Parking Structure 7 Project Community Outreach

Parking Structure 7 Project Description

The UC Davis Health Parking Structure 7 (PS7) project includes a parking structure located on an existing greenfield and partially on an existing surface parking lot, east of the M.I.N.D. Institute at the Sacramento Campus. The PS7 Project would construct an approximately 380,590 gsf parking structure that is a tiered structure with 4 stories on the eastern side of the building facing to the residential homes and 5 stories tall on the western side of the building facing campus. This is inclusive of a roof top parking level. PS7 would provide approximately 1,259 parking stalls and would primarily serve employees. The existing surface parking lot #25 would be redesigned and restriped. PS7 has been designed to create a cohesive structure that incorporates the campus’s needs while addressing the neighborhood’s concerns, including the use of screen walls and louvers that provide privacy and light screening to the adjacent residents and additional landscape. Vehicle and pedestrian access to PS7 would be from the west at 50th Street. The entrance to PS7 would include a driveway, additional surface parking and two seating plazas with benches and vegetation. A campus shuttle stop would be provided on 50th Street. The Long Range Development Plan designates a portion of the project site as Parking Structure; therefore this project proposes a land use amendment to increase the size of the Parking Structure land use designation to accommodate parking needs on campus.

Project Status: In Active Construction

Community Outreach Efforts

Regular community meetings have been held to get input and share updates with the surrounding neighbors. Presentation slides and notes for each meeting held can be found below in FAQ Q9. The FAQ section below also includes common questions that were discussed in these meetings.

Contact Information:

