Notice of Preparation for the General Plan Environmental Impact Report

Transcription

1 July 200 TEHAMA COUNTY GENERAL PLAN Notice of Preparation for the General Plan Environmental Impact Report

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3 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION AND REGULATORY GUIDANCE This document is a Notice of Preparation (NOP), which supports the decision by the County of Tehama to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed project known as The Tehama County General Plan This Notice of Preparation has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Public Resources Code Section et seq., and the State CEQA Guidelines, California Code Regulations Section 1000 et seq. 1.2 LEAD AGENCY According to the CEQA guidelines, the Lead Agency is the public agency with primary responsibility over a proposed project. Where two or more public agencies will be involved with a project, the CEQA Guidelines Section 101 provides criteria for identifying the lead agency. In accordance with the CEQA Guidelines Section 101(b)(1), The lead agency will normally be the agency with general governmental powers, such as a city or county, rather than an agency with a single or limited purpose. Based on the above criteria, the County of Tehama (County) is the lead agency for this proposed project. 1.3 PURPOSE AND DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION The purpose of this NOP is to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project and discuss the scope of review that will occur in the EIR. This NOP contains the following sections: 1.0 Introduction - This section provides an introduction and describes the purpose and organization of this NOP. 2.0 Update Summary - This section provides a summary of the update of the General Plan as proposed by this project. 3.0 Environmental Issues - This section describes the environmental subject areas that will be discussed in the EIR..0 Determination - This section provides the environmental determination for the project, identifying that an environmental impact report will be prepared for the project. Tehama County General Plan July 200 NOP 1-1

4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1. Project Title: The Tehama County General Plan Update 2. Lead Agency Name and Address: County of Tehama Courthouse Annex, Room 1 Oak Street Red Bluff, California Contact Person and Phone Number: George Robson, Planning Director (30) Project Location: All unincorporated portions of Tehama County (see Figure 2-1).. General Plan & Zoning (See Text). Summary of Project: (See Section 2.0 for detail of Project Description) The purpose of the Tehama County General Plan update is to review and revise the 1983 General Plan, to reflect upon changing conditions and issues, and to provide a direction for the future growth of the County in the next twenty years.. Surrounding Land Uses and Setting: Surrounding counties include Shasta County to the north, Plumas and Butte counties to the east, Glenn County to the south, and Trinity and Mendocino counties to the west. (See Text) 8. Environmental Factors Potentially Affected: The environmental factors checked below would be potentially affected by this project. Aesthetics Hazards/Hazardous Public Services Materials Agricultural Resources Hydrology/Water Quality Recreation Air Quality Land Use and Planning Transportation/Circulation Biological Resources Mineral Resources Utilities and Service Systems Cultural Resources Noise Mandatory Findings of Significance Geology and Soils Population and Housing 9. Public Comment Period: Monday July 1, 200 through Tuesday August 1, 200. General Plan Tehama County NOP July

5 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION 2.1 EXISTING CONDITIONS Tehama County is located approximately 120 miles north of the City of Sacramento and roughly midway between Sacramento and the Oregon state border. Approximately 2,91 square miles in size, the western boundary of the County is the eastern side of the Pacific Coast Range. The eastern boundary is the ridgeline of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. See Figure 2-1, Regional Map for project location. Surrounding counties include Shasta County to the north, Plumas and Butte counties to the east, Glenn County to the south, and Trinity and Mendocino counties to the west. Tehama County is bisected by the Sacramento River, which cuts a 20-mile-wide swath through the central portion of the County. Tehama County was created out of parts of Butte, Colusa, and Shasta Counties in PROJECT SUMMARY In 192, the first Tehama County General Plan was completed and incorporated the essential elements of a General Plan to ensure for orderly growth and development. This plan was revised in 190 and included sections on land use, circulation, recreation, and public services and facilities. Again, four years later, the General Plan was revised and included sections on conservation, open space, safety, seismic safety, noise, and scenic highways. The most recent version of the General Plan was adopted in The purpose of the Tehama County General Plan update is to review and revise the 1983 General Plan, to reflect upon changing conditions and issues, and to provide a direction for the future growth of the County in the next twenty years. The Tehama County General Plan is a comprehensive document that provides policies and guidelines for the future expansion and development of the community. The General Plan helps express how the citizens of Tehama County wish to see development in their community occur, and it serves as a planning guidebook to decision-makers, staff, and citizens. The General Plan serves as the foundation for various planning documents that help support and implement the General Plan including: the Tehama County Zoning Ordinance; the Tehama County Subdivision Ordinance; area plans; and other planning documents. The General Plan is intended to take a long-term perspective and to establish enduring policies that help guide the day-to-day decision-making for years to come. Time frames for various topics and policies differ throughout the General Plan with the Housing Element requiring update every five years. The General Plan considers goals, objectives, and policies that will impact the County for the next twenty years. Re-designation of Land Uses The General Plan update includes changes in land use designations for certain areas in the County. The Update introduces the new land use designations including Special Plan, Upland Agriculture, and Valley Floor Agriculture. Generally, these new land use designation replace and/or combine existing land use designations for a more comprehensive and concise land use. For example, new land use designations combine Grazing and Grazing/Wilderness into one designation, that of Upland Agricultural. Table 2-1 lists the changes between the proposed General Plan land use designations and the existing General Plan land use designations. Please note that these changes are not an exact representation of the parcel-by-parcel change but an overall change in land use designation. See Figure 2-2 and Figure 2-3 for existing and Tehama County General Plan July 200 NOP 2-1

