The environmental document review program is included in the approved Agency budget and funded by state Rural Planning Assistance funds.

To effectively plan for the county’s future transportation needs, the Transportation Agency is engaged in efforts to coordinate land use and transportation planning activities across the county. The goal of this coordination is to connect regional transportation infrastructure long-range planning with ongoing land use decision-making, thereby reducing the long-term need for costly regional infrastructure improvements. As more coordination occurs, such as building retail stores within walking distance of residential neighborhoods, less money will be needed to construct new roads and parking, allowing funds to be used on highway safety improvements and other regional projects. One of the Transportation Agency’s mechanisms for coordinating transportation and land use planning is through the environmental document review process as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Staff reviews plans and development proposals that are under consideration by the county’s jurisdictions pursuant to CEQA to identify new regional transportation impacts and recommend mitigation strategies. All comments are limited to those project activities that are within the agency’s area of expertise, or which are required to be carried out or approved by the agency.

During the 2020 year, staff's efforts under the environmental review program also included training, reviewing resources, and supporting Monterey County jurisdictions regarding Senate Bill 743. Senate Bill 743 changed the way transportation impacts are measured under the California Environmental Quality Act from "Level of Service" to "Vehicle Miles Traveled." Impacts of Senate Bill 743 shift how transportation impacts to the regional transportation system are measured and the types of mitigation measures that will result from the environmental process. 

Throughout 2020, staff reviewed 17 environmental documents and provided comments on 12 of the environmental documents. Comments submitted typical aligned with one or more of the following sentiments:

• TAMC recommended that the project add certain recommended transportation safety enhancements;  
• TAMC found that the project's impacts on regional roads and highways were underestimated; and/or
• TAMC supported the fact that the project includes transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, or recommended adding such improvements.

The following table summarizes the lead agency, project name, and type of environmental documents that staff provided comments on during 2020: