9900 balboa boulevard project

Draft

9900 BALBOA BOULEVARD PROJECT Noise and Vibration Technical Report

Prepared for March 2017 Kaidence Group 4340 East Indian School Road STE21-266 Phoenix, Arizona 85018

Draft


Prepared for March 2017 Kaidence Group 4340 East Indian School Road STE21-266 Phoenix, Arizona 85018

626 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1100 Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.599.4300 www.esassoc.com

Irvine

Los Angeles

Oakland

Orlando

Pasadena

Petaluma

Portland

Sacramento

San Diego

San Francisco

Santa Monica

Seattle

Tampa

Woodland Hills

D170101.00

OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY | ESA helps a variety of public and private sector clients plan and prepare for climate change and emerging regulations that limit GHG emissions. ESA is a registered assessor with the California Climate Action Registry, a Climate Leader, and founding reporter for the Climate Registry. ESA is also a corporate member of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Business Council on Climate Change (BC3). Internally, ESA has adopted a Sustainability Vision and Policy Statement and a plan to reduce waste and energy within our operations. This document was produced using recycled paper.

9900 BALBOA BOULEVARD PROJECT i ESA / D170101.00 Noise and Vibration Technical Report March 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS 9900 BALBOA BOULEVARD PROJECT

Page

Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 1

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Existing Conditions ............................................................................................... 1

2. Project Description ...................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Construction ............................................................................................................. 4 2.2 Operation ................................................................................................................. 4

3. Environmental Setting ................................................................................................. 4 3.1 Noise Principles and Descriptors .......................................................................... 4 3.2 Noise Exposure and Community Noise ................................................................ 5 3.3 Effects of Noise on People ................................................................................... 7 3.4 Noise Attenuation ................................................................................................. 8 3.5 Fundamentals of Vibration .................................................................................... 9 3.6 Existing Conditions ............................................................................................. 10 3.7 Regulatory Setting .............................................................................................. 15

4. Impacts and Mitigation Measures ............................................................................ 19 4.1 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 19 4.2 Thresholds of Significance .................................................................................. 20 4.3 Project Impacts ................................................................................................... 22 4.4 Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................ 32

5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 33

6. References ................................................................................................................. 33

Table of Contents

Page

9900 BALBOA BOULEVARD PROJECT ii ESA / D170101.00 Noise and Vibration Technical Report March 2017

List of Figures

1 Vicinity Location Map ............................................................................................... 2 2 Site Plan .................................................................................................................. 3 3 Decibel Scale and Common Noise Sources ............................................................ 6 4 Noise Measurement Locations .............................................................................. 12

List of Tables

1 Summary of Ambient Noise Measurements........................................................... 13 2 Existing Roadway Noise Levels ............................................................................. 14 3 Construction Vibration Damage Criteria ................................................................ 16 4 Groundborne Vibration Impact Criteria for General Assessment ........................... 16 5 City of Los Angeles Land Use Compatibility for Community Noise ........................ 18 6 City of Los Angeles Presumed Ambient Noise Levels ........................................... 18 7 Construction Equipment Noise Levels ................................................................... 23 8 Estimated Construction Noise Levels at Offsite Sensitive Uses ............................ 24 9 Off-Site Traffic Noise Impacts – Existing (with Project Conditions ......................... 26 10 Off-Site Traffic Noise Impacts – Future with Project Conditions ............................ 27 11 Vibration Source Levels for Construction Equipment ............................................. 30 12 Groundborne Vibration Levels at Off-site Sensitive Uses Compared to

Caltrans’ and FTA Vibration Damage Potential Threshold ................................. 30

9900 BALBOA BOULEVARD PROJECT ES-1 ESA / D170101.00 Noise and Vibration Technical Report March 2017

Executive Summary

The purpose of this Noise and Vibration Technical Report is to evaluate the potential short- and long-term noise and vibration impacts resulting from implementation of the proposed 9900 Balboa Boulevard Project (project). The project site is located at the northeastern corner of Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street in the Granada Hills – Knollwood Community Plan in the City of Los Angeles (City). The project site is bounded by Balboa Boulevard to the south and Lassen Street to the west. Commercial uses are located adjacent to the north and daycare facility is located to the east. The existing one-story medical office building will be demolished and replace with a new one-story building that will be occupied by a coffee shop (Starbucks) use alone with a drive-through and a pole sign at the corner of the property.

The report summarizes the potential for the proposed project to conflict with applicable noise and vibration regulations, standards, and thresholds. The findings of the analyses are as follows:

Construction activities would result in sporadic, temporary noise increase adjacent to the Project area, which would exceed established thresholds. However, implementation of the mitigation measures, construction noise impacts would be less than significant.

Project construction activities would not result in sporadic, temporary vibration effects adjacent to the project area, which would not exceed established thresholds for structures and human perception. Thus, construction vibration impacts would be less than significant.

Operation of the proposed project would result in less than significant noise and vibration impacts to off-site noise sensitive receptors.

9900 BALBOA BOULEVARD PROJECT 1 ESA / D170101.00 Noise and Vibration Technical Report March 2017


1. Introduction

ESA has conducted an acoustical study with respect to potential noise and vibration impacts with construction activities, surface transportation, and other aspects of project operations that are noise and vibration intensive and that have the potential to impact neighboring noise sensitive land uses. The objectives of this noise study are to:

a. Quantify the existing ambient noise environment at the proposed project site;

b. Evaluate the construction and operational noise and vibration impacts to nearby noise sensitive receptors (i.e., residential uses) based on applicable City standards and thresholds;

c. Provide, if needed, noise mitigation measures as required to meet applicable noise regulations and standards, as specified by the City of Los Angeles.

1.1 Existing Conditions The project site is located at the northeastern corner of Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street in the Granada Hills – Knollwood Community Plan in the City. The adjacent land uses include commercial uses to the north and daycare uses to the east of the site. Regional access to the project site is provided by Interstate 405 (I-405) Freeway and 118 (CA-110) Freeway. The project site is shown in Figure 1.

2. Project Description

The project site is located at the northeastern corner of Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street in the Granada Hills – Knollwood Community Plan in the City of Los Angeles (City). The project site is bounded by Balboa Boulevard to the south and Lassen Street to the west. Commercial uses are located adjacent to the north and east. The existing one-story 1,801 square-feet and 6,027 square feet medical office building will be demolished and replace with a new one-story 2,240 square-foot building that will be occupied by a coffee shop (Starbucks) use alone with a drive-through and a pole sign at the corner of the property. The new coffee shop and drive-through services will have a drive-up window, along with both indoor and outdoor seating areas accommodating 58 seats (38 indoor and 20 outdoor). There will be 23 on-site parking spaces that will serve the 22 required total parking for this site. Figure 2 shows the project site.

PROJECTSITE

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Project Boundary0 600Feet

Figure 19900 Balboa Boulevard Project

Vicinity Location Map

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9900 Balboa Boulevard Project

Figure 2Site Plan

SOURCE: Valerio, 2017

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Noise and Vibration Technical Report


Vehicular ingress/egress to and from the site will be along Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street via two of the existing driveways. The project site will include five feet of street dedication Balboa Boulevard and one foot of street dedication on Lassen Street, the construction of new sidewalk areas and curb as necessary. Other proposed improvements include enclosures for trash/recycle bins, menu canopy and speaker, outdoor patio seating with shade umbrellas along with landscaping including trees and shrubs.

2.1 Construction Construction of the proposed project would start as early as fourth quarter of 2017 and would last approximately 6 months based on typical phase lengths. The proposed 2,240 square foot Starbucks restaurant with drive-through would include demolition of an existing and currently occupied medical-dental use building. The demolition and excavation debris will be hauled off-site. A maximum of 6 haul trucks per day were assumed to haul demolition debris and excavated soil during the respective phases.

2.2 Operation The proposed project would increase associated vehicle trips and create outdoor uses as compared to existing conditions. Therefore, an incremental project increase in noise levels is calculated.

3. Environmental Setting

3.1 Noise Principles and Descriptors Sound can be described as the mechanical energy of a vibrating object transmitted by pressure waves through a liquid or gaseous medium (e.g., air). Noise is generally defined as unwanted sound (i.e., loud, unexpected, or annoying sound). Acoustics is defined as the physics of sound. In acoustics, the fundamental scientific model consists of a sound (or noise) source, a receiver, and the propagation path between the two. The loudness of the noise source and obstructions or atmospheric factors affecting the propagation path to the receiver determines the sound level and characteristics of the noise perceived by the receiver. Acoustics addresses primarily the propagation and control of sound.

Sound, traveling in the form of waves from a source, exerts a sound pressure level (referred to as sound level) that is measured in decibels (dB), which is the standard unit of sound amplitude measurement. The dB scale is a logarithmic scale that describes the physical intensity of the pressure vibrations that make up any sound, with 0 dB corresponding roughly to the threshold of human hearing and 120 to 140 dB corresponding to the threshold of pain. Pressure waves traveling through air exert a force registered by the human ear as sound.



Sound pressure fluctuations can be measured in units of hertz (Hz), which correspond to the frequency of a particular sound. Typically, sound does not consist of a single frequency, but rather a broad band of frequencies varying in levels of magnitude. When all the audible frequencies of a sound are measured, a sound spectrum is plotted consisting of a range of frequency spanning 20 to 20,000 Hz. The sound pressure level, therefore, constitutes the additive force exerted by a sound corresponding to the sound frequency/sound power level spectrum.

