[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 203 (Friday, October 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61297-61298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-5841]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4912-N-14]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Development of Cedar Grove Housing in Tahoe Vista, Placer 
County, CA

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD gives notice to the public, agencies, and Indian tribes 
that Placer County, CA, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (EIS/EIR) for 
development of Cedar Grove Housing located in Tahoe Vista, Placer 
County, CA. Placer County, 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. 5304(g) 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 document under NEPA, CEQA and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency 
(TRPA) Code of Ordinances. The EIS will satisfy the requirements of 
NEPA and the TRPA Code of Ordinances. 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.
    The proposed action is subject to compliance with NEPA, because 
Federal Community Development Block Grant (i.e., CDBG) funds and 
possible other HUD housing program funds (discussed below) would be 
used for the development of affordable housing. 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. If you are an agency with jurisdiction by law over 
natural or other public resources affected by the project, Placer 
County needs to know what environmental information germane to your 
statutory responsibilities should be included in the EIS/EIR.

ADDRESSES: Comments relating to the scope of the EIS are requested and 
will be accepted by the contact person listed below for up to 30 days 
following the date of publication. Any person or agency interested in 
receiving a notice and wishing to make comment on the draft EIS should 
contact the person listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanne Auerbach, County NEPA 
Certifying Officer and Housing Program Coordinator, Placer County 
Redevelopment Agency, 11493 B Avenue, Auburn, CA 95603. Contact Phone 
Number: 530/889-4264, Fax Number: 530/889-6890, E-mail: 
mailto:[email protected].

PUBLIC MEETING: There will be no future public scoping meetings on this 
EIS/EIR, because foreseeable impacts were identified in the previous 
public scoping meetings. There will be additional public hearings. The 
dates will be posted on the Placer County Web site, http://www.placer.ca.gov/, when the Public Review Draft EIS/EIR is released.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Project Name and Description

    The Affordable Housing Development Corporation, Inc. (AHDC), 
proposes to develop approximately 12.2 acres in the Tahoe Vista area of 
Placer County for an affordable housing complex. The project site is 
located on the Kings Beach 7.5-minute U.S.G.S. topographic quadrangle 
map, north of State Route 28 and west of National Avenue in Tahoe 
Vista, California. The site is currently undeveloped, forested land 
with dense stands of pine, fir, and cedar. Adjacent properties to the 
east and west have been developed for residential housing. The North 
Tahoe Regional Park is directly north of the project site, and the 
Mourelatos resort is to the south.
    The project would require an amendment to the Tahoe Vista Community 
Plan for the annexation of the land to the Tahoe Vista Community and a 
TRPA Plan Area Statement (PAS) Amendment for the Tahoe Estates PAS 021 
Special Area 6.
    This is to be a combined document--EIR under the California State 
Environmental Quality Act, EIS under the National Environmental Policy 
Act

[[Page 61298]]

and HUD regulations in 24 CFR Part 58, and EIS under the TRPA Code of 
Ordinances.
    The proposed development would consist of approximately 152 rental 
housing units, 23 buildings, approximately 41.7 percent site coverage, 
and a density of 12.4 units per acre. All of the units would be 
affordable to families with incomes at or below 80 percent of the 
median income. An internal looped roadway system with separate points 
for both entry and exit is proposed as part of the project. National 
Avenue would provide the main access from State Route 28. Points of 
access to the complex from National Avenue that are being considered 
include: Grey Lane and Toyon Road, with Wildwood Road via Estates Drive 
being an alternative or emergency access road. A Class 1 bike trail and 
onsite parking are also proposed for the site.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    There are five alternatives to the proposed action to be analyzed 
in the EIR/EIS. The alternatives are all variations of the site layout 
and density. Alternative sites for the project were explored early in 
the process and it was determined that no other more viable site was 
available.

Alternative B, 132 Units

Coverage Ratio: 38.6 percent
Population: 364 (Assuming 1 person/bedroom)

Alternative C, 160 Units

Coverage Ratio: 44.0 percent
Population: 452 (Assuming 1 person/bedroom)

Alternative D, 144 Units

Coverage Ratio: 30 percent
Population: 568 (Assuming 1 person/bedroom)

Alternative E, 152 Units

Coverage Ratio: 50 percent
Population: 394 (Assuming 1 person/bedroom)

Alternative F, No Project/No Action

    If nothing were done, no additional affordable housing would be 
built. The project site would remain vacant.

Probable Environmental Effects

    The following subject areas will be analyzed in the combined EIS/
EIR for probable environmental effects: water quality, soils and 
geology, air quality, noise, transportation, vegetation, wildlife and 
scenic resources, cultural and historic resources, land use, growth 
inducement, public services and public utilities.

Lead Agencies

    For purposes of complying with NEPA and CEQA, Placer County is the 
Lead Agency and as the Responsible Entity under 24 CFR 58.2(a)(7) 
assumes the responsibility for environmental review, decisionmaking, 
and action that would otherwise apply to HUD under NEPA. Respectively, 
section 104(g) of Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5304(g)) and section 288 of Title II of the Cranston-
Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12838) authorize 
recipients of HUD assistance to assume NEPA responsibilities in 
projects involving CDBG for infrastructure development and possibly 
HOME funds for affordable housing development.
    The TRPA is the Lead Agency for the EIS written in accordance with 
Tahoe Regional Planning Compact and TRPA's Code of Ordinances.
    TRPA is a multi-state (California and Nevada) agency that has its 
own Code of Ordinances. These are based on both CEQA and NEPA but there 
are some minor differences from both, hence the necessity to do a 
three-way document that will comply with CEQA, TRPA and NEPA. TRPA has 
its own procedures and Code of Ordinances because it is exempt from 
CEQA and California land use laws.
    Questions may be directed to the individual named in this notice 
under the heading For Further Information Contact.

    Dated: October 13, 2005.
Pamela H. Patenaude,
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. E5-5841 Filed 10-20-05; 8:45 am]
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