California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Compliance

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) applies to proposed projects initiated by, funded by, or requiring discretionary approvals from state or local government agencies. CEQA Guidelines Section 15367 states that a lead agency is “the public agency which has the principal responsibility for carrying out or approving a project.” The Board of Trustees of the California State University is the lead agency responsible for compliance with CEQA for the proposed project. As the lead agency, the CSU must complete environmental review to determine if implementation of the proposed project would result in significant adverse environmental impacts. 
 
The potential for significant adverse environmental impacts is determined based on the nature and scope of a project. Pursuant to Section 15063 of the CEQA Guidelines, the CSU may conduct an Initial Study, or a preliminary evaluation of the project, to determine if a project may have a significant effect on the environment. If the CSU determined that there is substantial evidence that any aspect of the project may cause a significant effect on the environment, the CSU shall prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The purposes of an EIR are to provide full disclosure of the potentially significant environmental effects of the project to the public and their decision-makers and to identify means to mitigate (i.e., reduce, avoid, or eliminate) these impacts through alternatives to the project or feasible mitigation measures. CEQA intends that preparation of an EIR will be a public process that provides meaningful opportunities for public input with regard to environmental effects.  
 
Beach Building Services manages the CEQA process, with the support of consultants and CSU Chancellor’s Office staff. 

Campus Master Plan Update 

Each of the 23 universities within the CSU system is required by the CSU Board of Trustees to prepare and periodically update a physical Master Plan. CSULB is proposing a comprehensive update of the current campus Master Plan to accommodate student enrollment growth, campus population growth, and physical development of the campus through the horizon year 2035. For more information on the Campus Master Plan Update, please click here.  

CSULB prepared a Draft EIR for the proposed Master Plan Update in conformance with CEQA statutes (California Public Resources Code, Section 21000 et seq., as amended) and its implementing guidelines (California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15000 et. seq.) to evaluate the potential environmental effects that would result from implementation of the Master Plan Update.  The Notice of Availability and Draft EIR were made available for a 45-day public review and comment period, commencing on September 1, 2023, and concluding on October 16, 2023. Please see the “Notice of Availability” and Draft EIR documents on the top right under “Master Plan Update CEQA Documents” to access these documents.

Two public meetings were held during the public review and comment period to solicit comments on the Draft EIR.  A copy of the meeting presentation can be found here.

The Final EIR was prepared and contains the public comments received on the Draft EIR for the Master Plan Update, written responses to those comments, and any revisions to the Draft EIR text. The Board of Trustees of the California State University will use the Final EIR inclusive of comments received during the public review period when considering the project for approval. Consideration of the proposed project for approval and certification of the EIR are scheduled to take place during the Board of Trustees meeting held on Monday, January 29 through Wednesday, January 31, 2024. The Final EIR documents, including the Final EIR appendices, MMRP, and Findings of Fact, can be found on the top right under “Final EIR Documents”.