Sound pressure fluctuations can be measured in units of hertz (Hz), which correspond to the frequency of a particular sound. Typically, sound does not consist of a single frequency, but rather a broad band of frequencies varying in levels of magnitude, with audible frequencies of the sound spectrum ranging from 20 to 20,000 Hz. The typical human ear is not equally sensitive to this frequency range. As a consequence, when assessing potential noise impacts, sound is measured using an electronic filter that deemphasizes the frequencies below 1,000 Hz and above 5,000 Hz in a manner corresponding to the human ear’s decreased sensitivity to these extremely low and extremely high frequencies. This method of frequency filtering or weighting is referred to as A-weighting, expressed in units of A-weighted decibels (dBA), which is typically applied to community noise measurements. Some representative common outdoor and indoor noise sources and their corresponding A-weighted noise levels are shown in Figure 3.

3.2 Noise Exposure and Community Noise An individual’s noise exposure is a measure of noise over a period of time; a noise level is a measure of noise at a given instant in time. However, noise levels rarely persist at that level over a long period of time. Rather, community noise varies continuously over a period of time with respect to the sound sources contributing to the community noise environment. Community noise is primarily the product of many distant noise sources, which constitute a relatively stable background noise exposure, with many of the individual contributors unidentifiable. The background noise level changes throughout a typical day, but does so gradually, corresponding with the addition and subtraction of distant noise sources, such as changes in traffic volume. What makes community noise variable throughout a day, besides the slowly changing background noise, is the addition of short-duration, single-event noise sources (e.g., aircraft flyovers, motor vehicles, sirens), which are readily identifiable to the individual.

These successive additions of sound to the community noise environment change the community noise level from instant to instant, requiring the noise exposure to be measured over periods of time to legitimately characterize a community noise environment and evaluate cumulative noise impacts.

9900 Balboa Boulevard Project

Figure 3Decibel Scale and Common Noise Sources

SOURCE: Caltans

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Gas lawnmower at 3 feet

Jet flyover at 1,000 feet

Heavy traffic at 300 feet

Diesel truck at 50 feet at 50 mph

Quiet urban daytime

Noisy urban area, daytime

Gas lawnmower, 100 feet

Commercial area

Rock band

Food blender at 3 feet

Garbage disposal at 3 feet

Vacuum cleaner at 10 feet

Normal speech at 3 feet

Large business office

Quiet rural nighttime

Quiet urban nighttime

Quiet suburban nighttime

COMMON OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES COMMON INDOOR ACTIVITIES

NOISE LEVEL(dBA)

110

90

100

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Dishwasher in next room

Theater, large conference room (background)

Library

Bedroom at night, concert hall (background)

Broadcast/recording studio



The following noise descriptors are used to characterize environmental noise levels over time, which are applicable to the proposed project.

Leq: The equivalent sound level over a specified period of time, typically, 1 hour (Leq(1)). The Leq may also be referred to as the average sound level.

Lmax: The maximum, instantaneous noise level experienced during a given period of time.

Lmin: The minimum, instantaneous noise level experienced during a given period of time.

Lx: The noise level exceeded a percentage of a specified time period. For instance, L50 and L90 represent the noise levels that are exceeded 50 percent and 90 percent of the time, respectively.

Ldn: The average A-weighted noise level during a 24-hour day, obtained after an addition of 10 dB to measured noise levels between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. to account nighttime noise sensitivity. The Ldn is also termed the day-night average noise level (DNL).

CNEL: The Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) is the average A-weighted noise level during a 24-hour day that includes an addition of 5 dB to measured noise levels between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and an addition of 10 dB to noise levels between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. to account for noise sensitivity in the evening and nighttime, respectively.

3.3 Effects of Noise on People Noise is generally loud, unpleasant, unexpected, or undesired sound that is typically associated with human activity that is a nuisance or disruptive. The effects of noise on people can be placed into four general categories:

Subjective effects (e.g., dissatisfaction, annoyance);

Interference effects (e.g., communication, sleep, and learning interference);

Physiological effects (e.g., startle response); and

Physical effects (e.g., hearing loss).

Although exposure to high noise levels has been demonstrated to cause physical and physiological effects, the principal human responses to typical environmental noise exposure are related to subjective effects and interference with activities. Interference effects interrupt daily activities and include interference with human communication activities, such as normal conversations, watching television, telephone conversations, and interference with sleep. Sleep interference effects can include both awakening and arousal to a lesser state of sleep.

With regard to the subjective effects, the responses of individuals to similar noise events are diverse and influenced by many factors, including the type of noise, the perceived importance of



the noise, the appropriateness of the noise to the setting, the duration of the noise, the time of day and the type of activity during which the noise occurs, and individual noise sensitivity. Overall, there is no completely satisfactory way to measure the subjective effects of noise, or the corresponding reactions of annoyance and dissatisfaction on people. A wide variation in individual thresholds of annoyance exists, and different tolerances to noise tend to develop based on an individual’s past experiences with noise. Thus, an important way of predicting a human reaction to a new noise environment is the way it compares to the existing environment to which one has adapted (i.e., comparison to the ambient noise environment). In general, the more a new noise level exceeds the previously existing ambient noise level, the less acceptable the new noise level will be judged by those hearing it. With regard to increases in A-weighted noise level, the following relationships generally occur:

Except in carefully controlled laboratory experiments, a change of 1 dBA cannot be perceived;

Outside of the laboratory, a 3 dBA change in noise levels is considered to be a barely perceivable difference;

A change in noise levels of 5 dBA is considered to be a readily perceivable difference; and

A change in noise levels of 10 dBA is subjectively heard as doubling of the perceived loudness.

These relationships occur in part because of the logarithmic nature of sound and the decibel scale. The human ear perceives sound in a non-linear fashion, hence, the dBA scale was developed. Because the dBA scale is based on logarithms, two noise sources do not combine in a simple additive fashion, but rather logarithmically. Under the dBA scale, a doubling of sound energy corresponds to a 3 dBA increase. In other words, when two sources are each producing sound of the same loudness, the resulting sound level at a given distance would be approximately 3 dBA higher than one of the sources under the same conditions. For example, if two identical noise sources produce noise levels of 50 dBA, the combined sound level would be 53 dBA, not 100 dBA. Under the dB scale, three sources of equal loudness together produce a sound level of approximately 5 dBA louder than one source, and ten sources of equal loudness together produce a sound level of approximately 10 dBA louder than the single source.

3.4 Noise Attenuation When noise propagates over a distance, the noise level reduces with distance depending on the type of noise source and the propagation path. Noise from a localized source (i.e., point source) propagates uniformly outward in a spherical pattern, referred to as “spherical spreading.” Stationary point sources of noise, including stationary mobile sources such as idling vehicles, attenuate (i.e., reduce) at a rate between 6 dBA for acoustically “hard” sites and 7.5 dBA for “soft” sites for each doubling of distance from the reference measurement, as their energy is continuously spread out over a spherical surface (e.g., for hard surfaces, 80 dBA at 50 feet attenuates to 74 at 100 feet, 68 dBA at 200 feet, etc.). Hard sites are those with a reflective surface between the source and the receiver, such as asphalt or concrete surfaces or smooth



bodies of water. No excess ground attenuation is assumed for hard sites and the reduction in noise levels with distance (drop-off rate) is simply the geometric spreading of the noise from the source. Soft sites have an absorptive ground surface, such as soft dirt, grass, or scattered bushes and trees, which in addition to geometric spreading, provides an excess ground attenuation value of 1.5 dBA (per doubling distance).

Roadways and highways consist of several localized noise sources on a defined path, and hence are treated as “line” sources, which approximate the effect of several point sources. Noise from a line source propagates over a cylindrical surface, often referred to as “cylindrical spreading.” Line sources (e.g., traffic noise from vehicles) attenuate at a rate between 3 dBA for hard sites and 4.5 dBA for soft sites for each doubling of distance from the reference measurement.1 Therefore, noise due to a line source attenuates less with distance than that of a point source with increased distance.

Additionally, receptors located downwind from a noise source can be exposed to increased noise levels relative to calm conditions, whereas locations upwind can have lowered noise levels. Atmospheric temperature inversion (i.e., increasing temperature with elevation) can increase sound levels at long distances (e.g., more than 500 feet). Other factors such as air temperature, humidity, and turbulence can also have significant effects on noise levels.

3.5 Fundamentals of Vibration Vibration can be interpreted as energy transmitted in waves through the ground or man-made structures, which generally dissipate with distance from the vibration source. Because energy is lost during the transfer of energy from one particle to another, vibration becomes less perceptible with increasing distance from the source.

As described in the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment, ground-borne vibration can be a serious concern for nearby neighbors of a transit system route or maintenance facility, causing buildings to shake and rumbling sounds to be heard.2 In contrast to airborne noise, ground-borne vibration is not a common environmental problem, as it is unusual for vibration from sources such as buses and trucks to be perceptible, even in locations close to major roads. Some common sources of ground-borne vibration are trains, heavy trucks traveling on rough roads, and construction activities, such as blasting, pile-driving, and operation of heavy earth-moving equipment.

There are several different methods that are used to quantify vibration. The peak particle velocity (PPV) is defined as the maximum instantaneous peak of the vibration signal in inches per second (in/sec), and is most frequently used to describe vibration impacts to buildings. The root mean square (RMS) amplitude is defined as the average of the squared amplitude of the signal and is most frequently used to describe the effect of vibration on the human body. Decibel notation (VdB) is commonly used to measure RMS. The relationship of PPV to RMS velocity is expressed

1 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Technical Noise Supplement (TeNS). September, 2013. 2 FTA, 2006. Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment. May.



in terms of the “crest factor,” defined as the ratio of the PPV amplitude to the RMS amplitude. PPV is typically a factor of 1.7 to 6 times greater than RMS vibration velocity.3 The decibel notation VdB acts to compress the range of numbers required to describe vibration. Typically, ground-borne vibration generated by man-made activities attenuates rapidly with distance from the source of the vibration. Sensitive receptors for vibration include structures (especially older masonry structures), people (especially residents, the elderly, and sick), and vibration sensitive equipment.