HS-community.relations@ucdavis.edu

PS7 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

(Q1) What data was used to determine the need for a new parking structure?
Throughout the summer of 2023, UC Davis Health employee parking areas were 90% occupied during peak periods. To help mitigate the parking challenges for both patients and employees, UC Davis Health leased 500 additional parking spaces for employee use. The leased parking spaces are not expected to be available long-term and the loss of these parking areas would equate to greater than 100% occupancy during peak periods.
The construction of PS7 would increase capacity to offset the eventual loss of the temporary leased facilities, accommodate additional employee growth in the upcoming years, reduce pressure to park in surrounding neighborhoods, and decrease parking challenges for employees. Data from the recent parking count area is available in raw form at this location.
(Q2) How was the current site chosen for Parking Structure 7 and were any alternate sites considered?
UC Davis Health evaluated multiple potential sites for a new parking structure. In order to complete the new parking structure by the summer of 2025, ultimately, the PS7 site was selected due to the balanced land utilization, constructability, and nearby impacts. The area was also previously identified in the UC Davis Sacramento Campus 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) Update for use as a parking structure.
(Q3) What is the projected construction start, duration and phases?
UC Davis Health anticipates beginning construction for PS7 in spring 2024, with a projected completion in Summer 2025. The major phases of construction activities and timeframes are available in this document.
(Q4) Are there construction mitigation measures being used to reduce the potential construction disturbances?
The PS7 Project was analyzed as part of the 2020 Long Range Development Plan Update (2020 LRDP Update) program in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) (State Clearinghouse No. 2020020161). The PS7 Project is within the scope of the 2020 LRDP Update program assessed in the SEIR. More information on this SEIR can be found here. An addendum was prepared to document that the PS7 Project will not have any significant effects that were not already discussed in the SEIR. The addendum can be found here. The addendum specifically analyzes PS7 and determined what mitigation measures from the SEIR are applicable to the project. Please refer to Section 5 of the addendum for a list of all applicable mitigation measures.
There are many mitigation measures to address construction impacts, specifically. A few examples include the following. Mitigation Measure LRDP-AQ-2a requires specific actions to reduce dust, such as watering and soil stabilization, 15 mph speed limit, measures during wind events, and covered trucks. There also will be a dust complaint telephone line. Mitigation Measure LRDP-AQ-2b and Mitigation Measure LRDP-AQ-3a focus on reducing emissions from construction equipment. Mitigation Measure LRDP-NOI-1 requires implementation of specific action to reduce noise impacts during construction, such as using suitable exhaust and intake silencers and placing stationary noise sources and staging areas as far as possible from sensitive receptors. PS7 has also made specific commitments to reduce construction impacts such as discourage nighttime construction and installing sound blankets. UC Davis Health will implement and track the required environmental mitigation measures for items such as construction noise, air emissions, dust control, lighting design, and other items.
(Q5) Will adjacent occupants experience vibration during construction?
Depending on construction activity, it is possible adjacent occupants could experience vibration during construction. The construction team is mandated to comply with specific vibration limits and distance buffers from adjacent structures described in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report. Additionally, the Geotechnical Engineer of Record has reviewed the site soil profiles surveyed within the parking structure site and does not anticipate any negative outcomes from vibration propagation. The geotechnical report for PS7 can be found here.
(Q6) What light levels are expected to be emitted by the new parking structure?
UC Davis Health must adhere to lighting requirements set by the Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Light will be seen from the structure with the exterior illuminated less than one foot-candle of light. Though light will be emitted from the structure, there will not be enough light to illuminate anything more than five feet from the structure’s wall surface. A photometric light study of the parking structure can be found here.
(Q7) Will the PS7 height create privacy intrusion to neighboring yards and through residential windows?
Following discussions with neighbors, UC Davis Health revised the design of PS7 to significantly reduce the areas that previously would allow views from the parking structure into backyards and residences. At the top level of the structure, a new privacy screen was added to the design on both the north and east edges. Throughout each level of the structure, the originally planned screening mesh has been redesigned and updated to a metal louver system that will block outward views from within the north and east sides of the structure. In addition, increased landscaping will add an additional layer of privacy screening and landscape buffer between PS7 and adjacent residences.
(Q8) Will UC Davis Health include new property line fencing as part of the PS7 project?
Following feedback from the neighbors, UC Davis Health will upgrade property line fences along the edges of the parking structure as part of the construction effort. UC Davis Health intends to provide a wooden fence, up to eight feet in height, along the property lines and would like to discuss further with each neighbor. Additional details of this commitment will be posted to this FAQ and transmitted to property owners as it becomes available.
(Q9) Are the meeting notes from the community outreach meetings available to the public?
Yes. Multiple community meetings have been held; links to the presentation slides and notes can be found at the below links.
- June 13, 2023: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes
   - July 19, 2023: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes
   - September 27, 2023: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes    - -
   - December 13, 2023: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes
   - April 4, 2024: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes
   - July 15, 2024: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes
- August 27, 2024: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes
- October 21, 2024: Presentation Slide Deck and Notes
The parking structure design, lighting details, privacy screening and landscaping were revised after the June 13, 2023 meeting to reflect feedback from the neighbors. Additionally, following the July 19, 2023 meeting, UC Davis Health increased and added landscape design details to improve screening and also committed to providing a new property line wooden fence that would be up to eight feet in height. Community meetings continue to help shape the planning and construction management of PS7.
(Q10) How is UC Davis mitigating noise impacts during the construction of PS7?
Due to its educational mission as stated in the California Constitution, UC Davis is not subject to local noise regulations. However, in order to be sensitive to potential issues, UC Davis has chosen to be generally consistent with the City’s regulations on noise for the construction of PS7. The City of Sacramento’s ordinance exempts construction noise from numerical standards during daytime hours. Specifically, Section 8.68.080 of the Sacramento City Code Noise Ordinance states that construction noise during the daytime hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday is exempt from the numerical standards for noise in the city of Sacramento, provided that any operating internal-combustion engine is equipped with suitable exhaust and intake silencers that are in good working order. Consistent with other projects in the City the PS7 team has committed to work occurring only during daytime hours and is regularly checking exhaust and intake silencers. However, there is no absolute quantitative restriction on construction noise for PS7 project.
UC Davis Health understands that noise associated with construction can at times be disruptive for residents during daytime hours, and therefore UC Davis is complying with Mitigation Measure LRDP NOI-1 (from the 2020 LRDP Update SEIR) which imposes a series of noise reduction measures to reduce daytime construction noise to the extent practical. Measures include, but are not limited to, limiting construction vehicle idling time and locating equipment, staging areas, and stationary noise sources as far away from the residents as feasible. In addition to this, UC Davis has installed 6- to 8-foot-tall noise barriers¹ along the north and east project boundary (adjacent to residential land uses) and uses white noise backup alerts rather than beepers, when safe. Although not required due to their being no numeric noise limit as stated above, UC Davis is also conducting periodic noise monitoring at the site to and intends to use this data to carefully manage noise related impacts to the extent feasible. If noise is significantly outside the assumptions, UC Davis will work with the contractors to determine if additional noise reduction measures are feasible to further reduce noise.

_{^{[1] The barrier consists of noise blankets with an STC rating of 28. This standard was selected because the standard for sound barriers related to nighttime construction noise is STC 25 so using this standard when applied to daytime construction is conservative, especially because there is more background noise during the day. Many factors can play into how much noise is reduced by sound blankets, such as the line of sight between the receiver and the equipment and whether it is blocked or open and the location of the receiver in relation to the construction site (e.g., a receiver in single-story versus two-story residence).}}_{^{However, sound blankets are generally considered effective to reduce noise.}}
(Q11) How much noise will the construction of PS7 generate?

Construction noise is expected to be typical of a large-scale construction project and noise impacts will vary throughout the construction cycle. Table 4-2 in the project’s environmental review document, PS7 Addendum to the 2020 LRDP Update SEIR, disclosed the levels of potential noise that are to be anticipated during the construction of PS7 at various distances from the project site. Refer to Table 4-2 from the PS7 Addendum, copied below, for estimated noise levels (in 1hour L_eq) by construction phase.

