[Federal Register: September 12, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 178)]
[Notices]
[Page 52966-52967]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12se08-41]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Folsom South of U.S. Highway 50 Specific Plan Project, in
Sacramento County, CA, Corps Permit Application Number SPK-2007-02159
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The South Folsom Property Owners Group proposes to implement a
large-scale, mixed-use, mixed-density master planned community with
residential, commercial, office, public/quasi-public uses, open space,
and parks. The proposed project consists of approximately 1,464 acres
of residential development, 523 acres of mixed-use and commercial
development, 109 acres of parks, and 1,053 acres of open space. The
majority of the 1,053 acres of open space would be located in the
western portion of the project site. This area includes Alder Creek,
numerous cultural resources sites, and the highest concentration of oak
woodland habitat within the project site.
The proposed Folsom South of 50 Specific Plan includes development
of up to 10,045 mixed-density residential homes and approximately 7.4
million square feet of retail and office uses within an area south of
Highway 50 that would be annexed to the City of Folsom. The proposed
project would provide five elementary schools, one joint middle school/
high school, and a campus for the Sacramento County Day School. It is
anticipated that construction would begin in 2010. The initiation and
duration of construction would depend on market conditions and receipt
of environmental permits and clearances; full build-out would likely be
completed within 20 years from construction commencement.
The project site is approximately 3,502 acres and contains 82.89
acres of waters of the United States. The proposed project would
directly affect approximately 21.28 acres of waters of the United
States, including vernal pools and other wetlands. These acreages do
not include indirect impacts from the proposed action or impacts
anticipated to result from off-site infrastructure that may be
determined to be required as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'
(USACE) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.
The EIS will be prepared as a joint document with the City of
Folsom. The
[[Page 52967]]
City is the local agency responsible for preparing an Environmental
Impact Report in compliance with the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA).
DATES: The Corps and the City of Folsom will jointly conduct a public
scoping meeting that will be held on Thursday, September 25, 2008 from
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the Folsom Public
Library located at 411 Stafford Street, Folsom, CA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lisa Gibson, (916) 557-5288, e-
mail: lisa.m.gibson2@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to submit
written comments on the permit application on or before October 1,
2008. Scoping comments should be submitted within the next 60 days, but
may be submitted at any time prior to publication of the Draft EIS. To
submit comments on this notice or for questions about the proposed
action and the Draft EIS, please contact Lisa Gibson, 1325 J Street
(Room 1480), Sacramento, CA 95814-2922. Parties interested in being
added to the Corps' electronic mail notification list for the proposed
project can register at: http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/regulatory/
register.html. Please refer to Identification Number SPK-2007-02159 in
any correspondence.
The South Folsom Property Owners Group consists of seven property
owners. Each property owner would file an application for Department of
the Army authorization under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The
City of Folsom has filed a permit application for the proposed project.
Because these applications are interrelated, USACE is considering them
in a comprehensive and combined manner. The joint purpose of these
applications is to construct a large-scale, mixed-use, mixed-density
master planned community and associated supporting infrastructure. To
comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), USACE has
decided to prepare an EIS to assess the potential impacts to waters of
the United States from these combined applications.
The proposed Folsom South of 50 Specific Plan project site lies
within unincorporated Sacramento County, CA, immediately south of the
City of Folsom's existing city limits. The site is within the City of
Folsom's Sphere of Influence (SOI). It is located south of U.S. Highway
50, north of White Rock Road, east of Prairie City Road, and west of
the El Dorado County line.
Preliminary wetland delineations of the project site show that a
total of 82.89 acres of waters of the United States are present within
the proposed project area, including 4.11 acres of vernal pools, 24.43
acres of seasonal wetland swales, 4.75 acres of seasonal wetlands, 1.25
acre of freshwater marsh, 10.46 acres of freshwater seeps, 7.72 acres
of ponds, 17.80 acres of stream channels (relatively permanent waters),
10.43 acres of ephemeral drainage channels (non relatively permanent
waters), and 1.93 acres of ditches. The City of Folsom has applied to
fill approximately 21.28 acres of these waters to construct the
proposed project. These acreages do not include indirect impacts from
the proposed action or impacts anticipated to result from off-site
infrastructure that may be determined to be required to support the
proposed project as part of the EIS process.
The EIS/EIR will include alternatives to the Proposed Action that
will meet both NEPA and CEQA requirements. The alternatives will also
meet the requirements of CWA Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines. At this time
it is expected that the joint EIS/EIR will evaluate the following on-
site alternatives: (1) No Action Alternative; (2) Proposed Action; (3)
Resource Impact Minimization Alternative; (4) Centralized Development
Alternative; (5) Reduced Hillside Development Alternative; (6) No Build
Alternative; and at least one off-site alternative.
The Corps' public involvement program includes several
opportunities to provide verbal and written comments on the proposed
Folsom South of 50 Specific Plan project through the EIS process.
Affected federal, state, and local agencies, Native American tribes,
and other interested private organizations and parties are invited to
participate. Potentially significant issues to be analyzed in depth in
the EIS include loss of waters of the United States (including
wetlands), and impacts related to cultural resources, biological
resources, air quality, hydrology and water quality, noise, traffic,
aesthetics, utilities and service systems, and socioeconomic effects.
USACE would initiate formal consultation with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
for the proposed impacts to listed species. USACE would also consult
with the State Historic Preservation Office under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act for properties listed or potentially
eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, as
appropriate.
The joint lead agencies expect the Draft EIS/EIR to be made
available to the public in the summer 2009.
Dated: August 22, 2008.
Thomas C. Chapman,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E8-21289 Filed 9-11-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-EH-P