The effects of ground-borne vibration include movement of the building floors, rattling of windows, shaking of items on shelves or hanging on walls, and rumbling sounds. In extreme cases, the vibration can cause damage to buildings. Building damage is not a factor for most projects, with the occasional exception of blasting and pile-driving during construction. Annoyance from vibration often occurs when the vibration levels exceed the threshold of perception by only a small margin. A vibration level that causes annoyance will be well below the damage threshold for normal buildings. The FTA measure of the threshold of architectural damage for conventional sensitive structures is 0.2 in/sec PPV.4

In residential areas, the background vibration velocity level is usually around 50 VdB (approximately 0.0013 in/sec PPV), which is well below the vibration velocity level threshold of perception for humans, which is approximately 65 VdB. A vibration velocity level of 75 VdB is considered to be the approximate dividing line between barely perceptible and distinctly perceptible levels for many people.5

3.6 Existing Conditions Some land uses are considered more sensitive to noise than others due to the amount of noise exposure and the types of activities typically involved at the receptor location. The City of Los Angeles CEQA Thresholds Guide states that residences, schools, motels and hotels, libraries, religious institutions, hospitals, nursing homes, and parks are generally more sensitive to noise than commercial and industrial land uses. Existing noise sensitive uses within 500 feet of the project site include the following:

Daycare Facility: Daycare facility is located adjacent to the east of the project along Lassen Street.

Residential Uses: Existing single-family residences are located approximately 60 feet to the northeast along Septo Street and approximately 85feet to the south of the project along Lassen Street.

Residential Uses: Existing single-family residential uses are located to the approximately 250 feet to the west of the project site along Lassen Street and approximately 200 feet to the northwest of the project site.

3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid.



All other noise-sensitive uses regulated by the City of Los Angeles are located at greater distances from the project site and would experience lower noise levels from potential sources of noise on the project site due to distance loss.

Existing Ambient Daytime Noise Levels

The predominant existing noise source surrounding the project site is roadway noise from Balboa Boulevard to the west and Lassen Street to the south. Secondary noise sources include general commercial-related activities, such as loading dock/delivery truck activities, trash compaction, and refuse service activities.

Ambient noise measurements were conducted at four locations, representing the nearby land uses in the vicinity of the project site to establish conservative ambient noise levels. The measurement locations along with existing development and nearby future development are shown on Figure 4. Short-term (15-minute) measurements were conducted at locations R1 through R4. Ambient sound measurements were conducted on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to establish ambient conditions in the project vicinity.

Noise measurements were conducted using Rion NA-27 sound level meter (SLM). The Rion NA-27 sound meter is a precision integrating sound level meter. All instruments were calibrated and operated according to the applicable manufacturer specification. The microphone was placed at a height of 5 feet above the local grade, at the following locations as shown in Figure 4:

Measurement Location R1: represents the existing noise environment of daycare facility to the west of the project site along Lassen Street and single-family residential uses to the northwest of the project site along Septo Street. The SLM was placed on the northeastern corner of the project site nearby the daycare facility and the single-family residential uses.

Measurement Location R2: represents the existing noise environment of single-family residential uses south of the project site along Lassen Street. The SLM was placed in front of the single-family residential uses approximately 200 feet east of the southeastern corner of Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street.

Measurement Location R3: represents the existing noise environment of single-family residential uses west of the project site along Lassen Street. The SLM was placed in front of the single-family residential uses approximately 230 feet west of the northwestern corner of Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street.

Measurement Location R4: represents the existing noise environment of single-family residential uses northwest of the project site along Balboa Boulevard. The SLM was placed in front of the single-family residential uses approximately 320 feet north of the northwestern corner of Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street.

A

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R4

R3

R2

R1

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Project BoundaryA Noise Measurement Locations0 200

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Figure 49900 Balboa Boulevard Project

Noise Measurement Locations

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A summary of noise measurement data is provided in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, the existing ambient daytime noise levels ranged from 61 dBA Leq at R1 to 70 dBA Leq at R4.

TABLE 1 SUMMARY OF AMBIENT NOISE MEASUREMENTS

Location, Duration, Existing Land Uses and, Date of Measurements

Daytime (7 A.M. to 10 P.M.)

Hourly Leq

R1 – Daycare facility and Single-family Residential Uses 3/22/17 (10:30 A.M. to 10:45 A.M.)/Wednesday

61

R2 – Single -family Residential Uses 3/22/17 (10:47 A.M. to 11:02 A.M.)/Wednesday

67

R3 – Single -family Residential Uses 3/22/17 (11:05 A.M. to 11:20 A.M.)/Wednesday

69

R4 – Single- and Multi-family Residential Uses 3/22/17 (11:23 A.M. to 11:38 A.M.)/Wednesday

70

SOURCE: ESA, 2017.

Existing Roadway Noise Levels Off-Site

Existing roadway noise levels were calculated for 13 roadway segments located in the vicinity of the project site. The roadway segments selected for analysis are considered to be those that are expected to be the most directly impacted by project-related traffic, which, for the purpose of this analysis, includes the roadways that are located near and immediately adjacent to the project site. These roadways, when compared to roadways located further away from the project site, would experience the greatest percentage increase in traffic generated by the project (as distances are increased from the project site, traffic is spread out over a greater geographic area and its effects are reduced).

Calculation of the existing roadway noise levels was accomplished using the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) Highway Noise Prediction Model and traffic volumes at the study intersections analyzed in the project’s traffic study prepared by Albert Grover & Associates. 6 The model calculates the average noise level at specific locations based on traffic volumes, average speeds, and site environmental conditions. The average daily noise levels along these roadway segments are presented in Table 2.

6 Albert Grover and Associates, Traffic Impact Analysis for the Starbucks Store Located at 9900 Balboa Boulevard,

January 2017.



TABLE 2 EXISTING ROADWAY NOISE LEVELS

Roadway Segment Existing Land Uses Located Along Roadway Segment dBA CNELa

Balboa Boulevard

Between Devonshire and Mayall Street Commercial 71.4

Between Mayall Street and Lassen Street Residential/Commercial 71.5

Between Lassen Street and Superior Street Residential/School/Commercial 71.6

Lassen Street

Between Louise Avenue and Balboa Boulevard Residential/Commercial 71.9

Between Balboa Boulevard and Havenhurst Avenue Residential/Commercial 71.8

Mayall Street

West of Balboa Boulevard Residential/Commercial 56.5

East of Balboa Boulevard Residential/Commercial 53.4

Superior Street

West of Balboa Boulevard Residential/School/Church 56.5

Citronia Street

East of Balboa Boulevard Residential 53.4

Louise Avenue

North of Lassen Street Residential 64.0

South of Lassen Street Residential 64.3

Havenhurst Avenue

North of Lassen Street Residential 65.9

South of Lassen Street Residential 65.5

Devonshire Street

West of Balboa Boulevard Commercial 69.0

East of Balboa Boulevard Commercial 69.0

a Based on noise levels at the right-of-roadway. SOURCE: ESA, 2017.

Existing Groundborne Vibration Levels

Aside from periodic construction work that may occur throughout the City, other sources of groundborne vibration in the project site vicinity may include heavy-duty vehicular travel (e.g., refuse trucks, delivery trucks, etc.) on local roadways. Truck traffic at a distance of 50 feet typically generate groundborne vibration velocity levels of approximately 63 VdB (approximately 0.006 in/sec PPV), and these levels could reach 72 VdB (approximately 0.016 in/sec PPV) where trucks pass over irregularities in the road surface.7

7 FTA, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment. May 2006.



3.7 Regulatory Setting Detailed below is a discussion of the relevant regulatory setting and noise regulations, plans, and policies applicable to the proposed project.

Federal

Federal Noise Standards

Under the authority of the Noise Control Act of 1972, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) established noise emission criteria and testing methods published in Parts 201 through 205 of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that apply to some transportation equipment (e.g., interstate rail carriers, medium trucks, and heavy trucks) and construction equipment. In 1974, the USEPA issued guidance levels for the protection of public health and welfare in residential land use areas8 of an outdoor Ldn of 55 dBA and an indoor Ldn of 45 dBA. These guidance levels are not considered as standards or regulations and were developed without consideration of technical or economic feasibility. There are no federal noise standards that directly regulate environmental noise related to the construction or operation of the proposed project.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. §1919 et seq.), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has adopted regulations designed to protect workers against the effects of occupational noise exposure. These regulations list permissible noise level exposure as a function of the amount of time during which the worker is exposed. The regulations further specify a hearing conservation program that involves monitoring the noise to which workers are exposed, ensuring that workers are made aware of overexposure to noise, and periodically testing the workers’ hearing to detect any degradation.

Federal Vibration Standards

Groundborne vibration levels resulting from construction activities at the project site were estimated using data published by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in its Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment (2006) document. The potential vibration levels at off-site sensitive locations resulting from implementation of the proposed project are analyzed against the vibration thresholds established by the FTA to determine whether an exceedance of allowable vibration levels would occur. The FTA has adopted vibration standards that are used to evaluate potential building damage impacts related to construction activities, which are shown in Table 3.

8 USEPA, EPA Identifies Noise Levels Affecting Health and Welfare. April 1974.



TABLE 3 CONSTRUCTION VIBRATION DAMAGE CRITERIA

Building Category PPV (in/sec) Approximate VdB

I. Reinforced-concrete, steel or timber (no plaster) 0.5 102

II. Engineered concrete and masonry (no plaster) 0.3 98

III. Non-engineered timber and masonry buildings 0.2 94

IV. Buildings extremely susceptible to vibration damage 0.12 90

SOURCE: Federal Transit Administration, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment, May 2006.

