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Home My Public Portal About1.0 Introduction 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION Town of Truckee Coldstream Specific Plan October 2013 Partially Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report 1.0-1 This section summarizes the project background and the purpose for recirculation of two sections of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) and discusses procedures for recirculation of a Draft EIR. 1.1 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This Partially Revised Draft EIR has been prepared in conformance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed Coldstream Specific Plan. The Coldstream Specific Plan project is a mixed-use development consisting of an approximately 178.6-acre project site located approximately 2 miles west of the Town of Truckee’s historic downtown. The project site is at the entrance of Coldstream Canyon just south of the Donner Pass Road/Interstate 80 interchange approximately one-half mile southeast of Donner Lake. The Town of Truckee (Town), acting as lead agency, has prepared this Partially Revised Draft EIR to address refinements to the project design made by the project proponent and because of the availability of additional technical information produced as part of the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 permitting process. As described in CEQA Guidelines Section 15121(a), an EIR is a public informational document that assesses potential environmental effects of the proposed project, as well as identifies mitigation measures and alternatives to the proposed project that could reduce or avoid its adverse environmental impacts. Public agencies are charged with the duty to consider and minimize environmental impacts of proposed development where feasible and have an obligation to balance a variety of public objectives, including economic, environmental, and social factors. CEQA requires the preparation of an EIR prior to approving any “project” which may have a significant effect on the environment. For the purposes of CEQA, the term “project” refers to the whole of an action that has the potential for resulting in a direct physical change or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378[a]). With respect to the Coldstream Specific Plan project, the Town has determined the development is a “project” within the definition of CEQA and has the potential for resulting in significant environmental effects. In accordance with CEQA procedures, an EIR was prepared for the Coldstream Specific Plan project and was circulated for public review in June 2011. Since circulation of the EIR, the project applicant has made minor refinements to the design of the project and two new technical studies have been prepared as part of the CWA Section 404 permitting process that resulted in the availability of new technical information, including (1) a jurisdictional delineation for off-site portions of the project and (2) an updated archaeological inventory survey for the project site. The jurisdictional delineation (Gibson & Skordal 2012) (Appendix A) addresses the same “Offsite Trail Project Study Area” as the original EIR plus additional areas surrounding the adjacent I-80 / Donner Pass Road freeway interchange. This new jurisdictional delineation was prepared to ensure that the project’s CWA Section 404 permit fully addressed the off-site impacts of the project. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently issued new guidance for calculating impacts to waters of the United States (see U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Program, “Standard Operating Procedures for Determination of Mitigation Ratios” (November 20, 2012). This guidance, in addition to refinements to the project design, resulted in a change to the acreage calculations for impacts to waters of the United States from those provided in the original Draft EIR. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Coldstream Specific Plan Town of Truckee Partially Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report October 2013 1.0-2 The updated archaeological inventory survey (Genesis Society 2013) (Appendix B) includes identification of one prehistoric site (CA-NEV-785), which was inadvertently overlooked in previous cultural resource surveys prepared for the Coldstream Specific Plan project. The updated survey describes this site in detail and provides a Historic Properties Treatment Plan setting forth a proposed approach for mitigating potential impacts to this resource. CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5 describes procedures for recirculation of an EIR. It states that a lead agency must recirculate an EIR when significant new information is added to the EIR after public notice is given of the availability of the Draft EIR for public review, but before certification. New information added to an EIR is not “significant” unless the EIR is changed in a way that deprives the public of a meaningful opportunity to comment on a substantial adverse environmental effect of the project or a feasible way to mitigate or avoid such an effect (including a feasible project alternative) that project proponents have declined to implement. Based on the additional information and analyses required for the project, the Town has decided to recirculate the affected sections of the EIR for public review (Sections 4.8, Biological and Natural Resources, and 4.9, Historic and Cultural Resources). Copies of the original Draft EIR are available for review at the Town’s Planning Department. Changes are provided in revision marks (underline for new text and strikeout for deleted text). 1.2 ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS Following is a summary of the review and certification process for the EIR: NOTICE OF PREPARATION AND INITIAL STUDY In accordance with Section 15082 of the CEQA Guidelines, the Town prepared a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EIR for the proposed Coldstream Specific Plan on June 5, 2009. The Town was identified as the lead agency for the proposed project. The notice was circulated to the public, local, state, and federal agencies, and other interested parties to solicit comments on the proposed project. The 30-day comment period closed on July 6, 2009. A scoping meeting was held on June 30, 2009, to solicit input from interested agencies and the public. Concerns raised in response to the NOP and at the scoping meeting were considered during preparation of the Draft EIR. The NOP, responses by interested parties, and comments received at the scoping meeting are presented in Appendix A of the Draft EIR. The NOP’s conclusions supported preparation of an EIR for the proposed project. Following release of the original NOP, changes were made to the project description that necessitated release of a revised NOP and re-release of the DEIR (see below). The revised NOP was issued January 4, 2011, and the comment period ended on February 4, 2011. A scoping meeting was held by the Town on January 27, 2011, to solicit comments on the scope of the analysis that should be prepared for the revised project. The revised NOP, responses by interested parties, and comments received at the scoping meeting are presented in Appendix A of the Draft EIR. Draft EIR The Draft EIR (DEIR) was released for a 45-day public and agency review on June 17, 2011, with the review period set to end on August 1, 2011. The DEIR contains a description of the project, description of the environmental setting, identification of project impacts, and mitigation measures for impacts found to be significant, as well as an analysis of project alternatives. The 1.0 INTRODUCTION Town of Truckee Coldstream Specific Plan October 2013 Partially Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report 1.0-3 DEIR was provided to interested public agencies and the public and was made available for review at the Town offices and on the Town’s website. Partially Revised Draft EIR This document constitutes the Partially Revised Draft EIR and contains an introduction section and two technical sections including descriptions of the environmental setting, identification of project impacts, and mitigation measures for impacts found to be significant. Upon completion of the Partially Revised Draft EIR, the Town will file the Notice of Completion (NOC) with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research to begin the public review period (Public Resources Code Section 21161). Public Notice/Public Review Concurrent with the NOC, the Town will provide public notice of the availability of the Partially Revised Draft EIR for public review and invite comment from the general public, agencies, organizations, and other interested parties. Per CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5(f)(2), the Town is only accepting comments on the sections contained in this Partially Revised Draft EIR. The review period for the Partially Revised Draft EIR will be 45 days. Public comment on the Partially Revised Draft EIR will be accepted in written form. All comments or questions regarding the Partially Revised Draft EIR should be addressed to: Jenna Endres TOWN OF TRUCKEE Planning Division 10183 Truckee Airport Road Truckee, CA 96161