6 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION proposed land uses. The proposed General Plan update also includes a Special Plan (SP) overlay designation.. This land use designation is to provide for, and identify, areas in the County that require or would benefit from the development of detailed planning efforts such as the preparation of Specific and/or Master Plans. These areas may include areas of large land holdings that could be developed as large planned communities, and/or areas proposed for development that are not currently served by roadways or community services that would benefit from detailed planning efforts. Underlying land use designations include General Commercial, Valley Floor Agriculture, Rural Large Lot, Rural Small Lot, Suburban and Habitat Resources. Table 2-1 Land Use Designation Changes New Designation Existing Designation Equivalent Commercial Recreation Commercial Recreation City City General Commercial, General Commercial Neighborhood Center Commercial Public Land Public Land/Habitat Resources Public Public Land/Wilderness Public Land/Water Cropland/Wilderness General Industrial General Industrial Habitat Resource Habitat Resource Habitat Resource/Wilderness Resource Lands and Conservation Resource Lands and Conservation/Wilderness Resource Lands Open Space* Scenic Easement* Public Land/Public Facility Public Facility Public Facility Rural Large Lot Rural Large Lot Rural Small Lot Rural Small Lot Suburban Suburban Timber Timber Timber/Wilderness Tribal Indian Land Grazing Upland Agriculture Grazing/Wilderness Portions of Cropland Urban Urban Cropland Valley Floor Agriculture Composite Cropland Portions of Grazing Water Water Source: Pacific Municipal Consultants; Vestra Resources Inc. Note: *Open Space and Scenic Easement land use designations are only applicable to the Lake California Master Plan. General Plan Tehama County NOP July

7 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION Table 2-2 identifies the acreage and land use designation changes between the existing and proposed update of the General Plan. Proposed land use changes increase the acreage available for residential, industrial and agricultural uses while decreasing the acreage for commercial, and resource lands. The proposed General Plan also introduces a new land use overlay designation of Special Plan. Special Plan overlay land use, approximately 1,80 acres, allows for residential, commercial, open space, public facilities and other uses. Land in this area would retain its existing land use designation, with an option as a special planning area. This land use destination will require the development of a Specific Plan or Master Plan for large development types. While the acreage established for the proposed land uses is accurate, based on parcel information and the use of the Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping program, the acreage for the existing land uses is somewhat less accurate, mainly due to the mapping techniques used at the time of the 1983 General Plan. The 1983 General Plan land use map did not have the availability of GIS for mapping. As part of the General Plan Update process, Vestra Resources, Inc. digitized the existing land use map allowing a comparison between the existing land uses and the proposed land uses. However, the land use acreages for the existing land use map are not totally accurate mainly due to the freeform of the existing map, in that the map does not necessarily conform to parcel lines. As a result, differences in total acreage between the existing (1,892,823.2 acres) and proposed (1,892,83.32 acres) land uses exist, approximately a percent difference (20.20 acres). Tehama County General Plan July 200 NOP 2-3

