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Home My Public Portal AboutPublic Comment #17 (Munsterman)October 25, 2013 terman Group LLC Post Office Box 625 Carnelian Bay California 96140 530/546 -3126 voice /fax Denyelle N. Nishimori, Senior Planner Town of Truckee Planning Division 10183 Truckee Airport Road Truckee, CA 96161 Dear Ms. Nishimori, 9 In letter is in response to the publication of the Joerger Ranch Specific Plan (PC -3) Draft Environmental Impact Report dated September, 2013. As a homeowner in the Ponderosa Meadows subdivision, directly adjacent to this proposed development, I feel compelled to respond to several items in the EIR which I feel are not being honestly and adequately addressed. First, the supporting map documentation is completely out of date, as it fails to show our subdivision which was constructed back in 2008. This omission was pointed out by myself and another homeowner back in the spring of 2012, when the public hearings were held, and have not been corrected. A professional document which could end up being contested in court should be current and representative of conditions as they exist in the present day, not six or seven years ago. The maps as they currently are shown are misleading and represent a level of impact to surrounding homeowners that is less than accurate. The "significant" Air Quality impacts delineated in items 3.9 -1 through 4 are a grave concern. The mitigation measures proposed are certainly not in proportion to the proposed threat of air quality degradation. Most of the recommended mitigation measures border on the laughable when viewed against the degradation they are supposed to prevent. The geography of the proposed project location is prone to severe inversions in the winter, holding in exhaust from highway 267 and highway 80, jet exhaust fumes from the airport as well as smoke from wood stoves in the Ponderosa Meadows area. This "exhaust soup" can already be unbearable at certain times of the year, and only stands to get substantially worse under this EIR. Keep in mind that good air quality is one of the main reasons that we all have chosen to live in Truckee. The Noise impacts have been listed as "potentially significant", which I feel is a gross underestimation of the problem. These impacts are delineated in items 3.9 -1 through 4. This applies especially to the permanent noise impacts vs. the temporary construction impacts. We knowingly purchased our property with the understanding that the airport was nearby and would impact us at different times of the year, and we understood full well that Highway 267 was several hundred yards away and would affect us in much the same way. I'm confident that the current level of noise we experience day to day is far beyond what most reasonable people would be comfortable living with. That being said, we are now possibly being asked to bear the burden of additional layers of sonic contamination, both short and long term. If a noise study were done from my rear deck, I am confidant that those noise levels would be alarming, bordering on the "unhealthy with risk =of hearing- loss" territory. . The Greenhouse Gas impacts, item 3.5 -1 is also a concern for the obvious reasons. The mitigation measures offered are not substantial and forward thinking, but are simply boilerplate bureaucratic responses. We should be holding ourselves and our community to a higher standard with respect to this long -term danger. . Finally, the Park and Recreational Facility impacts, item 3.10 -5, list a couple connecting bike paths as the extent of the mitigation measures. I feel a development of this size should not be approved without a substantial pay -back to the community. In my previous letter in response to the public workshop dated February 24, 2012, I brought up the idea of a "mini- park" at the natural junction of the paths of travel from the Sierra Meadows subdivisions, around the Ponderosa Meadows golf course and down to the Truckee River and the Legacy Trail. I wish to bring up this concept once again, as a more fitting mitigation measure in support of our recreational facilities here in Truckee. However, based on the issues raised by this EIR, I would ask that your staff as well as our entire community focus closely on the "No Build" alternative offered on page. 5.0 -6. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely yours ii� Dale Munsterman AIBD www.themunstermangroup.com 0)