In addition, the FTA has also adopted standards associated with human annoyance for groundborne vibration impacts for the following three land-use categories: Vibration Category 1 – High Sensitivity, Vibration Category 2 – Residential, and Vibration Category 3 – Institutional. The FTA defines Category 1 as buildings where vibration would interfere with operations within the building, including vibration-sensitive research and manufacturing facilities, hospitals with vibration-sensitive equipment, and university research operations. Vibration-sensitive equipment includes, but is not limited to, electron microscopes, high-resolution lithographic equipment, and normal optical microscopes. Category 2 refers to all residential land uses and any buildings where people sleep, such as hotels and hospitals. Category 3 refers to institutional land uses such as schools, churches, other institutions, and quiet offices that do not have vibration-sensitive equipment, but still have the potential for activity interference. The vibration thresholds associated with human annoyance for these three land-use categories are shown in Table 4. No vibration thresholds have been adopted or recommended for commercial and office uses.

TABLE 4 GROUNDBORNE VIBRATION IMPACT CRITERIA FOR GENERAL ASSESSMENT

Land Use Category Frequent Eventsa

Occasional Eventsb

Infrequent Eventsc

Category 1: Buildings where vibration would interfere with interior operations. 65 VdBd 65 VdBd 65 VdBd

Category 2: Residences and buildings where people normally sleep. 72 VdB 75 VdB 80 VdB

Category 3: Institutional land uses with primarily daytime use. 75 VdB 78 VdB 83 VdB

a “Frequent Events” is defined as more than 70 vibration events of the same source per day. b “Occasional Events” is defined as between 30 and 70 vibration events of the same source per day. c “Infrequent Events” is defined as fewer than 30 vibration events of the same kind per day. d This criterion is based on levels that are acceptable for most moderately sensitive equipment such as optical microscopes. SOURCE: FTA, 2006. Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment. May.

Local

In California, local regulation of noise involves implementation of general plan policies and noise ordinance standards. Local general plans identify general principles intended to guide and influence development plans, and noise ordinances set forth the specific standards and procedures for addressing particular noise sources and activities. General plans recognize that different types of land uses have different sensitivities toward their noise environment; residential areas are



considered to be the most sensitive type of land use to noise and industrial/commercial areas are considered to be the least sensitive.

City of Los Angeles

Guidelines for Noise-Compatible Land Uses

The City has adopted local guidelines based, in part, on the community noise compatibility guidelines established by the State Department of Health Services for use in assessing the compatibility of various land use types with a range of noise levels. These guidelines are set forth in the City of Los Angeles, L.A. CEQA Thresholds Guide in terms of the CNEL. CNEL guidelines for specific land uses are classified into four categories: (1) “normally acceptable,” (2) “conditionally acceptable,” (3) “normally unacceptable,” and (4) “clearly unacceptable.” As shown in Table 5, a CNEL value of 77 dBA is the upper limit of what is considered a “conditionally acceptable” noise environment for business commercial buildings, although the upper limit of what is considered “normally acceptable” for business commercial buildings is set at 70 dBA CNEL. New development should generally be discouraged within the “normally unacceptable” or “clearly unacceptable” categories. However, if new development does proceed, a detailed analysis of the noise reduction requirements must be made and needed noise insulation features included in the design.

Municipal Code

The City’s Noise Regulation is provided in Chapter XI of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC). Section 111.02 of the LAMC provides procedures and criteria for the measurement of the sound level of “offending” noise sources. In accordance with the LAMC, a noise level increase of 5 dBA over the existing average ambient noise level at an adjacent property line is considered a noise violation. To account for people’s increased tolerance for short-duration noise events, the Noise Regulation provides a 5 dBA allowance for noise source occurring more than five but less than fifteen minutes in any one-hour period and an additional 5 dBA allowance (total of 10 dBA) for noise source occurring five minutes or less in any one-hour period.9

The LAMC indicates that in cases where the actual ambient conditions are not known, the City’s presumed daytime (7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.) and nighttime (10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M.) minimum ambient noise levels as defined in Section 111.02 of the LAMC should be used. The presumed ambient noise levels for these areas as set forth in the LAMC Sections 111.02 and 112.05 are provided in Table 6. For residential-zoned areas, the presumed ambient noise level is 50 dBA during the daytime and 40 dBA during the nighttime.

Section 112.02 limits increases in noise levels from air conditioning, refrigeration, heating, pumping and filtering equipment. Such equipment may not be operated in such manner as to create any noise which would cause the noise level on the premises of any other occupied property, or, if a condominium, apartment house, duplex, or attached business, within any adjoining unit, to exceed the ambient noise level by more than five (5) decibels.

9 LAMC, Chapter XI, Article I, Section 111.02-(b).



TABLE 5 CITY OF LOS ANGELES LAND USE COMPATIBILITY FOR COMMUNITY NOISE

Community Noise Exposure CNEL (dBA)

Land Use Normally Acceptable

Conditionally Acceptable

Normally Unacceptable

Clearly Unacceptable

Single-Family, Duplex, Mobile Homes 50 to 60 55 to 70 70 to 75 Above 70

Multi-Family Homes 50 to 65 60 to 70 70 to 75 Above 70

Schools, Libraries, Churches, Hospitals, Nursing Homes

50 to 70 60 to 70 70 to 80 Above 80

Transient Lodging—Motels, Hotels 50 to 65 60 to 70 70 to 80 Above 80

Auditoriums, Concert Halls, Amphitheaters — 50 to 70 — Above 65

Sports Arena, Outdoor Spectator Sports — 50 to 75 — Above 70

Playgrounds, Neighborhood Parks 50 to 70 — 67 to 75 Above 72

Golf Courses, Riding Stables, Water Recreation, Cemeteries

50 to 75 — 70 to 80 Above 80

Office Buildings, Business and Professional Commercial

50 to 70 67 to 77 Above 75 —

Industrial, Manufacturing, Utilities, Agriculture 50 to 75 70 to 80 Above 75 —

Normally Acceptable: Specified land use is satisfactory, based upon the assumption that any buildings involved are of normal conventional construction without any special noise insulation requirements. Conditionally Acceptable: New construction or development should be undertaken only after a detailed analysis of the noise reduction requirements is made and needed noise insulation features included in the design. Conventional construction, but with closed windows and fresh air supply systems or air conditioning will normally suffice. Normally Unacceptable: New construction or development should generally be discouraged. If new construction or development does proceed, a detailed analysis of the noise reduction requirements must be made and needed noise insulation features included in the design. Clearly Unacceptable: New construction or development should generally not be undertaken. Source: City of L.A. CEQA Thresholds Guide, 2006.

TABLE 6 CITY OF LOS ANGELES PRESUMED AMBIENT NOISE LEVELS

Zone

Daytime Hours (7 A.M. to 10 P.M.)

dBA (Leq)

Nighttime Hours (10 P.M. to 7 A.M.)

dBA (Leq)

Residential 50 40

Commercial 60 55

Manufacturing (M1, MR1, and MR2) 60 55

Heavy Manufacturing (M2 and M3) 65 65

SOURCE: City of Huntington Beach Municipal Code Section 8.40.050



Section 112.05 of the LAMC sets a maximum noise level for construction equipment of 75 dBA at a distance of 50 feet when operated within 500 feet of a residential zone. Compliance with this standard is only required where “technically feasible.”10 Section 41.40 of the LAMC prohibits construction between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. Monday through Friday, 6:00 P.M. and 8:00 A.M. on Saturday, and at any time on Sunday (i.e., construction is allowed Monday through Friday between 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M.; and Saturdays and National Holidays between 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.). In general, the City’s Department of Building and Safety enforces noise ordinance provisions relative to equipment and the Los Angeles Police Department enforces provisions relative to noise generated by people.

Section 113.01 of LAMC prohibits collecting or disposing of rubbish or garbage, to operate any refuse disposal truck, or to collect, load, pick up, transfer, unload, dump, discard, or dispose of any rubbish or garbage, as such terms are defined in Section 66.00 of LAMC, within 200 feet of any residential building between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. of the following day, unless a permit therefore has been duly obtained beforehand from the Board of Police Commissioners.

4. Impacts and Mitigation Measures

This section describes the impact analysis relating to noise and vibration impacts for the proposed project, and the methods and applicable thresholds used to determine the impacts of the proposed project.

4.1 Methodology

Construction Noise Levels

Project construction noise levels were estimated using the FHWA’s Roadway Construction Noise Model (RCNM) and construction equipment information provided by the Applicant. Potential noise levels were identified for the nearest sensitive receptors located offsite based on their respective distances from the project site. To present a conservative impact analysis, the estimated noise levels were calculated for a scenario in which all construction equipment was assumed to be operating simultaneously and located at the construction area nearest to the affected receptors. These assumptions represent the worst-case noise scenario because construction activities would typically be spread out throughout the project site and would be located further away from the affected receptors. The estimated noise levels at the affected receptors were then analyzed against the construction noise standards established in the City Municipal Code.

10 In accordance with the City’s Noise Ordinances, “technically feasible” means that the established noise limitations

can be complied with at a project site, with the use of mufflers, shields, sound barriers, and/or other noise reduction devices or techniques employed during the operation of equipment.



Roadway Noise Levels

Off-site construction related traffic noise levels were calculated based on traffic information provided in the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA).11 The roadway segment selected for analysis are expected to be most directly impacted by construction-related traffic, which, for the purpose of this analysis, includes the roadways that are nearest to the project site, adjacent to the identified noise-sensitive receptors. The noise levels were calculated using the FHWA-RD-77-108 model based on construction-related traffic volumes provided in the TIA.

Onsite Stationary Source Noise Levels

During operation of the proposed project, noise levels would be generated onsite by stationary noise sources such as rooftop mechanical equipment, parking facilities, drive-through menu/ordering board and the loading dock area. The noise levels generated by these stationary sources are assessed based on the City’s Municipal Code requirements and measured data, and their impacts on the nearby offsite receptors are determined based on their distance from these receptors. The noise levels determined at the offsite, noise-sensitive receptors are then compared to the stationary source noise significance thresholds identified in the City Municipal Code.