PS7 Addendum Table 4-2. Typical Construction Activity Noise Levels

Construction Activity^a	Assumes the Following Equipment	Combined L_eq at 15 Feet	Combined L_eq at 50 Feet	Combined L_eq at 100 Feet
Demolition	Tractor, concrete saw, excavator	N/A	85	79
Site preparation	Excavator, dump truck, backhoe	90	80	74
Grading	Dozer, grader, compactor	94	84	78
Building and utilities	Crane, forklift, concrete pump	92	82	76
Architectural coating	Two air compressors	N/A	77	71
Paving	Two pavers, roller	88	78	72

_{Source: Federal Highway Administration 2006}

_{Lmax = maximum sound level; Leq = equivalent sound level.}

_{^a. Includes up to three pieces of typical equipment used for each type of activity.}

_{N/A = this activity would not occur at this distance from a sensitive land use}

Noise monitoring is currently being done to better understand actual noise levels during construction. To date, monitoring efforts have found that noise levels are below the assumptions found in Table 4-2. Monitoring reports are available here: https://ucdavis.box.com/v/PS7-NoiseMonitoringReports.

(Q12) Will surrounding properties feel vibration from construction activities?

Yes, it is expected that vibration may be perceptible at neighboring properties. Vibration is typical of large-scale construction activity, and the precise vibration levels experienced on a given day depend on multiple factors, including the type of equipment used and distance between the source and receiver. Table 4-3 from the PS7 Addendum to the 2020 LRDP Update SEIR, copied below, projected the potential levels of vibration that could be anticipated during the construction of PS7. Although vibration generated during project construction may be strongly perceptible during construction activity at certain times, this does not specifically indicate a potential for structural damage to occur.² UC Davis is implementing various measures to reduce vibration levels, which are discussed in more detail in Q13.

PS7 Addendum Table 4-3. Vibration Levels in VdB of Project Construction Equipment

Equipment	VdB at 15 feet	VdB at 25 feet	VdB at 50 feet	VdB at 100 feet
Vibratory Roller	101	94	85	76
Large bulldozer	94	87	78	69
Caisson drilling	94	87	78	69
Loaded trucks	93	86	77	68
Jackhammer	86	79	70	61
Small bulldozer	65	58	49	40

_{Source: Federal Transit Administration, Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual, FTA Report No. 0123, 2018, https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/docs/research-innovation/118131/transit-noise-and-vibration-impact-assessment-manual-fta-report-no-0123_0.pdf.Source vibration levels from FTA 2018 Table 7-4.}

_{VdB = vibration decibels}

_{Note: Table originally appeared in the Parking Structure 7 (PS7) Addendum to the UC Davis Sacramento Campus 2020 Long Range Development Plan Update SEIR. August 2023.}

^{[2] According to Caltrans,}^{Transportation and Construction Vibration Guidance Manual,}^{they find that the human response to 0.1 PPV}^{from continuous/frequent sources of vibration (such as many types of construction equipment)}^{is considered strongly perceptible. T}^{he Caltrans criterion for vibration-related damage to “Older Residential Structures” is 0.3 PPV in/sec is three times greater than the 0.1 PPV in/sec “Strongly Perceptible” criterion.}

(Q13) What measures are being taken to reduce vibration impacts by nearby residents?
We understand that the effects of vibration are a concern for neighbors and UC Davis is working closely with the construction crew and implementing various measures to mitigate impacts of vibration. UC Davis has required no nighttime construction to avoid potential vibration concerns during sleeping hours. UC Davis has also identified buffer distances for various types of construction equipment. These buffers were calculated by experts in the field to provide adequate separation between vibratory construction equipment and the nearby residences to keep vibration within industry standards. UC Davis has required the Project contactor to comply with these buffers as part of the construction contract. More information on required buffers can be found in the PS7 Addendum. UC Davis staff continues to verify equipment is operating at distances consistent with the environmental document. Note that for areas where compaction is needed close to neighboring property lines, rollers may be used in static compaction mode (as opposed to vibratory compaction mode). In addition, handheld compaction devices are allowable, which have reduced vibratory impacts, necessary.³

^{[3] Note that for areas where compaction is needed close to neighboring property lines, rollers may be used in static compaction mode (as opposed to vibratory compaction mode). In addition, handheld compaction devices are allowable, which have reduced vibratory impacts, when necessary.}
(Q14) How many construction vehicles can operate on the site at any given time?
It is up to the contractor to efficiently manage the project site and balance competing priorities, including but not limited to, safety and efficiency. The number and types of large equipment located on the project site is dependent on the activity scheduled for a particular day. In order to complete PS7 within budget and schedule, multiple types of construction vehicles may be used on-site at any given time. For the purposes of the CEQA construction noise analysis, it was conservatively assumed that the three pieces of large construction equipment that generate the most sound during the construction phases would operate simultaneously.