Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Sunridge Properties in the Sunridge Specific Plan Area, in Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County, CA, 38502-38504 [2010-16138]
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38502
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regtour.htm, or contact Ms. Sharon
Barnett, at (910) 251–4555, to receive
written or CD copies of the Final EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action
and FEIS can be directed to Mr. Raleigh
Bland, Project Manager, Regulatory
Division, telephone: (910) 251–4564.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Project Description. The project site
is located off NC Highway 12, adjacent
to the Atlantic Ocean, in the Town of
Nags Head, Dare County, NC. The
proposed project totals approximately
10 miles of ocean shoreline beginning
approximately 1 mile from the town’s
northern limit and extending south to
the town line adjacent to the Cape
Hatteras National Seashore. The
proposed borrow area is located in the
Atlantic Ocean approximately 2–3 miles
offshore of the project site. The Town of
Nags Head encompasses approximately
11 miles of ocean shoreline on a barrier
island located at the northern end of
North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The
width of the berm of the island’s dune
system varies considerably with
location along the town’s beach and
with the season. Along most of the
project area, the winter berm is nonexistent due to continuing erosion
processes. Dune habitat is currently
decreasing due to excessive erosion of
the base or toe of the dunes by waves
that travel unimpeded over eroded wet
beach to directly impact dunes. The
Town of Nags Head proposes to
excavate 4.6 million cubic yards of
beach-quality sediment from an offshore
borrow source, and deposit the material
along approximately 10 miles of ocean
shoreline owned by the Town of Nags
Head.
2. Proposed Action. The purpose of
the proposed action is to nourish the
Town of Nags Head’s ocean shoreline to
restore a protective beach, replace sand
lost during the period of delay in the
implementation of the federal Dare
County Hurricane Protection and Beach
Erosion Control Project (USACE 2000),
and to help preserve property values
and the tax base of Dare County.
The proposed borrow area includes
portions of offshore areas identified by
the Corps of Engineers in the 2000
Federal Dare County Project. The
anticipated optimal equipment for
excavations will include ocean-certified,
self-contained hopper dredges. Such
equipment typically excavates shallow
trenches (approximately 2–3 foot
sections) in each pass (leaving narrow
undisturbed areas at the margin of each
cut), then travels to a buoyed pipeline
anchored close to shore. Discharge to
the beach is via submerged pipeline
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across the surf zone, then by way of
shore-based pipe positioned along the
dry beach. Only a small area of the
Corps borrow area will be required to
provide up to 4.6 million cubic yards of
beach quality material. The applicant is
coordinating the specific area for use in
the proposed project with the Corps
with the following understanding: (1)
The final borrow area required for the
emergency beach nourishment project
can be limited to the equivalent of a 0.9
square-mile (approximately 575 acres)
area, (2) the borrow area used will be
contiguous rather than a series of small
impact areas, (3) once used, the borrow
area will no longer be available for use,
consistent with the Dare County Project,
and (4) the borrow area will be
delineated so as to avoid ongoing
biological monitoring stations
established by the Corps in connection
with the Dare County Project. The
project will be built in approximate 1–
2 mile sections, optimizing the
disposition of pipeline. Sections will be
pumped into place with the aid of
temporary dikes pushed up by
bulldozers in the surf zone. Daily
operations will impact approximately
500–1,000 linear feet of shoreline as
work progresses in either direction from
the submerged pipeline. Upon
completion of a section, the submerged
pipe and beach-building equipment will
be shifted to the next section. As
construction progresses, sections will be
graded to final contours, dressed to
eliminate low areas, and opened for use
by the public. Support equipment will
be shifted out of completed sections as
soon as practicable, so that construction
activities in a particular reach will not
disrupt normal beach use for only a
month or so at any locality. The finished
sections will be allowed to adjust to
natural processes for several months.
The final process will include the
placement of dune fencing and/or dune
plantings as needed or required.
4. Alternatives. An extensive
alternatives analysis was performed and
reviewed for this project. This included
the evaluation of a no action alternative;
a retreat and relocate alternative; and
the preferred alternative. Many
alternatives were identified and
evaluated through the scoping process,
and further detailed descriptions of all
alternatives is disclosed in Section 5.0
of the Final EIS.
