction workforce (i.e., 45 workers) would be in the Pittsburg area and the other half in San Francisco. It is anticipated that the majority of the construction personnel would come from the existing labor pool of the greater Bay Area. Some of the construction personnel may commute from outside of the Project area and stay at existing local hotels during construction. There is an adequate supply of hotels and inns in the Project area that could be utilized by the out-of-town personnel. Therefore, no growth in hotel services would be expected to occur. Project facilities would not require onsite personnel and would be operated from a remote location. Facilities security, maintenance, and emergency response services would be contracted to existing businesses in the Greater Bay Area. As such there is no substantial creation of new jobs associated with the Project.
8.2.5 Expansion of Urban Utilities Services
The Project would not be responsible for, nor contribute to, the expansion of urban utilities services into a previously unserved area or an under-served area. As described above, a primary goal of the Project is to ensure an adequate and reliable power supply to the San Francisco Peninsular Area which includes the City and County of San Francisco metropolis and suburban domains. The power provided by the Project would serve the existing and projected levels of demand in the currently serviced area and, in the future term, would not be dedicated to expanding power supply into previously unserved or under-served areas of the San Francisco Peninsular Area.
8.2.6 Increase the Capacity of Infrastructure
The project would not increase the capacity of infrastructure in the San Francisco Peninsular Area above the current and projected levels-of-service. A benefit of the Project is its capacity to supply a new and reliable source of power and potentially facilitate replacement of existing facilities that are obsolete and to be decommissioned. Accordingly, the Project would provide an efficient and reliable long-term solution to power supply issues facing the San Francisco Peninsular Area.
8.2.7 Creation or Extension of Transportation Links
The Project would have no direct affect on the creation or extension of transportation links. Instead, the power supply reliability associated with the Project would support the efficiency and security of the existing and planned transportation links associated with commuter rail, street and highway, and Port facilities as already projected in City, County, and regional planning documents.
8.2.8 Removal of Major Obstacles to Growth
The project would not be responsible for, nor contribute to, the removal of major obstacles to growth. The Project would be constructed and operated according to the land use and zoning regulations of local jurisdictions and would be compatible with their respective general plans. Similarly, the Project would be permitted subject to the existing regulatory setting of federal, state, regional, and municipal jurisdictions, and, therefore, would not result in the removal of regulatory constraints.
8.3 SUMMARY
The City and County of San Francisco area is, and will continue to be, a dynamic population and economic growth area of California. The proposed Project would not cause this growth to occur. Instead, the construction of this Project would be a practical and responsible solution to addressing the power demand needs that exist in the San Francisco Peninsular Area irregardless of this Project being built or not.
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