NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

Transcription

1 NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT TO: SUBJECT: Interested Parties Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Marywood Residential Development project. City of Orange Planning case numbers: Tentative Tract Map No Major Site Plan review No Design Review Committee No Environmental Review No CEQA LEAD AGENCY: Agency: City of Orange, Community Development Department, Planning Division Address: 300 E. Chapman Avenue Orange, CA AGENCY CONTACT: Robert Garcia, Senior Planner rgarcia@cityoforange.org Phone: (714) Fax: (714) PROJECT LOCATION: The project site is located at 2811 East Villareal Drive in the City of Orange, County of Orange, California (Figure 1). The project site is the current location of the Marywood Pastoral Center (Figure 2). The City of Orange (City) is commencing with preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Marywood Residential Development project, and has released this Notice of Preparation (NOP) in conformance with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the City of Orange Local CEQA Guidelines. The City wants to know your views and specific concerns related to the potential environmental effects of the project. Information gathered during the NOP comment period will be used to shape and focus future analysis of environmental impacts in the DEIR. NOP COMMENT PERIOD: The City invites you to submit written comments describing your specific environmental concerns. Written comments are desired at the earliest possible date, but due to the time limits mandated by State law, your response must be received no later than 30 days after receipt of this notice. The City previously mailed a similar NOP for the Marywood Residential Development project in early April, beginning the comment period on April 3, However, an error by the Title Company on the mailing labels has necessitated the mailing of a second NOP. Therefore, the NOP public comment period now begins on APRIL 23, 2015 and ends on MAY 25, Please send your written comments to the City staff contact identified above and please include your name, address, and contact information in your correspondence. SCOPING MEETING: A SCOPING OPEN HOUSE for the community will be held on MAY 7, 2015, which allows interested neighbors to arrive anytime between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM at the Marywood Pastoral Center, 2811 East Villareal Drive, Orange, to obtain more information or provide comments on the NOP. The open house will be held to identify and focus on environmental areas potentially affected by the project. Should you have any questions regarding the project, NOP, or open house, please contact the Agency Contact above. PROJECT APPLICANT: The New Home Company Marywood Residential Development Project Page 1 of 3

2 NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed project would establish a maximum of 40 single-family residences on approximately 16 acres of the project site (Figure 3) consistent with the existing City General Plan and zoning code designation. The Applicant proposes to construct two-story homes ranging in size from 3,800 square feet to 4,400 square feet on generally two terraced pads. The Applicant has proposed a varied street plan, which would be achieved by three different floor plans that can also be reversed, three different architectural styles, and three different color palettes, which results in multiple different combinations of floor plan, architectural style, and color palette. All homes are designed with three car garages. Tandem garage parking is proposed to avoid the garage doors from dominating the architectural styles. The entry from Villareal is proposed in the same location as the current driveway to the Marywood Pastoral Center. The internal streets would measure 36 feet from curb to curb and allow for on-street parking. All streets have sidewalks on both sides. The streets have been designed with a 2.2 percent gradient to convey storm water and dry weather flows. A secondary emergency access is proposed south of the main entry along Villareal from the end of the cul-de-sac, which would also serve as a utility corridor, providing an alignment for sewer and water lines. Adjacent and to the north of this emergency access road is a proposed water quality and storm water detention basin. This basin would capture storm flows from the lots and streets within the new community before releasing the flows into the existing storm drain system in Villareal. No off-site improvements are anticipated other than the undergrounding of the existing overhead electrical lines, which are currently located on both sides of Villareal. The electrical lines would be undergrounded starting at the southern project boundary along Villareal and continue just north of the project entry. The power lines would be placed into a trench along Villareal. The existing Marywood Pastoral Center buildings and infrastructure would be demolished, which is comprised of 102,000 square feet of administrative offices, classrooms, dormitories, conference facilities, a gymnasium, kitchen, cafeteria, auditorium and chapel. The existing asphalt parking lot for 240 vehicles, tennis courts, colonnade, and other hardscape areas would also be demolished. Approximately 90% of the construction material would be crushed on-site and re-used as fill material. Select items of cultural value would be salvaged prior to demolition, such as items from the Chapel and other buildings including steeple, cross, pews, sign, stained glass windows, doors and other items with religious and architectural value. Grading would include remediation of unsuitable fill material and re-compaction to resolve existing soil settlement issues adjacent to the City s two above ground water tanks. The existing western descending slope adjacent to the water tanks would also be reduced in steepness to meet current building codes and be supported by a newly constructed Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) retaining wall up to approximately 30 feet in height. The Applicant also proposes a land exchange with the City to adjust property boundaries to conform to slope contours to better define maintenance responsibilities. Construction of the homes would be phased according to the Phasing Plan. Each phase would consist of three to four homes. Buildout of the community is anticipated at the end of The applicant requests City consideration of the following: Vesting Tentative Tract Map Major Site Plan Design Review Property Line Adjustment & Land Exchange Marywood Residential Development Project Page 2 of 3

3 NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ALTERNATIVES UNDER CONSIDERATION: In addition to the project described above, five alternatives are under consideration including a No project No Development Alternative, No project - Development Under Existing CUP (600-Student High School) Alternative, Off-Site Development Alternative, No On-site Crushing Operations Alternative, and Reduced Development Alternative. SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: The City has determined that the proposed project would require the preparation of a DEIR. As permitted by Section 15060(d) of the State CEQA Guidelines, an initial study has not been prepared. Potentially significant environmental effects that would be evaluated in the DEIR include: Aesthetics Biological Resources Geology & Soils Hazards/Hazardous Materials Land Use & Planning Population & Housing Transportation Traffic Air Quality Cultural Resources Greenhouse Gas Hydrology/Water Quality Noise Public Services Utilities & Service Systems Unless specific comments are received during the NOP public comment period that indicates a potential for the project to result in significant impacts for the following issues, they would not be addressed in the DEIR: Agricultural Resources Mineral Resources Attachments: Figure 1: Regional Location Map Figure 2: Project Site Aerial Figure 3: Tentative Tract Map Marywood Residential Development Project Page 3 of 3

4 Approximate Project Location ^_ Prepared By: VCS Environmental Map Created: 7/16/2014 I Feet 0 5,000 10,000 20,000 1 inch = 20,000 feet Data Source: Bing Maps Marywood Regional Location Map FIGURE 1

5 Legend Approximate Site Boundary Prepared By: VCS Environmental Map Created: 8/15/2014 I Feet inch = 200 feet Data Source: Bing Maps Marywood Site Location FIGURE 2

6 Marywood Proposed Land Exchange Exhibit and Remedial Grading / Fill Limits Source: Hunsaker & Associates October 2014 Prepared By: VCS Environmental FIGURE 3