5. Scoping Process. A public scoping
meeting was held on April 28, 2009 and
public and agency comments were
solicited for input in the preparation of
the Draft and Final EIS. The scoping
meeting was well attended by the
public, as well as representatives from
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local, state, and federal governmental
agencies.
The COE coordinated closely with the
North Carolina Division of Coastal
Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the National Marine
Fisheries Service in the development of
the Final EIS to ensure the process
complies with State Environmental
Policy Act (SEPA) requirements, as well
as the NEPA requirements. The Final
EIS has been designed to consolidate
both NEPA and SEPA processes. The
State of North Carolina has issued a 401
Water Quality Certification Permit and a
Coastal Zone Consistency Determination
in the form of a Coastal Area
Management Act Permit.
Dated: June 17, 2010.
Jefferson M. Ryscavage,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 2010–16137 Filed 7–1–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Corps of Engineers
[ID SPK–2009–00511]
Notice of Availability of Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Sunridge Properties in the
Sunridge Specific Plan Area, in
Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County,
CA
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Sacramento District, (Corps)
has prepared a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze
programmatically the direct, indirect
and cumulative effects associated with
six residential development projects in
the Sunridge Specific Plan area in
Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County,
CA.
The purpose of the Draft EIS is to
provide decision-makers and the public
with information pertaining to the
Proposed Action and alternatives, and
to disclose environmental impacts and
identify mitigation measures to reduce
impacts. The Proposed Action is the
construction of the six projects
(collectively, the ‘‘Sunridge Properties’’)
which would require the filling of
approximately 29.7 acres of waters of
the United States, including wetlands.
The EIS is being prepared as part of
ongoing litigation concerning
Department of the Army permits issued
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by the Corps between 2005 and 2007 for
five of the projects and a pending permit
decision for the sixth. A stay in the
litigation is in place while the Corps
reevaluates the impacts of the projects
through preparation of the EIS.
The Draft EIS was prepared in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as amended, and the Corps’
regulations for NEPA implementation at
33 Code of Federal Regulations parts
230 and 325 Appendix B. The Corps is
the lead Federal agency responsible for
complying with NEPA and information
contained in the EIS serves as the basis
for decisions regarding issuance of a
Department of the Army permits.
DATES: Comments on the Draft EIS must
be submitted to the Corps by August 15,
2010.
ADDRESSES: Please send written
comments to Michael Jewell, Chief of
the Regulatory Division, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District,
1325 J Street, Room 1480, Sacramento,
CA 95814–2922. You may also e-mail
your comments to
michael.s.jewell@usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Jewell, (916) 557–6605, e-mail:
michael.s.jewell@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Sunridge Specific Plan area is a masterplanned area consisting of nine
residential and commercial
developments located in eastern Rancho
Cordova, Sacramento County, CA. The
Specific Plan, which was originally
approved by the County of Sacramento
in 2002, is part of a larger planning
effort in the City of Rancho Cordova
called the Sunrise-Douglas Community
Plan. Three of the nine projects in the
Sunridge Specific Plan area have been
built. The Proposed Action is the
construction of the remaining six
projects in the Specific Plan area.
Collectively, these six projects are
referred to as the Sunridge Properties.
The overall purpose of the action is to
construct a large residential
development, including supporting
infrastructure, in southeastern
Sacramento County, California.
Between 2005 and 2007, the Corps
completed Environmental Assessments,
made Findings of No Significant Impact,
and issued permits for five of the six
Sunridge Specific Plan Projects. The
permitted projects are Anatolia IV,
Sunridge Village J, Grantline 208,
Douglas Road 98, and Douglas Road
103. A permit decision has not been
rendered for the sixth of the Sunridge
Specific Plan Projects, Arista Del Sol.