Groundborne Vibration Levels

Groundborne vibration levels resulting from construction activities at the project site were estimated using data published by the FTA in its Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment document.12 Potential vibration levels resulting from construction of the proposed project are identified for offsite locations that are sensitive to vibration (i.e., existing residential buildings) based on their distance from construction activities.

4.2 Thresholds of Significance Appendix G of the CEQA Guidelines provides a set of screening questions that address impacts with regard to Noise Impacts. These questions are as follows:

Would the project result in:

Exposure of persons to or generation of noise levels in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or applicable standards of other agencies;

Exposure of persons to or generation of excessive groundborne vibration or groundborne noise levels;

A substantial permanent increase in ambient noise levels in the vicinity of the project above levels existing without the project; or

A substantial temporary or periodic increase in ambient noise levels in the project vicinity above levels existing without the project.

11 Albert Grover and Associates, Traffic Impact Analysis for the Starbucks Store Located at 9900 Balboa Boulevard,

January 2017. 12 FTA, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment. May 2006.



The following significance thresholds evaluate potential noise and vibration impacts of the project based on the Appendix G Checklist and the regulatory framework described earlier in this section. The proposed project would result in potentially significant impacts under the following circumstances:

Construction

The following thresholds of significance are set forth in the City’s CEQA Thresholds Guide, which states that a project would normally have a significant impact on noise levels from construction if:

Construction activities lasting more than one day would exceed existing ambient exterior noise levels by 10 dBA or more at a noise-sensitive use;

Construction activities lasting more than 10 days in a three-month period would exceed existing ambient exterior noise levels by 5 dBA or more at a noise-sensitive use; or

Construction activities would exceed the ambient noise level by 5 dBA at a noise-sensitive use between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. Monday through Friday, before 8:00 A.M. or after 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, or at any time on Sunday.

Since the project construction period would have a duration of more than 10 days and would not occur between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 7:00 A.M. Monday through Friday, before 8:00 A.M. or after 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, or at any time on Sunday (consistent with provisions of the LAMC), noise during project construction would have a significant impact if:

NOI-1: Project construction activities cause the exterior ambient noise level to increase by 5 dBA or more at a noise-sensitive use, as measured at the property line of any sensitive use.

NOI-2: Off-site project construction traffic causes the exterior ambient noise level to increase by 5 dBA CNEL or more at a noise-sensitive use, as measured at the property line of any sensitive use.

Operation

The City’s CEQA Thresholds Guide provides guidelines for defining significant noise impacts due to operations. The guideline states that a significant impact related to operational noise would result if:

NOI-3: The project traffic would cause ambient noise levels to increase by 5 dBA, CNEL or more and the resulting noise falls on a noise-sensitive land use within an area categorized as either “normally acceptable” or “conditionally acceptable” (see Table 5 for description of these categories); or cause ambient noise levels to increase by 3 dBA, CNEL or more and the resulting noise falls on a noise-sensitive land use within an area categorized as either “normally unacceptable” or “clearly unacceptable.”

NOI-4: Project-related operational (i.e., on-site stationary) noise sources such as outdoor building mechanical/electrical equipment and menu board speakers increase ambient noise level by 5 dBA, thus causing a violation of the City Noise Ordinance.



Vibration Criteria

The City of Los Angeles has not adopted a significance threshold to assess vibration impacts during construction. Thus, for this Project, the City has determined to use the FTA standards described above to evaluate potential impacts related to Project construction and operation.

NOISE-5: Potential Building Damage - Project construction activities cause ground-borne vibration levels to exceed 94 VdB (0.2-inch-per second PPV) at the nearest off-site residential buildings or historic buildings.

NOISE-6: Potential Human Annoyance - Project construction and operation activities cause ground-borne vibration levels to 80 VdB at nearby residential uses.

4.3 Project Impacts

Impact NOI-1: The project would not result in the exposure of persons to, or generation of, noise levels in excess of standards established in the local general plan or noise ordinance, or applicable standards of other agencies. (Less than Significant)

Construction Noise

Onsite Construction Noise

NOI-1: Project construction activities cause the exterior ambient noise level to increase by 5 dBA or more at a noise-sensitive use, as measured at the property line of any sensitive use.

Impact Statement NOI-1: Construction activities would increase noise levels at off-site existing noise-sensitive receptors in the Project Area in excess of the applicable thresholds. Impacts due to noise from on-site construction activity would be potentially significant at off-site sensitive use locations. However, with implementation of the identified mitigation, noise levels would be reduced to below the threshold. Thus, construction noise impacts would be less than significant with implementation of mitigation.

Construction of the proposed project would require the use of heavy equipment during the demolition, site preparation, grading, and excavation activities at the project site. During each stage of development, there would be a different mix of equipment. As such, construction activity noise levels at and near the project site would fluctuate depending on the particular type, number, and duration of use of the various pieces of construction equipment.

Individual pieces of construction equipment anticipated during Project construction could produce maximum noise levels of 74 dBA to 90 dBA Lmax at a reference distance of 50 feet from the noise source, as shown in Table 7. These maximum noise levels would occur when



equipment is operating at full power. The estimated usage factor for the equipment is also shown in Table 7. The usage factors are based on FHWA’s RCNM User’s Guide.13

TABLE 7 CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT NOISE LEVELS

Construction Equipment Estimated Usage Factor, % Noise Level at 50 Feet

(dBA, Lmax)

Air Compressors 50% 78

Arial Lift 20% 75

Cement and Mortar Mixer 40% 79

Concrete Saw 20% 90

Forklift 10% 75

Generator Sets 50% 81

Grader 40% 85

Off-Highway Truck 20% 76

Paver 50% 77

Paving Equipment 20% 90

Pump 50% 81

Roller 20% 80

Rubber Tired Dozer 40% 82

Tractor/Loader/Backhoe 25% 80

Trencher 40% 82

Welder 40% 74

FHWA, 2006

During project construction, the nearest and most notable offsite sensitive receptors that would be exposed to increased noise levels would be the existing single-family residential uses located in proximity to the project site. Specifically, the nearest offsite noise sensitive receptors include the following:

R1: Daycare facility is located approximately 80 feet east of the project site along Lassen Street and single-family residential uses are located approximately 60 feet northeast of the project along Septo Street;

R2: Existing single-family residential uses are located to the approximately 80 feet south of the project site along Lassen Street;

R3: Existing single-family residential uses are located to the approximately 250 feet west of the project site along Lassen Street; and

R4: Existing single-family residential uses are located to the approximately 200 feet northwest of the project site along Balboa Boulevard.

13 Federal Highway Administration, Roadway Construction Noise Model User’s Guide, 2006.



Over the course of a construction day, the highest noise levels would be generated when multiple pieces of construction equipment are being operated concurrently. As discussed previously, the project’s estimated construction noise levels were calculated for a scenario in which some construction equipment was assumed to be operating simultaneously and located at the construction area nearest to the affected receptors to present a conservative impact analysis. The estimated noise levels at the offsite sensitive receptors were calculated using the FHWA’s RCNM. Table 8 shows the estimated construction noise levels that would occur at the nearest offsite sensitive uses during a peak day of construction activity at the project site.

TABLE 8 ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION NOISE LEVELS AT OFFSITE SENSITIVE USES

Offsite Sensitive Land Uses Location

Nearest Distance from Construction Activity to Noise

Receptor (ft.)1

Estimated Maximum

Construction Noise Levels

(dBA Leq) Significance Threshold3

Exceed Significance Threshold?

R1: Daycare East of the project site along Lassen Street

80 76 66 Yes

R1: Residential Northeast of the project site along Septo Street

60 79 66 Yes

R2 South of the project site along Lassen Street

80 76 72 Yes

R3 West of the project site along Lassen Street

250 632 74 No

R4 Northwest of the project site along Balboa Boulevard

200 652 75 No

1 The distance represents the nearest construction area on the project site to the property line of the offsite receptor. 2 Receptors are partially shielded from the construction site by existing buildings; and such shielding is included in the analyses representing a 5

dBA reduction in noise levels. 3 The significance threshold is the daytime ambient noise levels as shown in Table 1 plus 5 dBA. SOURCE: ESA, 2017.

As shown in Table 8, the peak day construction noise levels experienced by the offsite sensitive receptors would range from 63 dBA, Leq at the single-family residential uses located west of the project site to 79 dBA, Leq at the single-family residential uses located northeast of the project site along Septo Street. As such, the Project would have a potentially significant construction noise impact on the single-family residential uses located northeast and south of the project site and daycare facility located east of the project site. Mitigation measures are therefore prescribed to reduce construction noise impacts to this noise sensitive use, as presented below in Mitigation Measures.

Off-Site Construction Traffic Noise

NOI-2: Off-site project construction traffic causes the exterior ambient noise level to increase by 5 dBA CNEL or more at a noise-sensitive use, as measured at the property line of any sensitive use.



Impact Statement NOI-2: Project off-site construction traffic would increase noise levels at noise-sensitive uses in the project area. However, increases to ambient noise levels at residential uses along the haul route would not increase by 5 dBA or more due to construction traffic. Because the noise levels would not exceed the established thresholds, construction traffic noise impacts would be less than significant.

Delivery truck and haul truck trips would occur throughout the construction period. Trucks traveling to and from the project site would be required to travel along the haul route approved by the City of Los Angeles for the project. It is anticipated that traffic would travel on Balboa Boulevard to access the Ronald Reagan Freeway or travel on Balboa Boulevard via Devonshire Street to access the San Diego Freeway.

An estimated maximum of 6 haul truck trips would occur per day. The average daily traffic volumes for the roadways designated for the haul truck routes are greater than 13,000 vehicles. The addition of 6 haul trucks per day along these routes would result in a negligible noise level increase and would not increase noise levels by 5 dBA over the ambient condition. Therefore, noise impacts from off-site construction traffic would be less than significant and no mitigation measures are required.

