The vision for the Fort Ord Regional Trail & Greenway (FORTAG) is to create a multimodal route designed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities that connects communities in and around the former Fort Ord to each other and to education, employment, community and recreation centers. It will serve as a safe pedestrian and bicycle corridor connecting the cities of Seaside, Marina, Del Rey Oaks, Monterey and unincorporated community residents to California State University Monterey Bay, the Fort Ord National Monument, and the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail. The Final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed 28-mile paved trail was certified by the Transportation Agency Board on March 25, 2020. A Master Agreement was approved by the Transportation Agency and the underlying jurisdictions in June 2020.

Phase 1 of the Canyon Del Rey/State Route 218 Segment of the project involves construction of the trail through the City of Del Rey Oaks from Fremont Boulevard to Del Rey Woods Elementary in the City of Seaside. From Fremont Boulevard, the trail will run along State Route 218 and then move behind Safeway down through Work Memorial Park traveling around the tennis courts and towards Angelus Way. There are no improvements proposed along Angelus Way based on feedback from the community. The trail will pick up again at Del Rey Park and travel towards State Route 218 on the alignment of an  existing trail.  A tunnel under Canyon Del Rey Boulevard will connect near Del Rey Oaks City Hall and the Frog Pond. A raised pathway will be constructed to connect trail users from the tunnel to Carlton Drive at an accessible grade. The trail will extend northeast up Carton Drive to Plumas Avenue. Along Carlton Drive the trail will consist of a new 12-foot wide multi-use sidewalk on the west side of the road. Along Plumas Avenue the trail will follow the existing PG&E easement up to Del Rey Woods Elementary. The tunnel landing and the raised pathway are the only project elements to be constructed within the Frog Pond as part of Phase 1.

After starting the final design process on this phase, several refinements to the alignment were identified to improve the project and aid constructability. The modified project includes minor revisions that would add approximately 154 linear feet to the overall trail length. These changes would place small portions of the segment alignment outside of the previously analyzed environmental clearance boundary. The revised alignment would route the trail so it traverses north of the tennis courts in Work Memorial Park, adding roughly 27 feet to that portion of the Trail. It would also include a minor adjustment to the crossing location on Plumas Avenue, alter the shape of the trail slightly at Canyon Del Rey Boulevard and Carlton Drive, close right turn lanes at two points on Carlton Drive, and other small design modifications. The changes would occur mainly in developed and/or paved areas, with only the rerouting of the alignment near the tennis courts in an undisturbed vegetated area.

These refinements that result in the alignment falling outside of the previous environmental boundary require an addendum to the Final Environmental Impact Report. This addendum addresses the proposed modifications as they apply to the previous environmental review document. Section 15164 of the CEQA Guidelines defines the function of an Environmental Impact Report Addendum as follows:

• The lead agency or responsible agency shall prepare an addendum to a previously certified environmental impact report if some changes or additions are necessary but none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent environmental impact report have occurred.
• Section 15162(a) of the CEQA Guidelines provides that a Subsequent EIR is not required if the new circumstances do not require major revisions to the Environmental Impact Report, that new information does not result in new or more severe significant impacts, and that the mitigation measure included in the certified Environmental Impact Report address or resolve the impacts.

The refinements to the alignment were analyzed in the attached addendum report and do not rise to the level of requiring a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report.  With adoption of this draft Addendum, Agency staff will be able to proceed with completing final design based on the revised trail alignment. Final design and right-of-way certification are anticipated for completion by Summer/Fall 2022. Construction is scheduled to start thereafter in 2023. Concurrently, the Agency is pursuing grant funds for other segments of the FORTAG, which will proceed to final design and construction as matching funds are obtained.