1. The Anatolia IV project received a
DA permit (ID: SPK–1994–00210) from
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Corps on October 2, 2006. It is located
on a 24-acre site south of Douglas Road
and adjacent to the west side of Jaeger
Road. The project involves filling
approximately 1.4 acres of waters of the
U.S., including wetlands, to construct
134 houses, roadways, and other
infrastructure. As compensation for the
loss of waters, the permittee purchased
1.4 acres of vernal pool creation credits
at the Laguna Terrace Mitigation Bank,
and purchased 2.7 credits of
preservation credits from the Anatolia
Preserve to satisfy U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) requirements,
and 2.7 credits at Gill Ranch to satisfy
Corps requirements. No on-site preserve
area is proposed. The permittee for this
project is the Sunridge, LLC.
2. The Sunridge Village J project
received a DA permit (ID: SPK–2001–
00230) from Corps on October 24, 2006.
It is located on an 81.3-acre site in the
southwest corner of the intersection
formed by Douglas Road and Jaeger
Road. The project involves filling
approximately 3.0 acres of waters of the
U.S., including wetlands, to construct
369 houses, roadways, and other
infrastructure. No on-site preserve area
is proposed. As compensation for the
loss of waters, the permittee paid for the
creation of 3.4 acres of vernal pools and
the preservation of functioning wetland
habitat. The Corps’ required mitigation
action has been completed. The USFWS
Biological Opinion concluded that the
project would adversely affect
approximately 2.49 acres of vernal pool
habitat, 1.88 acres directly and 0.36
acres indirectly. As mitigation the
USFWS identified preserving 9.96 acres
at Bryte Ranch Conservation Bank and
creating 2.10 acres of vernal pool and
seasonal wetland habitat. The permittee
for this project is Cresleigh Homes.
3. The Grantline 208 project received
a DA permit (ID: SPK–1994–00365) on
October 25, 2006. It is located on a 211acre site in the southeast corner of the
intersection formed by Douglas Road
and Grant Line Road. As part of the
project, approximately 5.7 acres of
waters of the U.S., including wetlands,
would be filled to construct 855 houses,
roadways, and other infrastructure. The
permittee proposes to preserve 68.1
acres of wetlands within its property.
Compensatory mitigation identified in
the DA permit is the restoration and/or
creation of 6.2 acres of vernal pool
habitat off-site. This action has not been
taken, but it is expected to occur within
the Gill Ranch Open Space Preserve, a
10,400-acre preserve in eastern
Sacramento County. The USFWS
Biological Opinion concluded that the
project would adversely affect
approximately 5.55 acres directly and
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38503
0.45 acres indirectly of vernal pool
habitat. To mitigate for this loss, the
USFWS instructed the permittee to
preserve 11.55 acres of vernal pool
habitat at either the Town Center
Property or Anatolia Conservation Bank,
and to create 6.0 acres of vernal pool
crustacean habitat. The permittee for
this project is Grantline Investors, LLC.
4. The Douglas Road 98 project
received a DA permit (ID: SPK–2002–
00568) on May 31, 2006. It is located on
a 105-acre site south of Douglas Road
and adjacent to the west side of Grant
Line Road. As part of the project,
approximately 3.9 acres of waters of the
U.S., including wetlands, would be
filled to construct 693 houses,
roadways, and other infrastructure. No
on-site preserve area is proposed. To
compensate for the loss of waters, 3.9
acres of wetland habitat would be
constructed or created off-site. This
action has not been taken; but is
expected to occur within Gill Ranch
Open Space Preserve, a 10,400-acre
preserve in eastern Sacramento County.
The USFWS Biological Opinion
concluded that the project would
adversely affect 3.70 acres of vernal pool
habitat. To mitigate for this loss, the
permittee is required to preserve either
7.8 acres of vernal pool crustacean
habitat at the Anatolia preserve or 15.6
acres at Borden Ranch, and create 3.91
acres at the Silva Consolidated
Conservation Bank. The permittee for
this project is Woodside Homes.
5. The Douglas Road 103 project
received a DA permit (ID: SPK–1997–
00006) on June 18, 2007. It is located on
a 106-acre site adjacent to the south side
of Douglas Road and west of Grant Line
Road. As part of the project,
approximately 2.0 acres of waters of the
U.S., including wetlands, would be
filled to construct 301 houses,
roadways, and other infrastructure. The
permittee proposes to preserve 44 acres
of wetlands on-site. Compensatory
mitigation identified in the DA permit
but not yet implemented includes
restoring or creating 7.3 acres of vernal
pool habitat and preserving 5.9 acres of
vernal pool habitat off-site. Mitigation is
expected to occur within Gill Ranch
Open Space Preserve, a 10,400-acre
preserve in eastern Sacramento County.