Operational Noise

NOI-3: The project would cause ambient noise levels to increase by 5 dBA, CNEL or more and the resulting noise falls on a noise-sensitive land use within an area categorized as either “normally acceptable” or “conditionally acceptable” (see Table 5 for description of these categories); or cause ambient noise levels to increase by 3 dBA, CNEL or more and the resulting noise falls on a noise-sensitive land use within an area categorized as either “normally unacceptable” or “clearly unacceptable.”

Impact Statement NOI-3: Project operational traffic would increase noise levels at off-site noise-sensitive uses in the project area. However, increases in ambient noise levels due to operational traffic would not exceed the established thresholds. Operational traffic-related noise impacts would be less than significant.

Impacts Under Existing Traffic Baseline Conditions

Existing roadway noise levels were calculated along various arterial segments adjacent to the project site. Roadway noise attributable to project development was calculated using the traffic noise model previously described and was compared to baseline noise levels that would occur under the “No Project” condition.

Project impacts are shown in Table 9. As indicated, the maximum increase in project-related traffic noise levels over existing traffic noise levels would be 0.1 dBA, CNEL, which would occur along Balboa Boulevard, Mayall Street, Citronia Street, Louise Avenue, Havenhurst Avenue, and Devonshire Street. This increase in sound level would be well below a “clearly noticeable” increase of 5.0 dBA, CNEL in an area characterized by normally acceptable noise



levels (see Table 5), and the increase in sound would not occur at the remaining roadway segments analyzed. The project-related noise increases would be less than the threshold and therefore less than significant, and no mitigation measures would be required.

TABLE 9 OFF-SITE TRAFFIC NOISE IMPACTS – EXISTING (WITH PROJECT CONDITIONS

Calculated Traffic Noise Levels at 25 Feet from RoadwayCNEL (dBA)

Roadway Segment Existing

(A)

Existing with Project

(B)

Project Increment

(B-A) Exceed

Threshold?

Balboa Boulevard

Between Devonshire and Mayall Street 71.4 71.5 0.1 No

Between Mayall Street and Lassen Street 71.5 71.6 0.1 No

Between Lassen Street and Superior Street 71.6 71.6 0.0 No

Lassen Street

Between Louise Avenue and Balboa Boulevard 71.9 71.9 0.0 No

Between Balboa Boulevard and Havenhurst Avenue 71.8 71.8 0.0 No

Mayall Street No

West of Balboa Boulevard 56.5 56.5 0.0 No

East of Balboa Boulevard 53.4 53.5 0.1 No

Superior Street


Citronia Street


Louise Avenue

North of Lassen Street 64.0 64.1 0.1 No

South of Lassen Street 64.3 64.3 0.0 No

Havenhurst Avenue



Devonshire Street


East of Balboa Boulevard 69.0 69.1 0.1 No a Based on noise levels at the right-of-roadway. SOURCE: ESA, 2017.

Impacts Under Future Traffic Conditions

Future roadway noise levels were also calculated along various arterial segments adjacent to the project as compared to future traffic noise levels that would occur with implementation of the cumulative projects. Project impacts are shown in Table 10. As indicated, the maximum increase in project-related traffic noise levels over the future traffic noise levels would be 0.1 dBA, CNEL, which would occur along Balboa Boulevard. This increase in sound level would be less than a “clearly noticeable” increase of 5.0 dBA, CNEL, and the increase in sound would not



occur at the remaining roadway segments analyzed. The project-related noise increases, when measured against the future conditions, would be less than the threshold and therefore less than significant.

TABLE 10 OFF-SITE TRAFFIC NOISE IMPACTS – FUTURE WITH PROJECT CONDITIONS

Calculated Traffic Noise Levels at 25 Feet from Roadway CNEL (dBA)

Roadway Segment

Future without Project

(A)

Future with Project

(B)

Project Increment

(B-A) Exceed

Threshold?

Balboa Boulevard

Between Devonshire and Mayall Street 71.5 71.6 0.1 No

Between Mayall Street and Lassen Street 71.6 71.7 0.1 No

Between Lassen Street and Superior Street 71.7 71.7 0.0 No

Lassen Street

Between Louise Avenue and Balboa Boulevard 72.0 72.0 0.0 No

Between Balboa Boulevard and Havenhurst Avenue 71.9 71.9 0.0 No

Mayall Street



Superior Street


Citronia Street


Louise Avenue



Havenhurst Avenue



Devonshire Street


East of Balboa Boulevard 69.2 69.2 0.0 No a Based on noise levels at 25 feet distance from the roadway and residential uses if residential uses are shown along roadways. SOURCE: ESA, 2017.



NOI-4: Project-related operational (i.e., on-site stationary) noise sources such as outdoor building mechanical/electrical equipment and menu board speakers increase ambient noise level by 5 dBA, thus causing a violation of the City Noise Ordinance.

Impact Statement NOI-4: The project’s noise impacts on existing development from operational on-site noise sources would be less than significant. Project implementation would increase noise levels at adjacent noise-sensitive receptors in the project vicinity; however, the noise generation would not exceed established thresholds.

Mechanical Equipment

The operation of mechanical equipment typical for developments like the project, such as air conditioners, fans, generators, and related equipment may generate audible noise levels. Mechanical equipment is typically located on rooftops or within buildings, and is shielded from nearby land uses to attenuate noise and avoid conflicts with adjacent uses. In addition, all mechanical equipment would be designed with appropriate noise control devices, such as sound attenuators, acoustics louvers, or sound screen/parapet walls to comply with noise limitation requirements provided in Section 112.02 of the LAMC, which limits the noise from such equipment causing an increase in the ambient noise level by more than five decibels. The project would install mechanical equipment that would generate noise levels below this threshold consistent with applicable regulatory requirements. Therefore, operation of mechanical equipment would not exceed the City’s thresholds of significance and impacts would be less than significant. As such, no mitigation measures would be required.

Parking Facilities

The project would include 23 parking spaces. Surface parking lots are located at west and south sides of the project site along Balboa Boulevard and Lassen Street. Because the distance between the parking areas and the nearest daycare uses would be increased from current conditions, the parking lot related noise impacts at the offsite receptors would be consistent with the existing ambient noise levels and would not exceed the average ambient noise level by 5 dBA, and therefore would not exceed threshold NOI-5. As such, impacts would be less than significant.

Menu Board Speakers

The noise from menu board speakers and idling vehicles within the drive–through facility would generate noise that could disturb the daycare facility to the east of the project site.

On Tuesday March 14th 2017, a short-term noise level measurement was collected adjacent to a drive-through facility at an existing Starbucks coffee shop at 3885 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, California. The 20-minute measurement was begun at 8:06 in the morning. During the monitoring period at least three cars were idling in the queue with a total of approximately 30 cars passing through during the monitoring period.

The meter was located 30 feet from the customer order display with direct line-of-sight to vehicles. The primary sources of noise observed were the idling of vehicle engines, the speaker at



the customer order display and distant traffic on El Camino Real. The average noise level during the 20-minute monitoring period was 55 dBA Leq at a distance of 30-feet from the customer order display.

The nearest single-family use is located approximately 100 feet from the drive-through facility.

Based on a noise level source strength of 66 dBA at a reference distance of 30 feet, and accounting for distance attenuation (minimum 10 dBA insertion loss), noise related with the menu board speakers and idling vehicles within the drive-through facility would be reduced to 45 dBA. As such, noise from the menu board speakers and idling vehicles within the drive–through facility would not exceed the significance threshold of 66 dBA at the daycare facility to the east of the project site and single-family residential uses to the northeast of the project site. Therefore, impacts would be less than significant.

Impact NOI-2: The project would not expose persons to, or generate, excessive ground-borne vibration or ground-borne noise levels. (Less than Significant)

Construction Vibration

NOI-5: Potential Building Damage - Project construction activities cause ground-borne vibration levels to exceed 94 VdB (0.2-inch-per second PPV) at the nearest off-site residential buildings or historic buildings.

NOI-6: Potential Human Annoyance - Project construction and operation activities cause ground-borne vibration levels to 80 VdB at nearby residential uses.

Impact Statement NOI- 5 and NOI-6: Construction activities would not result in sporadic, temporary vibration effects to the adjacent off-site residential building. Because the vibration levels would not exceed the established thresholds, construction vibration impacts would be less than significant.

Construction activities at the project site have the potential to generate low levels of groundborne vibration as the operation of heavy equipment (i.e., backhoe, dozer, excavators, grader, loader, scraper, and haul trucks, etc.) generates vibrations that propagate though the ground and diminish in intensity with distance from the source. No high-impact activities, such as pile driving or blasting, would be used during project construction. The nearest offsite receptors to the project site that could be exposed to vibration levels generated from project construction include single-family residential uses west of the project site. Groundborne vibrations from construction activities very rarely reach the levels that can damage structures, but they may be perceived in buildings very close to a construction site.

The RMS vibration velocities for several types of construction equipment that can generate perceptible vibration levels are identified in Table 11, Vibration Source Levels for Construction



Equipment. Based on the information presented in Table 11, vibration velocities could range from 58 to 87 VdB at 25 feet from the source of activity.

TABLE 11 VIBRATION SOURCE LEVELS FOR CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Equipment

Approximate PPV (in/sec) Approximate RMS (VdB)

25 Feet

50 Feet

60 Feet

75 Feet

100 Feet

25 Feet

50 Feet

60 Feet

75 Feet

100 Feet

Large Bulldozer 0.089 0.031 0.024 0.017 0.011 87 78 76 73 69

Hoe Ram 0.089 0.031 0.024 0.017 0.011 87 78 76 73 69

Caisson Drilling 0.089 0.031 0.024 0.017 0.011 87 78 76 73 69

Loaded Trucks 0.076 0.027 0.020 0.015 0.010 86 77 75 72 68

Jackhammer 0.035 0.012 0.009 0.007 0.004 79 70 68 65 61

Small Bulldozer 0.003 0.001 0.0008 0.0006 0.0004 58 49 47 44 40

SOURCE: FTA, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment, May 2006.; ESA PCR, 2017.

