08.25.2025 | Public Notice

Public Notice of Availability and Notice of Completion of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the 2025 Regional Plan

(SCH # 2023010039) 

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), as lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), has prepared a draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the 2025 Regional Plan.

Project Title: Draft Environmental Impact Report for the 2025 Regional Plan

Project Location: The 2025 Regional Plan covers the entire San Diego region including the cities of Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Oceanside, Poway, San Diego, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach, Vista, and the unincorporated areas within the County of San Diego.

Project Description: SANDAG is a regional planning agency and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) composed of 18 cities and the county government within the San Diego region. SANDAG must prepare a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) every four years (Government Code Section 65080 et seq.; 23 United States Code Section 134). The current, approved RTP is the Amended 2021 Regional Plan. The RTP must include a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) consisting of land use, housing, and transportation strategies that, if implemented, would allow the region to meet its regional targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions from passenger vehicle use established by the California Air Resources Board (Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008, Senate Bill 375, Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008).

The 2025 Regional Plan integrates land uses, transportation systems, infrastructure needs, and public investment strategies within a regional framework intended to preserve and improve quality of life, maximize mobility and transportation choices, and conserve and protect natural resources. It meets the requirements of federal and state transportation planning law as well as the requirements for the Regional Comprehensive Plan for the San Diego Region established by state law (Assembly Bill 361, Chapter 508, Statutes of 2003).

Probable Environmental Effects: The draft EIR found that the 2025 Regional Plan would result in less than significant impacts to:

  • Energy
  • Hydrology and water quality

Additionally, the draft EIR found that the 2025 Regional Plan would result in significant and unavoidable impacts, both direct and cumulative, to:

  • Aesthetics and visual resources
  • Agricultural and forestry resources
  • Air quality
  • Biological resources
  • Cultural resources
  • Geology, soils, and paleontological resources
  • Greenhouse gas emissions
  • Hazards and hazardous materials
  • Land use
  • Mineral resources
  • Noise and vibration
  • Population and housing
  • Public services, recreation, and utilities
  • Transportation
  • Tribal cultural resources
  • Water supply
  • Wildfire

Availability and Comments: In accordance with Sections 15105 and 15087 of the CEQA guidelines, this public notice officially notifies the general public, public agencies, and interested individuals and organizations that a 49-day public review period will begin August 26, 2025. Written comments regarding the adequacy of the draft EIR must be received by October 13, 2025. All comments sent digitally or postmarked by October 13, 2025, will be accepted as timely.

To share your comments on the draft EIR, you can:

Copies of the draft EIR and supporting appendices are available on the SANDAG website (SANDAG.org/2025regionalplaneir) or at the SANDAG offices at 1011 Union Street, Suite 400, San Diego, California, 92101.

The following statement is required to be included in this notice: Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15087(c)(6), the Regional Plan Location contains hazardous waste sites as enumerated under California Government Code Section 65962.5.

Please direct questions to Senior Planner Kirsten Uchitel at kirsten.uchitel@sandag.org.