In the Biological Opinion, the USFWS
concluded that the project would
directly affect 1.97 and indirectly affect
2.91 acres of vernal pool crustacean
habitat. To mitigate for this loss, the
USFWS directed the permittee to restore
4.88 acres of vernal pool habitat. The
permittee for this project is Douglas
Grantline 103 Investors, LLC.
6. The Arista del Sol project (ID: SPK–
2004–00458) is located on a 215-acre
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site south of Douglas Road and adjacent
to the west side of Grant Line Road. The
applicant proposes to fill approximately
13.9 acres of waters of the U.S.,
including wetlands, to construct 906
houses, roadways, and other
infrastructure. The permittee proposes
to preserve 42 acres of wetlands on-site.
According to the Biological Opinion
issued for the project, approximately 12
acres of wetland habitat would be
created and 22.5 acres of wetland
habitat preservation would occur offsite. Mitigation is expected to occur
within Gill Ranch Open Space Preserve,
a 10,400-acre preserve in eastern
Sacramento County. The applicant for
this project is Pappas Investments.
The Draft EIS includes an evaluation
of a reasonable range of alternatives.
The Draft EIS considers several on-site
and off-site alternatives. Three
alternatives were carried through for
detailed analysis: (1) The no action
alternative, (2) the proposed action (the
applicants’ preferred projects), and (3) a
reduced footprint alternative. The no
action alternative is limited to
development in uplands, avoiding all
waters of the United States. The reduced
development footprint alternative
involves less development with fewer
impacts to waters of the United States.
Comments on the Draft EIS must be
submitted to the Corps by August 15,
2010. The public and affected Federal,
State, and local agencies, Native
American Tribes, and other
organizations and parties are invited to
comment. Electronic copies of the Draft
EIS may be found on the Corps’ Web
site at https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/
organizations/cespk-co/regulatory/EISs/
EIS-index.html. A hard copy of the Draft
EIS will be available for review at the
Corps office during normal business
hours. To view the hard copy, please
contact Michael Jewell to schedule a
time to visit the Corps office.
The Corps will also hold two public
meetings for the Draft EIS. The meetings
will be held on July 27, 2010, with the
first from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and the
second from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The
location of the meetings is at the Rancho
Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park
Drive, American River Room—South,
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. Interested
parties can provide oral and written
comments at these meetings.
In addition to notices in the Federal
Register, the Corps will issue public
notices advising interested parties of the
availability of the Draft EIS and Final
EIS. Interested parties may register for
the Corps’ public notices at: https://
www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/
cespk-co/regulatory/pnlist.html.
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Dated: June 22, 2010.
Thomas C. Chapman,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2010–16138 Filed 7–1–10; 8:45 am]
carolyn.t.german@us.army.mil or (703)
604–7490.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
None.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
[FR Doc. 2010–16136 Filed 7–1–10; 8:45 am]
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
BILLING CODE 3710–08–P
Department of the Army
Army Science Board Plenary Meeting
Department of the Army, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
Pursuant to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5
U.S.C., Appendix, as amended), the
Sunshine in the Government Act of
1976 (U.S.C. 552b, as amended) and 41
Code of the Federal Regulations (CFR
102–3. 140 through 160, the Department
of the Army announces the following
committee meeting:
Name of Committee: Army Science
Board (ASB).
Date(s) of Meeting: July 21, 2010.
Time(s) of Meeting: 0800–1330.
Location: Beckman Center, 100
Academy, Irvine, CA 92617.
Purpose: Adopt the findings and
recommendations for phase one of the
following studies: Strengthening
Sustainability and Resiliency of a
Future Force, Tactical Non-cooperative
Biometric Systems and Soldier
Resilience and Performance
Sustainment.
