[Federal Register: December 16, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 242)]
[Notices]
[Page 76348-76349]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16de08-47]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Arboretum Project, in Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County, CA,
Permit Application Number SPK-2007-00133
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, (Corps)
will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for The Arboretum
project, a mixed-use residential and commercial development in Rancho
Cordova, Sacramento County, CA. Lewis Operating Corp. has applied for a
Department of the Army permit to fill approximately 31.78 acres of
waters of the United States, including wetlands, to construct the
project.
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to Angela De Paoli Conn, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, 1325 J Street, Room 1480,
Sacramento, CA 95814-2922.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and EIS should be addressed to Angela De Paoli Conn, (916) 557-6782, e-
mail: angela.l.conn@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lewis Operating Corp. has applied for a
Department of the Army permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
to construct a mixed-use development on a 1,349-acre parcel situated in
the eastern portion of the City of Rancho Cordova in eastern Sacramento
County, CA. The proposed action includes approximately 5,000 new
residential units; nearly 80 acres of public and private use parks and
related facilities; two 10-acre elementary school sites; one 75-acre
joint use middle/high school site; and 465,000 square feet of targeted
commercial development. The total development area would encompass
approximately 900 acres of the project site. The remaining 449 acres,
or nearly 33 percent, of the project site would be devoted to passive
and multiple use open space, including the preservation and enhancement
of the Laguna Creek stream corridor and its associated jurisdictional
features.
Approximately 117.03 acres of water of the United States have been
identified on the proposed project site, including 22.18 acres of
vernal pools, 6.79 acres of seasonal wetlands, 58.44 acres of lake,
9.96 acres of ponds, 8.99 acres of channels, 9.48 acres wet swales,
0.34 acre of drainage ditches, and 0.91 acre irrigation ditches. The
applicant has applied for a permit to fill 31.78 acres of these waters.
Wetlands proposed to be preserved and not directly impacted by the
project are within the 449 acres of open space and wetland preserve and
would contain approximately 85.25 acres of wetlands, approximately 73
percent of wetlands on site.
The EIS will include an evaluation of a reasonable range of
alternatives. Currently, the following alternatives are expected to be
analyzed in detail: (1) The no action alternative (no permit issued),
(2) the applicant's preferred project (proposed action), and (3) a
different location (off-site) alternative. The no action alternative
assumes limited development would occur on the site with all waters of
the United States avoided. The off-site alternative assumes the
proposed project would be developed at a different but suitably sized
site in the region. Currently the Corps is in the process of developing
an analysis of alternatives sufficient to demonstrate compliance with
Section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act, therefore additional
alternatives are likely to be analyzed.
The Corps' scoping process for the EIS includes a public
involvement program with several opportunities to provide oral and
written comments. In addition to public meetings and notifications in
the Federal Register, the Corps will issue public notices when the
draft and final EISs are available. 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 the EIS include,
but are not limited to: Hydrology, water supply, water quality,
cultural resources, biological resources, traffic and transportation,
and air quality. The Corps is the lead agency for preparation of the
EIS under the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). Currently no other agencies have agreed to be cooperating
agencies. The Corps will coordinate with other agencies, such as the
City of Rancho Cordova.
Other environmental review and consultation requirements for the
proposed action include the need for the applicant to obtain water
quality certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act from the
California Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. In
addition, because the proposed project may affect federally listed
species, the Corps will formally
[[Page 76349]]
consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in accordance with
Section 7 of the federal Endangered Species Act. The Corps will also be
consulting with the State Historic Preservation Officer under Section
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act concerning properties
listed, or potentially eligible for listing, on the National Register
of Historic Places.
A public scoping meeting for the EIS will be held on January 29,
2009, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Rancho
Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, American River Room--
South, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. Interested parties can provide oral
and written comments at the meetings. Interested parties may also
submit written comments on this notice. Scoping comments should be
submitted before March 15, 2009 but may be submitted at any time prior
to publication of the Draft EIS.
Interested parties may register for the Corps' public notice e-mail
notification lists at: http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/
cespk-co/regulatory/pnlist.html.
Dated: December 5, 2008.
Thomas C. Chapman,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E8-29730 Filed 12-15-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P