Draft EIR finds increased driving, construction noise and cultural‑resource risks as significant and unavoidable

City staff and consultants told the Planning Commission the draft program EIR identifies impacts that are "less than significant with mitigation" for many categories but lists several that remain significant and unavoidable after mitigation measures are applied.

The consultants called out increased vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as an unavoidable effect at the program level: "increased vehicle miles traveled. In other words, the total amount of driving in Auburn, it will uh go down per capita, uh but not overall," Miller explained, adding that the per‑capita drop would not meet the state’s 15 percent target. The EIR also identified construction noise and potential significant effects to cultural resources, particularly historic building stock, that depend on follow‑up historic resource evaluations. The report evaluated three alternatives (no project; industrial designation for the Blocker Drive parcel; an employment/increased commercial alternative) and compared their relative impacts and tradeoffs.

Staff emphasized that written public comments on these technical findings are part of the administrative record and will receive responses in the final EIR, and that some mitigation depends on subsequent project‑level review and enforceable conditions.