Purposed Agenda:
SUMMARY:
Wednesday 21 July:
0800–0930 Study results for
Strengthening Sustainability and
Resiliency of a Future Force are
presented to the ASB. The ASB
deliberates and votes to adopt the
findings and recommendations on the
first phase of the study.
0930–0945 Break.
0945–1115 Study results for the
Tactical Non-Cooperative Biometric
Systems are presented to the ASB. The
ASB deliberates and votes to adopt the
findings and recommendations on the
first phase of the study.
1115–1200 Lunch Break for the ASB
Members.
1200–1330 Study results for Soldier
Resilience and Performance
Sustainment are presented to the ASB.
The ASB deliberates and votes to adopt
the findings and recommendations on
the first phase of the study.
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information please contact Mr. Justin
Bringhurst at
justin.bringhurst@us.army.mil or (703)
604–7468 or Carolyn German at
PO 00000
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Meetings of the Naval Research
Advisory Committee
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice of closed meetings.
SUMMARY: The Naval Research Advisory
Committee (NRAC) will meet from July
19–23, 2010, and July 26–30, 2010, to
discuss materials presented at the NRAC
Summer Study. All sessions on
Monday, July 19, 2010, and the
Executive Sessions led by Panel Chair
and Vice Chair from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
on July 20–23, 2010, will be open to the
public. The sessions from 8:30 a.m. to
5 p.m. on July 20–23, 2010, and all of
the sessions on July 26–30, 2010, will be
closed to the public. The closed sessions
will be devoted to discussions and
technical examination of classified
information, For Official Use Only
(FOUO) information, and vendor
proprietary briefings related to the
study: ‘‘Status and Future of Naval
Research & Development Enterprise.’’
These closed session discussions will
assess the current technical core
competencies of the Warfare Centers
employed by the Systems Commands
(SYSCOMs) and Program Executive
Offices (PEOs) (as well as the
stewardship provided for those
competencies and the technical core
competencies that are provided by the
Navy University Affiliated Research
Centers (UARCs)); will consider the
technical quality of the workforce and
physical infrastructure; will review
proprietary information regarding
technology applications and systems
under development in the private sector
between competing companies; will
assess emerging concepts of operations
in each of these areas and evaluate
appropriate options in such areas as:
Personnel, training, R&D funding
allocation, technology monitoring,
progress assessments, probable time
frames for transformation and
implementation; and will assess
challenges with the utilization and
fielding of various technology
applications.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 127 (Friday, July 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38502-38504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-16138]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Corps of Engineers
[ID SPK-2009-00511]
Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for the Sunridge Properties in the Sunridge Specific Plan Area, in
Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County, CA
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, (Corps)
has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze
programmatically the direct, indirect and cumulative effects associated
with six residential development projects in the Sunridge Specific Plan
area in Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County, CA.
The purpose of the Draft EIS is to provide decision-makers and the
public with information pertaining to the Proposed Action and
alternatives, and to disclose environmental impacts and identify
mitigation measures to reduce impacts. The Proposed Action is the
construction of the six projects (collectively, the ``Sunridge
Properties'') which would require the filling of approximately 29.7
acres of waters of the United States, including wetlands. The EIS is
being prepared as part of ongoing litigation concerning Department of
the Army permits issued
[[Page 38503]]
by the Corps between 2005 and 2007 for five of the projects and a
pending permit decision for the sixth. A stay in the litigation is in
place while the Corps reevaluates the impacts of the projects through
preparation of the EIS.
The Draft EIS was prepared in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Corps'
regulations for NEPA implementation at 33 Code of Federal Regulations
parts 230 and 325 Appendix B. The Corps is the lead Federal agency
responsible for complying with NEPA and information contained in the
EIS serves as the basis for decisions regarding issuance of a
Department of the Army permits.