8 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION Table 2-2 Land Use Caparisons Land Use Designation Proposed (acres)* Existing (acres) Difference (acres) Residential Rural Large Lot 2, ,1. 3,1.9 Rural Small Lot 39,803. 2,.0 1,2. Suburban 2,82. 13, ,2.0 Urban 1,9.2 1, Subtotal 93,1. 1, ,. Commercial Commercial Recreation General Commercial 2,20.9 2, Subtotal 2,0.9 2, Industrial General Industrial 3,38.0 3, Agricultural Upland Agriculture,28. 9, ,0. Valley Floor Agriculture 33,0.1 22, ,982.1 Subtotal 1,029,30. 1,0,3.2-28,082. Natural Resources Habitat Resource 8,11.0 1, ,21.0 Resource Lands 1,112. 1, Open Space 0.0 1,81.3-1,81.3 Scenic Easement 0.0 2,33. -2,33. Public 88,19. 8, ,228.8 Subtotal 12, , Miscellaneous Timber 239,.8 23,0. -,122. Public Facilities Tribal 1,98.8 1, Water 2,08. 2, City,.8, Subtotal 21, , ,933.2 Total 1,892, ,892, *** Source: Pacific Municipal Consultants; Vestra Resources Inc. Note: * Acreages for Special Plan designations are included in the sub-designation totals (i.e. Special Plan/Suburban is included in Suburban). **Open Space and Scenic Easement land use designations are only applicable to the Lake California Master Plan. ***The difference in total acreage between existing and proposed land uses is a result of new and more accurate Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping techniques. General Plan Tehama County NOP July

9 Oregon DEL NORTE SISKIYOU MODOC Nevada 299 SHASTA TRINITY HUMBOLDT LASSEN 3W 3E 3W TEHAMA E PLUMAS BUTTE GLENN MENDOCINO 9 YUBA SIERRA NEVADA COLUSA LAKE 101 PLACER 20 SUTTER Pa ci fi EL DORADO 0 YOLO c O a ce SONOMA n NAPA ALPINE 29 SACRAMENTO AMADOR SOLANO MARIN SOLANO SAN JOAQUIN CALAVERAS TUOLUMNE Regional Location Map 0 NAPA FIGURE Miles Created by VESTRA Resources, Inc. March 1, 200

10 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION The following summarizes Elements of the proposed General Plan update: The Land Use Element of the General Plan establishes the goals, policies, and implementation measures that will help guide the growth and development of Tehama County for the next twenty years. Tehama County has experienced a slow to moderate rate of growth during the past 20 years but has seen increased interest and proposals for new development in the past five years. This element, and the General Plan as a whole, will help the County and its elected and appointed officials determine where, how and to what degree increases in population can be accommodated. The Circulation Element of the General Plan addresses the movement of people and goods through and around the County. The purpose of the Circulation Element is to provide an overview of the means of transporting people and goods to, from, and within Tehama County, and how these different modes of transport can work together to complement each other to achieve a circulation system that is both effective and efficient. The Public Services Element of the General Plan considers various aspects of public services including schools, libraries, and recreation facilities, water supply, wastewater treatment, and solid waste disposal. While State law requires the General Plan to address domestic water service issues, requirements regarding public services are not clearly or specifically defined. However, State law encourages the local jurisdiction to include any other element that it determines to be relevant to the jurisdiction. As indicated above, this section considers a range of public services that the County regards as important to the future growth and development of the community. The Economic Development Element of the General Plan provides policy guidance for the economic stability and overall development of the County. Economic opportunities must be present for community members to free themselves from concerns of their ability to meet basic economic needs. Heads of households need to be able to locate jobs that provide sufficient income to afford decent housing and raise their families in a satisfying environment. Young adults should have confidence that there will be employment opportunities in Tehama County should they wish to remain in the area beyond High School. Local educational institutions and business assistance organizations should be strong to adequately prepare residents for various business opportunities. The Open Space and Conservation Element of the General Plan addresses a combination of issues including water quality, wildlife resources, mineral production, natural land resources, and historic and archeological resources. The General Plan is required to focus various open space and conservation issues including: the preservation of natural resources (fish and wildlife habitat); the managed production of resources (food, fiber, timber, and mineral production); outdoor recreation including areas of scenic, historic, or cultural value; and open space for health and safety. Within the Tehama County General Plan, the Open Space and Conservation Elements are combined to address the required issues as well as issues that are especially relevant to the County. Due to the importance of agricultural lands and timberlands in Tehama County, a separate Agriculture and Timber Element has been included in the General Plan in order to expand in more detail on those two resource topics. General Plan Tehama County NOP July

11 2.0 PROJECT INFORMATION The Safety Element provides guidance on public health issues and safety. The Element establishes goals and policies which address safety, law enforcement, fire protection, seismic and geologic hazards, flood and airport hazards, and hazardous materials. The Noise Element of the Tehama County General Plan provides a basis for comprehensive local policies to control and abate environmental noise and to protect the citizens of the County from excessive noise exposure. The County does not intend to update the existing Housing Element as it was recently updated pursuant to state regulations. The Element was adopted by the County Board of Supervisors in August of 200. Tehama County General Plan July 200 NOP 2-