Table 12, Groundborne Vibration Levels at Off-site Sensitive Uses Compared to FTA Vibration Damage Potential Threshold, shows the estimated construction-related groundborne vibration levels that could occur at the nearest off-site daycare structures and residential structures during construction at the project site and a comparison to the identified significance threshold.

TABLE 12 GROUNDBORNE VIBRATION LEVELS AT OFF-SITE SENSITIVE USES COMPARED TO CALTRANS’ AND FTA

VIBRATION DAMAGE POTENTIAL THRESHOLD

Off-site Sensitive Structures

Approximate Distance to Project Site

(ft.)a Estimated

VdB

FTA Vibration Damage Potential Threshold, VdB

Exceed FTA Vibration Threshold? (Yes or

No)

R1 – Daycare Facility east of the project site

85 71 94 No

R1 – Single-family Residential Uses northeast of the project site

65 74 94 No

R2 – Single-family Residential Uses south of the project site

110 68 94 No

ft. = feet VdB = RMS Velocity in decibels (VdB) re 1 micro-inch/second. a Approximate distances are measured from the nearest construction area within the project site where vibration levels would be

generated to the nearest off-site sensitive structure. b FTA Vibration Damage Potential Thresholds were taken from Table 3. SOURCE: ESA, 2017.



As shown in Table 12, the vibration velocities forecasted to occur at the off-site sensitive receptors could potentially be up to 74 VdB at the nearest single-family residences located approximately 65 feet to the northeast of the project site and up to 71 VdB at the daycare facility located approximately 85 feet to the east of the project site. All other residential structures are located further away and vibration velocities would be substantially lower at all other residential structure located further away.

In terms of groundborne vibration impacts associated with structural damage, this analysis uses the FTA’s vibration impact thresholds of 94 VdB (0.2 inches per second) for non-engineered timber and masonry buildings.

Based on the information shown in Table 12, which shows an estimated 74VdB, none of the existing vibration sensitive structures in the vicinity of the project site would be exposed to VdB groundborne vibration levels exceeding the FTA’s 94 VdB as shown in Table 3 for non-engineered timber and masonry buildings. As such, the vibration impacts at these residential and daycare structures would be less than significant, and no mitigation measures would be required.

With respect to human annoyance, the City’s CEQA Thresholds Guide identifies residential areas as sensitive land uses. Currently, this type of sensitive use located in the project site vicinity includes the single-family residences to the northeast of the project site and daycare facility to the east of the project site. Under the FTA’s vibration annoyance potential criteria (refer to Table 4), vibration levels exceeding 80 VdB would be considered distinctly perceptible. As shown in Table 12, the single-family residences receptors (R1) located northeast of the project site would be exposed to vibration levels of 74 VdB, which is below the FTA’s 80 VdB distinctly perceptible threshold. Thus, vibration impacts related to human annoyance would be less than significant.

The Project’s operations would include typical commercial-grade stationary mechanical and electrical equipment, such as air handling units, condenser units, and exhaust fans, which would produce vibration. In addition, the primary sources of transient vibration would include passenger vehicle circulation within the proposed parking area. Ground-borne vibration generated by each of the above-mentioned activities would generate approximately up to 50 VdB adjacent to the project site.14 The potential vibration levels from all project operational sources at the closest existing sensitive receptor locations would be less than the significance threshold of 80 VdB for perceptibility. As such, vibration impacts associated with operation of the project would be below the significance threshold and impacts would be less than significant.

Impact NOI-3: The project would not result in a substantial permanent increase in ambient noise levels in the project vicinity above levels existing without the project?

The existing noise environment in the project area is dominated by traffic noise from nearby roadways, as well as nearby commercial and residential activities. Long-term operation of the proposed project would not have a significant effect on the community noise environment in proximity to the project site. Noise sources that would have potential noise impacts include: off-

14 FTA, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment, Section 7.2.1, May. 2006.



site vehicle traffic, mechanical (i.e., air-conditioning) equipment, parking spaces, and menu board speakers and idling vehicles within the drive–through facility. Motor vehicle travel on local roadways attributable to the proposed project, as discussed in Impact NOI-1, would have a less than significant impact on community noise levels. Noise levels associated with on-site operations (e.g., parking, drive-through facility, and mechanical equipment) are also considered less than significant as discussed in Impact NOI-1. As such, noise impacts would be less than significant.

Impact NOI-4: The project would not result in a substantial temporary or periodic increase in ambient noise levels in the project vicinity above levels existing without the project? (Less than Significant Impact)

Construction Noise

As discussed previously under Impact NOI-1, construction activities would increase existing ambient noise levels at residences and daycare facility in proximity to the construction activity. As shown in Table 8, construction noise would generate up to 79 dBA Leq from a construction activity, which would temporarily increase existing ambient noise levels of 61 dBA Leq at sensitive receptor locations, R1. Therefore, construction noise impacts would be potentially significant. Mitigation measures are therefore prescribed to reduce construction noise impacts to this noise sensitive use, as presented below in Mitigation Measures.

4.4 Mitigation Measures

Construction Noise and Vibration

Construction-related noise has the potential to result in potential significant noise impacts at the sensitive receptors. Thus, the following mitigation measures are required to minimize construction-related noise impacts:

MM-NOISE-1: The Project shall provide a temporary 15-foot-tall construction fence equipped with noise blankets rated to achieve sound level reductions of at least 12 dBA between the project construction site and the single-family residential uses to the northeast of the project site and the adjacent daycare facility east of the project site, R1. Temporary noise barriers shall be used to block the line-of-sight to the extent feasible between the construction equipment and the noise-sensitive receptors during early project construction phases (up to the start of framing) when the use of heavy equipment is prevalent.

MM-NOISE-2: The project contractor(s) shall employ state-of-the-art noise minimization strategies, as feasible, when using mechanized construction equipment. The contractor(s) shall limit unnecessary idling of equipment on or near the site. The contractor(s) shall strive to place noisy construction equipment as far from the project site edges as practicable. The project contractor(s) shall equip all construction equipment, fixed or mobile, with properly operating and maintained noise mufflers, consistent with



manufacturers’ standards. For example, absorptive mufflers are generally considered commercially available, state-of-the-art noise reduction for heavy duty equipment. 15

As shown above, the Project would not result in significant impacts associated with construction vibration. Therefore, no construction vibration mitigation measures would be required.

Operational Noise and Vibration

As shown above, the Project would not result in significant impacts associated with operational noise and vibration. Therefore, no operational noise and vibration mitigation measures would be required.

5. Conclusion

In summary, implementation of the proposed project would result in potentially significant noise impacts during construction. However, impacts would be less than significant with implementation of mitigation measures.

MM-NOISE-1 would provide at least 12 dBA noise reduction at the R1 noise receptor locations. MM-NOISE-2 would provide at least 3 dBA noise reduction at the R1. Therefore, implementation of MM-NOISE-1 and Noise-2 would reduce construction noise levels below the significance thresholds at nearby receptor locations, R1. Thus, potentially significant construction noise impacts would be reduced to a less than significant level.

Construction vibration would not exceed the established thresholds at nearby off-site sensitive receptors. As such, impacts would be less than significant and no mitigation measures are necessary.

Project-related noise and vibration resulting from future on-site development, including noise and vibration from stationary and mobile sources, would not exceed established thresholds at nearby off-site sensitive receptors. As such, impacts would be less than significant and no mitigation measures are necessary.

6. References Albert Grover and Associates, Traffic Impact Analysis for the Starbucks Store Located at 9900

Balboa Boulevard, January 2017.

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), Technical Noise Supplement (TeNS). September, 2013.

Caltrans, Transportation and Construction Vibration Guidance Manual. September 2013.

15 United muffler Corp: https://www.unitedmuffler.com/ P) 866-229-3402; Auto-jet Muffler Corp:

http://mandrelbending-tubefabrication.com/index.php, P)800-247-5391; AP Exhaust Technologies: http://www.apexhaust.com/, P)800-277-2787

https://www.unitedmuffler.com/

http://mandrelbending-tubefabrication.com/index.php

http://www.apexhaust.com/



City of Los Angeles Municipal Code, Chapter XI, Article I, Section 111.02-(b).

City of Los Angeles, L.A. CEQA Threshold Guide, 2006.

Federal Highway Administration, Roadway Construction Noise Model User’s Guide, 2006.

Federal Transit Administration, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment, May 2006.

USEPA, EPA Identifies Noise Levels Affecting Health and Welfare. April 1974.

United muffler Corp: https://www.unitedmuffler.com/ P) 866-229-3402; Auto-jet Muffler Corp: http://mandrelbending-tubefabrication.com/index.php, P)800-247-5391; AP Exhaust Technologies: http://www.apexhaust.com/, P)800-277-2787

https://www.unitedmuffler.com/

http://mandrelbending-tubefabrication.com/index.php

http://www.apexhaust.com/

Appendix A Construction Noise Calculations

Project: 9900 Balboa BoulevardConstruction Noise Impact on Sensitive Receptors

ParametersConstruction Hours: 8 Daytime hours (7 am to 7 pm)

0 Evening hours (7 pm to 10 pm)0 Nighttime hours (10 pm to 7 am)

Leq to L10 factor 3

Construction PhaseEquipment Type

No. of Equip.