DATES: Comments on the Draft EIS must be submitted to the Corps by
August 15, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to Michael Jewell, Chief of the
Regulatory Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District,
1325 J Street, Room 1480, Sacramento, CA 95814-2922. You may also e-
mail your comments to michael.s.jewell@usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Jewell, (916) 557-6605, e-
mail: michael.s.jewell@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Sunridge Specific Plan area is a master-
planned area consisting of nine residential and commercial developments
located in eastern Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County, CA. The Specific
Plan, which was originally approved by the County of Sacramento in
2002, is part of a larger planning effort in the City of Rancho Cordova
called the Sunrise-Douglas Community Plan. Three of the nine projects
in the Sunridge Specific Plan area have been built. The Proposed Action
is the construction of the remaining six projects in the Specific Plan
area. Collectively, these six projects are referred to as the Sunridge
Properties. The overall purpose of the action is to construct a large
residential development, including supporting infrastructure, in
southeastern Sacramento County, California.
Between 2005 and 2007, the Corps completed Environmental
Assessments, made Findings of No Significant Impact, and issued permits
for five of the six Sunridge Specific Plan Projects. The permitted
projects are Anatolia IV, Sunridge Village J, Grantline 208, Douglas
Road 98, and Douglas Road 103. A permit decision has not been rendered
for the sixth of the Sunridge Specific Plan Projects, Arista Del Sol.
1. The Anatolia IV project received a DA permit (ID: SPK-1994-
00210) from Corps on October 2, 2006. It is located on a 24-acre site
south of Douglas Road and adjacent to the west side of Jaeger Road. The
project involves filling approximately 1.4 acres of waters of the U.S.,
including wetlands, to construct 134 houses, roadways, and other
infrastructure. As compensation for the loss of waters, the permittee
purchased 1.4 acres of vernal pool creation credits at the Laguna
Terrace Mitigation Bank, and purchased 2.7 credits of preservation
credits from the Anatolia Preserve to satisfy U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) requirements, and 2.7 credits at Gill Ranch to satisfy
Corps requirements. No on-site preserve area is proposed. The permittee
for this project is the Sunridge, LLC.
2. The Sunridge Village J project received a DA permit (ID: SPK-
2001-00230) from Corps on October 24, 2006. It is located on an 81.3-
acre site in the southwest corner of the intersection formed by Douglas
Road and Jaeger Road. The project involves filling approximately 3.0
acres of waters of the U.S., including wetlands, to construct 369
houses, roadways, and other infrastructure. No on-site preserve area is
proposed. As compensation for the loss of waters, the permittee paid
for the creation of 3.4 acres of vernal pools and the preservation of
functioning wetland habitat. The Corps' required mitigation action has
been completed. The USFWS Biological Opinion concluded that the project
would adversely affect approximately 2.49 acres of vernal pool habitat,
1.88 acres directly and 0.36 acres indirectly. As mitigation the USFWS
identified preserving 9.96 acres at Bryte Ranch Conservation Bank and
creating 2.10 acres of vernal pool and seasonal wetland habitat. The
permittee for this project is Cresleigh Homes.
3. The Grantline 208 project received a DA permit (ID: SPK-1994-
00365) on October 25, 2006. It is located on a 211-acre site in the
southeast corner of the intersection formed by Douglas Road and Grant
Line Road. As part of the project, approximately 5.7 acres of waters of
the U.S., including wetlands, would be filled to construct 855 houses,
roadways, and other infrastructure. The permittee proposes to preserve
68.1 acres of wetlands within its property. Compensatory mitigation
identified in the DA permit is the restoration and/or creation of 6.2
acres of vernal pool habitat off-site. This action has not been taken,
but it is expected to occur within the Gill Ranch Open Space Preserve,
a 10,400-acre preserve in eastern Sacramento County. The USFWS
Biological Opinion concluded that the project would adversely affect
approximately 5.55 acres directly and 0.45 acres indirectly of vernal
pool habitat. To mitigate for this loss, the USFWS instructed the
permittee to preserve 11.55 acres of vernal pool habitat at either the
Town Center Property or Anatolia Conservation Bank, and to create 6.0
acres of vernal pool crustacean habitat. The permittee for this project
is Grantline Investors, LLC.
