[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 82 (Monday, April 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21277-21279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-8138]



[[Page 21278]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4912-N-23]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Development of Vista Village (formerly Cedar Grove) 
Affordable 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 makes available to the public for comment the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report 
(DEIS/DEIR) for the development of Vista Village (formerly Cedar Grove) 
Affordable Housing in Tahoe Vista, Placer County, CA. Placer County 
prepared the DEIS/DEIR under its authority as the Responsible Entity 
for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 
accordance with 24 CFR 58.4 and under its authority as lead agency in 
accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This 
project is subject to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) 
regulations for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS). This notice is given in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. HUD 
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment 
Partnership funds will be used for the development of affordable 
housing. The purpose and need for this project is to provide affordable 
workforce housing in order to sustain the existing economy and meet the 
housing needs of the North Tahoe area, as outlined in the document.

DATES: Comments Due Date: Comments must be received within 45 days from 
the date this notice is published. Written comments on the DEIS/DEIR 
should be addressed to the individual named below under the heading FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Public Meeting: Several public comment meetings will be held during 
the comment period in order to ensure public participation. The first 
Placer County public meeting will be held at a special meeting of the 
Placer County Planning Commission on April 26, 2007, at 11:15 a.m. The 
public meeting will be held at the following location: Granlibakken 
Resort, 625 Granlibakken Road, Tahoe City, CA 96145, For the time see 
the Placer County Web site.
    TRPA will hold several public meetings on Vista Village. The first 
one will be: May 9, 2007, at the TRPA Advisory Planning Committee, at 
the TRPA Office, 128 Market Street, Stateline, NV 89449.
    The second meeting will be: May 23, 2007, at the TRPA Governing 
Board, at the North Tahoe Conference Center, 8318 North Lake Blvd., 
Kings Beach, CA 96143.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Joanne Auerbach, Placer County NEPA Certifying Officer, Housing Program 
Coordinator, Placer County Redevelopment Agency, 3091 County Center 
Dr., Suite 260, Auburn, CA 95603, Phone: 530/745-3167, FAX: 530/745-
3152, E-mail: [email protected] or;
Maywan Krach, Assistant Technician, Environmental Coordination 
Services, Community Development Resources Center, 3091 County Center 
Drive, Suite 190, Auburn, CA 95603, Phone: 530/745-3132, FAX: 530/745-
3003, E-mail: [email protected].

    The DEIS/DEIR/DEIS is available on the Internet and can be viewed 
or downloaded at: http://www.placer.ca.gov or http://www.trpa.org
    Copies of the DEIS/DEIR/DEIS are also available for review or 
viewing at the following locations:

Placer County Planning Department, Community Development Resource 
Center, 3091 County Center Drive, Auburn, CA 95603.
Placer County Planning Department, Tahoe Office, 565 West Lake 
Boulevard, Tahoe City, CA 96145.
Kings Beach Public Library, 301 Secline Street, Kings Beach, CA 96148.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent to prepare a draft EIS 
was published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2005, under the 
name of Cedar Grove Affordable Housing Project. The proposed action is 
a proposal by Pacific West Communities 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.
    This project would require a TRPA Plan Area Statement (PAS) 
Amendment for the Tahoe Estates PAS 021 Special Area 6. Alternative A, 
B, and C would also require an amendment to the Tahoe Vista Community 
Plan for the annexation of the land.
    This is a combined document--an EIR under the CEQA Guidelines, an 
EIS under NEPA and HUD's at 24 CFR Part 58, and an EIS under TRPA's 
Code of Regulations.
    Multiple alternatives were identified and discussed via the scoping 
process. After preliminary review, five alternatives were considered 
for full evaluation. They are:

Alternative A--152 Units

Coverage Ratio: 41.7%
Population: 400 (Assuming 1 person/bedroom)

Alternative B--144 Units

Coverage Ratio: 50.0% for 96 units of affordable
Coverage Ratio: 30.0% for 48 units of moderate
Population: 368 (Assuming 1 person/bedroom)

Alternative C--132 Units

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

Alternative D--72 Units

Coverage Ratio: 30%
Population: 276 (Assuming 1 person/bedroom)
Rental Units: 64, affordable to 50-80% of Area Median Income
For Sale Units: 8, affordable to Moderate Income (120% of Area Median 
Income)

Alternative E--No Project

    No Action. If nothing were done, no additional affordable housing 
would be built. The project site would remain vacant.
    Actions common to all alternatives, except E, include traffic, 
water, sewer, wastewater, transit, noise and scenic quality.
    The DEIS/DEIR addresses the following environmental issues: 
hydrology and water quality, soils and geology, air quality, noise, 
transportation, vegetation, wildlife and scenic resources, cultural 
resources, land use, growth inducement, land capacity and coverage, 
public services, public utilities and affordable housing.

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None of these rise to a level that they can not be mitigated. Without 
counting Alternative E (No Action), the Environmentally Recommended 
Alternative is D.
    Questions may be directed to the individual named above under the 
heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: April 17, 2007.
Pamela H. Patenaude,
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.
 [FR Doc. E7-8138 Filed 4-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-27-P