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17 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 3.1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO BE ANALYZED IN THE EIR The EIR for the Proposed Project will address the range of impacts that could result from adoption of the Tehama County General Plan This section provides a short summary of the potential impacts that will be analyzed in the EIR. The proposed project is an update to a general plan and as such, mitigation measures will usually take the form of policies and discussion within the general plan and will, by their nature, be programmatic and broad in scope, rather than applying to specific parcels within the plan area. POPULATION AND HOUSING The EIR will identify projected future regional and County population growth as well as address local population and housing needs consistent with the adopted Housing Element. Implementation of the Proposed Project is not expected to result in the displacement of existing population or housing, as the majority of new development would occur on undeveloped land. The EIR will analyze the impacts of this growth on local infrastructure, services, and resources. As currently proposed, buildout of the proposed General Plan would result in a potential for 2,980 population for the County. This represents an increase of approximately 98,3 residents over buildout projections for the existing General Plan. LAND USE The EIR will evaluate the proposed General Plan update changes to existing land use designations. Residential land use designations increase by over 30,000 acres, industrial designations increase by over 200 acres, agricultural designations decrease by over 28,000 acres, while commercial, and natural resources decrease by and over 900 acres, respectively. This results in an increase in the potential population buildout in the Planning Area. While the Land Use Element does not modify the density range allowed for development within the residential land designations, an increase in the acreage to residential uses allows for an increase potential of 1,2 residential units over the existing General Plan. However, an increase in the minimum acreage in the agricultural land use designations from 0 acre to 10 acre in the Grazing/Upland Agriculture and 10 acre to 20 acre in the Cropland/Valley Flood Agriculture reduces the dwelling unit potential in those areas by 23,92 units. This calculates to a total potential number of housing units at buildout of 3,8. Table 3-1 shows a total buildout potential comparison between the existing General Plan and the Proposed Project using the densities identified in the General Plan or Zoning Ordinance. CULTURAL RESOURCES Several known and recorded cultural resources within the Planning Area have been identified through a records search of pertinent survey and site data at the Central California Information Center, located at California State University Chico. Development consistent with the General Plan has the potential to impact these cultural/historic resources along with others that may not have been identified to date. The EIR will analyze the potential for impacts to historic, archaeological, and paleontological resources. Tehama County General Plan July

18 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Land Use Designation Rural Large Lot Rural Small Lot Suburban Urban Subtotal Upland Agriculture Valley Floor Agriculture Subtotal Proposed (acres) Existing (acres) Difference (acres) Table 3-1 Land Use Comparison 200 General Plan Residential Housing Units Population * General Difference General General Plan Plan Plan Difference 2, ,1. 3,1.9 2,99 2,2 32,809, ,803. 2,.0 1,2. 19,902 12,29,23 2,12 32,10 19,93 2,82. 13, , ,302 2,00 0,902 20,2 13, ,3 1,9.2 1, , 2,09 2,9,339 8,32,9 93,1. 1, ,. 1,8 93,032 1,2 0,93 23,3 11,200 Agricultural,28. 9, ,0.,1 19,88-1,19 10,910 2,09-1,18 33,0.1 22, , ,98.2 2,209-8,222,12 8,8-21,2 1,029,30. 1,0,3.2-28, ,11., ,91. 8, ,3.8-2,2.9 Total 1,122,.3 1,0,30.2 3,2.1 1, ,12. 3,8.1 2,99. 3,0. 98,2.9 Note: *Based on 2.2 persons per housing unit identified in the 2000 Census Tehama County General Plan July 200 NOP 3-2