4. The Douglas Road 98 project received a DA permit (ID: SPK-2002-
00568) on May 31, 2006. It is located on a 105-acre site south of
Douglas Road and adjacent to the west side of Grant Line Road. As part
of the project, approximately 3.9 acres of waters of the U.S.,
including wetlands, would be filled to construct 693 houses, roadways,
and other infrastructure. No on-site preserve area is proposed. To
compensate for the loss of waters, 3.9 acres of wetland habitat would
be constructed or created off-site. This action has not been taken; but
is expected to occur within Gill Ranch Open Space Preserve, a 10,400-
acre preserve in eastern Sacramento County. The USFWS Biological
Opinion concluded that the project would adversely affect 3.70 acres of
vernal pool habitat. To mitigate for this loss, the permittee is
required to preserve either 7.8 acres of vernal pool crustacean habitat
at the Anatolia preserve or 15.6 acres at Borden Ranch, and create 3.91
acres at the Silva Consolidated Conservation Bank. The permittee for
this project is Woodside Homes.
5. The Douglas Road 103 project received a DA permit (ID: SPK-1997-
00006) on June 18, 2007. It is located on a 106-acre site adjacent to
the south side of Douglas Road and west of Grant Line Road. As part of
the project, approximately 2.0 acres of waters of the U.S., including
wetlands, would be filled to construct 301 houses, roadways, and other
infrastructure. The permittee proposes to preserve 44 acres of wetlands
on-site. Compensatory mitigation identified in the DA permit but not
yet implemented includes restoring or creating 7.3 acres of vernal pool
habitat and preserving 5.9 acres of vernal pool habitat off-site.
Mitigation is expected to occur within Gill Ranch Open Space Preserve,
a 10,400-acre preserve in eastern Sacramento County. In the Biological
Opinion, the USFWS concluded that the project would directly affect
1.97 and indirectly affect 2.91 acres of vernal pool crustacean
habitat. To mitigate for this loss, the USFWS directed the permittee to
restore 4.88 acres of vernal pool habitat. The permittee for this
project is Douglas Grantline 103 Investors, LLC.
6. The Arista del Sol project (ID: SPK-2004-00458) is located on a
215-acre
[[Page 38504]]
site south of Douglas Road and adjacent to the west side of Grant Line
Road. The applicant proposes to fill approximately 13.9 acres of waters
of the U.S., including wetlands, to construct 906 houses, roadways, and
other infrastructure. The permittee proposes to preserve 42 acres of
wetlands on-site. According to the Biological Opinion issued for the
project, approximately 12 acres of wetland habitat would be created and
22.5 acres of wetland habitat preservation would occur off-site.
Mitigation is expected to occur within Gill Ranch Open Space Preserve,
a 10,400-acre preserve in eastern Sacramento County. The applicant for
this project is Pappas Investments.
The Draft EIS includes an evaluation of a reasonable range of
alternatives. The Draft EIS considers several on-site and off-site
alternatives. Three alternatives were carried through for detailed
analysis: (1) The no action alternative, (2) the proposed action (the
applicants' preferred projects), and (3) a reduced footprint
alternative. The no action alternative is limited to development in
uplands, avoiding all waters of the United States. The reduced
development footprint alternative involves less development with fewer
impacts to waters of the United States.
Comments on the Draft EIS must be submitted to the Corps by August
15, 2010. The public and affected Federal, State, and local agencies,
Native American Tribes, and other organizations and parties are invited
to comment. Electronic copies of the Draft EIS may be found on the
Corps' Web site at https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/regulatory/EISs/EIS-index.html. A hard copy of the Draft EIS will be
available for review at the Corps office during normal business hours.
To view the hard copy, please contact Michael Jewell to schedule a time
to visit the Corps office.
The Corps will also hold two public meetings for the Draft EIS. The
meetings will be held on July 27, 2010, with the first from 5 p.m. to 6
p.m. and the second from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The location of the meetings
is at the Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive, American
River Room--South, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. Interested parties can
provide oral and written comments at these meetings.
In addition to notices in the Federal Register, the Corps will
issue public notices advising interested parties of the availability of
the Draft EIS and Final EIS. Interested parties may register for the
Corps' public notices at: https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/regulatory/pnlist.html.
Dated: June 22, 2010.
Thomas C. Chapman,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2010-16138 Filed 7-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