Reference Noise Level at

50ft, LmaxAcoustical

Usage Factor Distance (ft) Lmax Leq L10

Estimated Noise

Shielding, dBA Distance (ft) Lmax Leq L10

Estimated Noise


Estimated Noise

Shielding, dBA

Demolition 79 75 80 77 79 75Off-Highway Trucks 1 76 20% 80 72 65 68 0 60 74 67 70 0 80 72 65 68 0Tractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25% 80 76 70 73 0 60 78 72 75 0 80 76 70 73 0Concrete Saw 1 90 20% 180 79 72 75 0 160 80 73 76 0 180 79 72 75 0Air Compressor 1 78 50% 180 67 64 67 0 160 68 65 68 0 180 67 64 67 0

Site Preparation 76 74 78 75 76 74Tractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25% 80 76 70 73 0 60 78 72 75 0 80 76 70 73 0Off-Highway Trucks 1 76 20% 80 72 65 68 0 60 74 67 70 0 80 72 65 68 0Graders 1 85 40% 180 74 70 73 0 160 75 71 74 0 180 74 70 73 0

Grading/Excavation 78 76 80 79 78 76Tractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25% 80 76 70 73 0 60 78 72 75 0 80 76 70 73 0Rubber Tired Dozer 1 82 40% 80 78 74 77 0 60 80 76 79 0 80 78 74 77 0Graders 1 85 40% 180 74 70 73 0 160 75 71 74 0 180 74 70 73 0

Drainage/Utilities/Subgrade 76 72 78 74 76 72Tractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25% 80 76 70 73 0 60 78 72 75 0 80 76 70 73 0Trenchers 1 82 40% 180 71 67 70 0 160 72 68 71 0 180 71 67 70 0

Concrete Pouring 76 72 78 74 76 72Tractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25% 80 76 70 73 0 60 78 72 75 0 80 76 70 73 0Pumps 1 81 50% 180 70 67 70 0 160 71 68 71 0 180 70 67 70 0

Building Construction 74 74 76 76 74 74Air Compressor 1 78 50% 80 74 71 74 0 60 76 73 76 0 80 74 71 74 0Forklift 1 75 10% 80 71 61 64 0 60 73 63 66 0 80 71 61 64 0Generator Sets 1 81 50% 180 70 67 70 0 160 71 68 71 0 180 70 67 70 0Concrete Mixer Trucks 1 79 40% 180 68 64 67 0 160 69 65 68 0 180 68 64 67 0Pumps 1 81 50% 180 70 67 70 0 160 71 68 71 0 180 70 67 70 0Welders 1 74 40% 180 63 59 62 0 160 64 60 63 0 180 63 59 62 0

Paving 79 75 80 77 79 75Paver 1 77 50% 80 73 70 73 0 60 75 72 75 0 80 73 70 73 0Roller 1 80 20% 80 76 69 72 0 60 78 71 74 0 80 76 69 72 0Paving Equipment 1 90 20% 180 79 72 75 0 160 80 73 76 0 180 79 72 75 0

Architectural Coating 71 67 73 69 71 67Aerial Lift 1 75 20% 80 71 64 67 0 60 73 66 69 0 80 71 64 67 0Air Compressor 1 78 50% 180 67 64 67 0 160 68 65 68 0 180 67 64 67 0

Source for Ref. Noise Levels: LA CEQA Guides, 2006 & FHWA RCNM, 2005

R2R1 Day Care R1 Residential

Project: 9900 Balboa BoulevardConstruction Noise Impact on Sensitive Receptors

ParametersConstruction Hours: 8 Daytime hours (7 am to 7 pm)

0 Evening hours (7 pm to 10 pm)0 Nighttime hours (10 pm to 7 am)

Leq to L10 factor 3

Construction PhaseEquipment Type

No. of Equip.

Reference Noise Level at

50ft, LmaxAcoustical

Usage Factor

DemolitionOff-Highway Trucks 1 76 20%Tractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25%Concrete Saw 1 90 20%Air Compressor 1 78 50%

Site PreparationTractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25%Off-Highway Trucks 1 76 20%Graders 1 85 40%

Grading/ExcavationTractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25%Rubber Tired Dozer 1 82 40%Graders 1 85 40%

Drainage/Utilities/SubgradeTractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25%Trenchers 1 82 40%

Concrete PouringTractor/Loader/Backhoe 1 80 25%Pumps 1 81 50%

Building ConstructionAir Compressor 1 78 50%Forklift 1 75 10%Generator Sets 1 81 50%Concrete Mixer Trucks 1 79 40%Pumps 1 81 50%Welders 1 74 40%

PavingPaver 1 77 50%Roller 1 80 20%Paving Equipment 1 90 20%

Architectural CoatingAerial Lift 1 75 20%Air Compressor 1 78 50%

Source for Ref. Noise Levels: LA CEQA Guides, 2006 & FHWA RCNM, 2005

Distance (ft) Lmax Leq L10

Estimated Noise


Estimated Noise

Shielding, dBA

68 63 69 64250 57 50 53 5 200 59 52 55 5250 61 55 58 5 200 63 57 60 5350 68 61 64 5 300 69 62 65 5350 56 53 56 5 300 57 54 57 5

63 61 64 62250 61 55 58 5 200 63 57 60 5250 57 50 53 5 200 59 52 55 5350 63 59 62 5 300 64 60 63 5

63 63 65 65250 61 55 58 5 200 63 57 60 5250 63 59 62 5 200 65 61 64 5350 63 59 62 5 300 64 60 63 5

61 59 63 60250 61 55 58 5 200 63 57 60 5350 60 56 59 5 300 61 57 60 5

61 59 63 60250 61 55 58 5 200 63 57 60 5350 59 56 59 5 300 60 57 60 5

59 62 61 63250 59 56 59 5 200 61 58 61 5250 56 46 49 5 200 58 48 51 5350 59 56 59 5 300 60 57 60 5350 57 53 56 5 300 58 54 57 5350 59 56 59 5 300 60 57 60 5350 52 48 51 5 300 53 49 52 5

68 63 69 64250 58 55 58 5 200 60 57 60 5250 61 54 57 5 200 63 56 59 5350 68 61 64 5 300 69 62 65 5

56 55 58 56250 56 49 52 5 200 58 51 54 5350 56 53 56 5 300 57 54 57 5

R3 R4

Appendix B Off-Site Traffic Noise Calculations

TRAFFIC NOISE ANALYSIS TOOL

Project Name: 9900 Balboa Boulevard

Project Number: D170101.00

Analysis Scenario: ExistingSource of Traffic Volumes: Albert Grover & Associates

Auto MT HT Auto MT HT

Balboa, Devonshire and Mayall Hard 50 40 40 40 2433 50 25 70.4 71.4

Balboa, Mayall and Lassen Hard 50 40 40 40 2480 51 26 70.5 71.5

Balboa, Lassen and Superior Hard 50 40 40 40 2522 52 26 70.6 71.6

Lassen, Louise and Balboa Hard 45 40 40 40 2431 50 25 70.9 71.9

Lassen, Balboa and Havenhurst Hard 45 40 40 40 2369 49 24 70.8 71.8

Mayall, w/o Balboa Hard 30 35 35 35 84 1 0 55.5 56.5

Mayall, e/o Balboa Hard 30 35 35 35 41 0 0 52.4 53.4

Superior. w/o Blaboa Hard 30 35 35 35 84 1 0 55.5 56.5

Citronia. e/o Blaboa Hard 30 35 35 35 41 0 0 52.4 53.4

Louise, n/o Lassen Hard 40 40 40 40 400 8 0 63.0 64.0

Louise, s/o Lassen Hard 40 40 40 40 429 9 0 63.3 64.3

Havenhurst, n/o Lassen Hard 50 40 40 40 762 16 0 64.9 65.9

Havenhurst, s/o Lassen Hard 50 40 40 40 707 14 0 64.5 65.5

Devonshire, w/o Blaboa Hard 45 40 40 40 1262 26 13 68.0 69.0

Devonshire, e/o Blaboa Hard 45 40 40 40 1266 26 13 68.0 69.0

Model Notes:The calculation is based on the methodology described in FHWA Traffic Noise Model Technical Manual (1998). The peak hour noise level at 50 feet was validated with the results from FHWA Traffic Noise Model Version 2.5.Accuracy of the calculation is within ±0.1 dB when comparing to TNM results.

Noise propagation greater than 50 feet is based on the following assumptions:For hard ground, the propagation rate is 3 dB per doubling the distance.For soft ground, the propagation rate is 4.5 dB per doubling the distance.

Vehicles are assumed to be on a long straight roadway with cruise speed.Roadway grade is less than 1.5%.

Peak Hour

Noise Level

(Leq(h) dBA)

CNEL Noise

Level (dBA)Roadway Segment

Ground

Type

Distance from

Roadway to

Receiver (feet)

Speed (mph) Peak Hour Volume

Traffic Noise 9900 1 Existing ESA 3/23/2017




Analysis Scenario: Future with ProjectSource of Traffic Volumes: Albert Grover & Associates




















Roadway SegmentGround

Type

Distance from

Roadway to

Receiver (feet)

Speed (mph) Peak Hour VolumePeak Hour

Noise Level

(Leq(h) dBA)

CNEL Noise

Level (dBA)

Traffic Noise 9900 2 Existing W Project ESA 3/23/2017




Analysis Scenario: Future without ProjectSource of Traffic Volumes: Albert Grover & Associates




















Roadway SegmentGround

Type

Distance from

Roadway to

Receiver (feet)

Speed (mph) Peak Hour VolumePeak Hour

Noise Level

(Leq(h) dBA)

CNEL Noise

Level (dBA)

Traffic Noise 9900 3 Future WO Project ESA 3/23/2017




Analysis Scenario: Future with ProjectSource of Traffic Volumes: Albert Grover & Associates




















Peak Hour

Noise Level

(Leq(h) dBA)

CNEL Noise

Level (dBA)Roadway Segment

Ground

Type

Distance from

Roadway to

Receiver (feet)

Speed (mph) Peak Hour Volume

Traffic Noise 9900 4 Future W Project ESA 3/23/2017

9900 balboa boulevard project

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