19 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES VISUAL RESOURCES AND AESTHETICS The EIR will identify existing regional and Planning Area aesthetics and visual setting and discuss impacts concerning the conversion of undeveloped land to urban uses as well as impacts to existing visual character, scenic vistas, scenic highways, or creation of new sources of substantial light or glare. Although no official California Department of Transportation-designated or eligible scenic roadways are located within the County s Planning Area, State Routes 32, 3, 89, and 12 have been designated as County scenic highways in this General Plan update. Development consistent with the proposed project may result in structures or changes that degrade or impair the scenic quality of these roadways and other existing amenities within the Planning Area. AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES The County contains vast areas of prime agricultural land as well as land of statewide significance. The EIR will analyze the potential for development consistent with the General Plan to convert agricultural lands to non-agricultural purposes. BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES Development consistent with the proposed project has the potential to impact biological resources, such as sensitive species and other ecologically sensitive habitats (i.e., vernal pools, riparian, grassland areas, etc.) located within the Planning Area. Potential impacts to biological resources will be addressed in the EIR. HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY Development in the County has the potential to cause changes in the amount and quality of groundwater supplies and increase the amount of impervious surfaces within the Planning Area. These changes could affect regional groundwater tables, surface water, cause erosion or result in localized flooding. The EIR will examine existing and future water supplies as well as capacities and facilities of the County. Additionally, the EIR will discuss the potential impacts to local water quality associated with buildout of the Planning Area and address the potential for flood hazards within the Planning Area. TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC The development within the County will result in an increased number of local and regional vehicle trips and may result in changes to existing traffic patterns. The increase in traffic may lead to increased traffic congestion in some parts of the County and could result in decreased levels of services for both local and regional roadways and intersections. These impacts will be analyzed in the EIR. AIR QUALITY The County of Tehama includes an Open Space and Conservation Element, which addresses air quality in Tehama County. The Element contains policies and implementation measures that require development projects to incorporate measures to reduce air quality impacts. The EIR will evaluate potential air quality impacts produced as a result of implementation of the Proposed Project. Tehama County General Plan July

20 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES NOISE Development within the County will result in an increase in both local and regional vehicular traffic which is the primary source of noise within the County. The EIR will discuss the potential noise impacts associated with the creation of new noise sources and changes to existing noise conditions, including noise from both mobile and stationary sources. PUBLIC SERVICES Development will result in an increase in the demand for local public services such as fire and emergency services, law enforcement, schools, parks, and other public facilities. The EIR will document existing public service levels in the Planning Area and evaluate the ability of these services to meet the future demand. RECREATION New population associated with development within the County has the potential to increase the demand for parks and recreational facilities and could result in the need for new or expanded parks, recreational facilities, and/or other open space areas. Although the General Plan will supports the need for these additional recreational facilities within existing and new development areas within the Planning Area, the EIR will analyze the ability of the General Plan to provide adequate recreational and open space resources. UTILITIES AND SERVICE SYSTEMS Development within the County could result in additional demand for sewage treatment services, water services, storm drainage, power, landfill and other utilities. The EIR will describe and evaluate existing utilities and discuss the potential impacts associated adoption of the proposed General Plan. ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA Guidelines) requires that an EIR consider alternatives to a project (Section 112 [a]). According to the CEQA Guidelines, the reasonable range of alternatives shall include those that could feasibly accomplish most of the basic purposes of the project and could avoid or substantially lessen one or more of the significant impacts (Section 112 [d] [2]). NO PROJECT/BUILD-OUT OF EXISTING PLANNING AREA CEQA requires that the EIR for a project consider a No Project alternative. The No Project alternative assumes that the proposed General Plan will not be adopted by the County and that only those land uses designated within the current General Plan will be implemented. REDUCED DENSITY/AREA ALTERNATIVE The County may consider changes to the density/intensity of development proposed within the plan boundaries, and may alter the plan boundaries in response to environmental impacts General Plan Tehama County NOP July

21 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES identified during the preparation of the EIR. Additional alternatives may be considered by the County in response to public comment to this NOP. The EIR will include a description of each alternative. ADDITIONAL ALTERNATIVES Additional alternatives will be analyzed in the EIR upon conclusions identified in the environmental analysis. Tehama County General Plan July 200 NOP 3-

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23 .0 DETERMINATION.1 CEQA DETERMINATION On the basis of this initial evaluation: I find that the proposed project COULD NOT have a significant effect on the environment, and a NEGATIVE DECLARATION will be prepared. I find that although the proposed project could have a significant effect on the environment, there will not be a significant effect in this case because the mitigation measures described on an attached sheet have been added to the project. A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION will be prepared. I find that the proposed project MAY have a significant effect on the environment, and an ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT is required. I find that the proposed project MAY have a significant effect(s) on the environment, but at least one effect 1) has been adequately analyzed in an earlier document pursuant to applicable legal standards, and 2) has been addressed by mitigation measures based on the earlier analysis as described on attached sheets, if the effect is a potentially significant impact or potentially significant unless mitigated. An ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT is required, but it must analyze only the effects that remain to be addressed. I find that although the proposed project could have a significant effect on the environment, there WILL NOT be a significant effect in this case because all potentially significant effects a) have been analyzed adequately in an earlier EIR pursuant to applicable standards and (b) have been avoided or mitigated pursuant to that earlier EIR, including revisions or mitigation measures that are imposed upon the proposed project. No further action is required. Signature Date George Robson Printed Name Tehama County Planning Director Title Tehama County General Plan July 200 NOP -1