[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 11, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26176-26178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-10606]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4912-N-06]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Development of the Stillwater Business Park, City of 
Redding, CA

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development, HUD.

[[Page 26177]]


ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gives 
notice to the public, agencies, and Indian tribes that the City of 
Redding, CA, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (EIS/EIR) for the Stillwater 
Business Park Project located in Redding, CA. The City of Redding, CA, 
acting as the lead agency will prepare the EIS/EIR acting under its 
authority as the responsible entity for compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 3547(c) 
and HUD regulations at 24 CFR 58.4, and under its authority as lead 
agency in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act 
(CEQA). The EIS/EIR will be a joint NEPA and CEQA document. The EIR 
will satisfy requirements of the CEQA (Public Resources Code 21000 et 
seq.) and State CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of Regulations 
15000 et seq.), which require that all state and local government 
agencies consider the environmental consequences of projects over which 
they have discretionary authority before acting on those projects. 
Because federal Economic Development Initiative (EDI) special project 
funds would be used, the proposed action is also subject to NEPA. EPA 
State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) will also fund water and 
wastewater related infrastructure. EPA is acting as a cooperating 
agency for this process. A permit under section 404 (b)(1) of the clean 
water act may be necessary. This notice is given in accordance with the 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. 
All interested federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, 
groups, and the public are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS.

ADDRESSES: Comments relating to the scope of the EIS are requested and 
will be accepted by the contact persons listed below for up to 45 days 
following the publication of this notice to assure full consideration. 
At least one scoping meeting will be held no sooner than 15 days from 
the publication of this notice and will be noticed in the appropriate 
local media. Any person or agency interested in receiving a notice and 
making comment on the draft EIS should contact one of the persons 
listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randy Bachman, Administrative Services 
Director, City of Redding, P.O. Box 496071, Redding, CA 96049-6071; 
telephone (530) 225-4067, Fax (530) 225-4325 or Nathan Cherpeski, 
Management Assistant to the City Manager, City of Redding, P.O. Box 
496071, Redding, CA 96049-6071; telephone (530) 225-4519, Fax (530) 
225-4324.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice seeks public input on issues 
that should be addressed in the EIS/EIR and solicits input from 
potentially affected agencies and interested parties regarding the 
scope and content of the EIS/EIR.
    The proposed action is the development of a large business park 
capable of attracting and accommodating primary industries to the 
Redding Area. The City of Redding is proposing the development of the 
area East and Northeast of the Municipal Airport in Redding, 
California. The proposed action site is located on the Enterprise and 
Cottonwood, California 7.5-minute USGS quadrangles, Township 31 North, 
Range 4 West, Sections 2, 3, 10, 14, 15, 22, 23, 26, 34, and 35. The 
proposed location is classified a portion as industrial and a portion 
as park under the Redding General Plan, adopted in 2000. The City's 
goal in developing this proposal is to increase the activity of 
contributory economic sectors by constructing a business park within 
the City of Redding sphere of influence capable of attracting and 
accommodating diverse business and industrial users.
    Although additional alternatives may be identified during the 
scoping period, the following is a list of alternatives that the City 
of Redding has identified for consideration:
     Alternative 1: Develop large lot business park capable of 
accommodating a broad range of industries near the Redding Municipal 
Airport. This proposal would result in an approximate 687-acre business 
park consisting of 383 acres of developable land for a total of 
4,410,400 sq. ft. of improvements for professional offices and 
industrial users. The proposal includes parcels ranging from 4 acres to 
more than 100 acres and is intended to be flexible in the configuration 
of those parcels to meet the needs of potential users. About 250 acres 
in the northern portion will be preserved as open space to protect the 
vernal pool and wetland features in the area and mitigation for 
impacts. An extensive trail system, for pedestrians and bikes, will 
wind throughout the project including through the open space preserve. 
Part of this trail will also serve as a utility access road for a 
proposed 115Kv transmission line that runs through the northern open 
space area and then down the east side of the project area and will 
need to be constructed in a manner to support vehicles. This 
alternative involves two bridge crossings of Stillwater Creek and the 
construction of a backbone road, trunk sewer lines, water lines, 
electric transmission lines, electrical substations, and other on-site 
and off-site utilities. It also reserves a floating right-of-way 
easement for a road to the property north of the project and a fixed 
110' right-of-way easement to the east. The environmental study area 
consists of 1055 acres with approximately 80 acres of wetlands or 
jurisdictional waters, most of which would not be impacted. 
Implementation of this alternative would result in direct discharge of 
fill material into waters of the U.S. totaling more than 3 acres but 
less than 7 acres.
     Alternative 2: (proposed action): An onsite variation of 
Alternative 1 intended to reduce the intensity of impacts. The overall 
project is 687 acres with approximately 383 acres of developable land. 
The proposal includes parcels ranging from 4 acres to more than 100 
acres and is intended to be flexible in the configuration of those 
parcels to meet the needs of potential users. The major change for this 
alternative is that it relocates the 115Kv transmission lines away from 
the open space area to the west side of the property near the proposed 
backbone road. This alternative also removes both the floating easement 
to the north and the 110' right of way easement to the east. Traffic 
models show these roads are not necessary to achieve the project goals. 
About 250 acres in the northern portion will be preserved as open space 
to protect the vernal and wetland features in the area and as 
mitigation for impacts. The trail system, for pedestrian or bicycle use 
only, will remain in the open space area to provide public recreation 
and educational benefits. Implementation of this alternative would 
result in direct discharge of fill material into waters of the U.S. 
totaling less than 3 acres.
     Alternative 3: This offsite alternative includes the 
combination of separately owned parcels into a single large 
(approximately 395 developable acres) site Northwest of the Redding 
Municipal Airport. This alternative could also have direct and indirect 
impacts upon wetlands (including but not limited to vernal pool 
features) and waters of the U.S. It is anticipated that this site could 
provide parcels ranging from 1.5 acres to 100 acres to meet the need 
for flexible parcel configurations. Based on projections for 
professional

[[Page 26178]]

office and industrial users this site could provide up to 4,499,000 sq. 
ft. for development. The availability of this land is yet to be 
determined. This alternative could yield various on-site alternatives 
as well.
     No Project--No Action. No action would be taken. 
Significant portions of alternatives 1, 2, and 3 are zoned for 
development and these areas will likely develop over the next 20 years 
in some fashion absent this action.
    The EIS/EIR will address the following environmental issues: Air 
quality, cultural resources, flood hazard, hydrology, noise, hazardous 
materials, biological resources, traffic, land use, erosion control, 
environmental justice, and secondary and cumulative impacts. Each of 
the action alternatives identified to date include areas designated as 
critical habitat for vernal pool species and some occurrences of listed 
vernal pool species are found within all action alternatives. Other 
issues or alternatives may be identified during the scoping process.
    The following agencies have been or will be invited to serve as 
cooperating agencies: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and EPA.
    Questions may be directed to the individuals named in this notice 
under the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: May 3, 2004.
Roy A. Bernardi,
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. 04-10606 Filed 5-10-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-29-P