CITY OF VACAVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION Item No. 8.A STAFF REPORT July 18, 2016 STAFF CONTACT: Amy Feagans, Contract Planner (707) 449-5140 TITLE: THE FARM AT ALAMO CREEK ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR) NOTICE OF PREPARATION (NOP) REQUEST: INFORMATION ITEM RECOMMENDED ACTION: NO ACTION. ACCEPT COMMENTS ON THE SCOPE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS FOR THE PROJECT APPLICATION INFORMATION APPLICATIONS AND FILE NO. APPLICANT Specific Plan, General Plan Amendment, Pre-zoning, Development Agreement, Tentative Map and a Planned Development. File No. 17-089 Phillippi Engineering, Inc. PROJECT BACKGROUND & DESCRIPTION The City has received a development application for the project identified as The Farm at Alamo Creek. As part of this project, the City is undertaking the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and is seeking comments from the community and the Planning Commission on the scope of topics to be addressed in the environmental studies for the project. The EIR will examine potential project impacts not already considered in the General Plan program EIR that was certified in August 2015 as part of the General Plan adoption. Such effects may include significant effects related to agriculture, air quality/greenhouse gas emissions, biological resources, cultural resources, hazards, hydrology/water quality, land use compatibility, noise, traffic, and utilities/public services. Project Location and Description The 215.6-acre project site (Assessor Parcel numbers: 138-010-010, 020, 030, 050, 080) is located in northern Solano County adjacent to the southeastern portion of the City of Vacaville approximately four miles from Downtown Vacaville. The project site is located inside of the City s proposed Sphere of Influence and Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), with 61 acres located within an area designated as Urban Reserve (UR) in the City s General.
The project site is bounded by Leisure Town Road on the west, Elmira Road on the south, Hawkins Road to the north, and the City s agricultural buffer and UGB to the east. Key project features of The Farm at Alamo Creek include: 768 residential units (attached and detached); 7.6 acres of neighborhood commercial uses; 35.5 acres of open space and recreational amenities including parks, trails, a year-round pond, a private clubhouse and pool facility, and agriculture buffer; detention basin and other stormwater improvements; and pedestrian and bike trails to connect the various neighborhoods as well as the parks and other open space amenities. The project requires approval of a Specific Plan, General Plan Amendment, Pre-zoning, Development Agreement, Tentative Map and a Planned Development. The site also requires annexation into the City of Vacaville. Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report The Notice of Preparation (NOP) for The Farm at Alamo Creek EIR was issued for a 30-day comment period on June 28, 2017. During the comment period, the City is conducting this comment meeting in addition to requesting written comments on the recommended scope of the EIR. The NOP has been circulated to local agencies, such as Solano County and Solano Irrigation District, requesting their comments on the proposed scope of the environmental analysis. The NOP has also been circulated to the State Clearinghouse for distribution to any affected State agencies. Comments Requested Regarding Topics to be Analyzed in the EIR The NOP is the City s formal announcement regarding the preparation of the EIR. People who are interested in commenting on proposed EIR may send comments to Amy Feagans, contract planner, Planning Division, 650 Merchant Street, Vacaville, CA 95688 or email comments to CommunityDevelopment@cityofvacaville.com. Comments may also be made by phone at (707) 449-5140. The public is invited to provide the City with any comments that will help identify environmental issues that should be studied in the EIR. RECOMMENDATION This is not a formal public hearing, however, the recommendation is for the Planning Commission to provide an opportunity to accept public comments on the environmental issues to be addressed in The Farm at Alamo Creek Draft EIR and direct staff to return to Planning Commission for a public hearing on the proposed project following completion of the Draft EIR. ATTACHMENTS Notice of Preparation with proposed site plan and aerial of project site
CITY OF VACAVILLE NOTICE OF PREPARATION (NOP) THE FARM AT ALAMO CREEK SPECIFIC PLAN PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR) COMMENT PERIOD: June 28, 2017 through July 27, 2017. All persons and public agencies are invited to submit written comments as to the scope and content of the EIR. The City of Vacaville will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Farm at Alamo Creek Specific Plan project (proposed project). The EIR will examine potential project impacts not considered in the program EIR prepared for the General Plan, consistent with CEQA Section 15168. The program EIR for the General Plan was certified in August 2015. The Farm at Alamo Creek Specific Plan proposes a residential and commercial project containing a variety of housing styles connected by trails and landscaped corridors. The project site is located on a 215.6-acre site generally bounded by Hawkins Road to the north, Elmira Road and the Brighton Landing Specific Plan project to the south, Leisure Town Road to the west, and agricultural land to the east (See Exhibit 1). The eastern 61.0-acre portion of the project site is currently designated as Urban Reserve under the City s General Plan and would not be graded or receive building permits until five years after the date the City s 2015 General Plan Update was adopted. The project site includes Assessor Parcels 138-010- 010,020,030,050, and 080. The project s proposed site plan is shown in Exhibit 2. Key project features of The Farm at Alamo Creek include: 768 residential units (attached and detached); 7.6 acres of neighborhood commercial uses; 35.5 acres of open space and recreational amenities including parks, trails, a year-round pond, a private clubhouse and pool facility, and agriculture buffer; detention basin and other stormwater improvements; and pedestrian and bike trails to connect the various neighborhoods as well as the parks and other open space amenities. 1
The project will require the following discretionary approvals from the City of Vacaville along with other related development approvals. Approval of a Specific Plan General Plan Amendment Pre-zoning Development Agreement Tentative Map Planned Development The project also requires Solano County Local Area Formation Commission approval of the annexation of the project site to the City of Vacaville and the detachment from several districts including the Solano Irrigation District (SID). In addition, other approvals from SID would be required. The project may also require a Section 404 of the Clean Water Act approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Section 401 Water Quality Certification from the Regional Water Quality Control Board. Environmental Effects: The EIR will address the potential environmental effects of the project that were not considered in the City s General Plan Update EIR. Such effects may include significant effects related to agriculture, air quality/greenhouse gas emissions, biological resources, cultural resources, hazards, hydrology/water quality, land use compatibility, noise, traffic, and utilities/public service systems. Send your comments no later than July 27, 2017 to: Amy Feagans, Contract Planner, City of Vacaville Planning Division, 650 Merchant Street, Vacaville, CA 95688, or email CommunityDevelopment@cityofvacaville.com. Ph: (707) 449-5140. PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING: The City Planning Commission will hold a Scoping Meeting to solicit public comment on the scope of the environmental issues to be addressed in the EIR. Meeting Date/Time: Tuesday, July 18, 2017, 7:00 p.m. Meeting Location: City Council Chamber, City Hall, 650 Merchant Street, Vacaville 2
The Farm at Alamo Creek Sources: Esri, HERE, DeLorme, USGS, Intermap, increment P Corp., NRCAN, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), Esri (Thailand), MapmyIndia, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community ± 0 Feet 2,000 4,000 8,000