[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 61 (Friday, March 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16653-16654]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6444]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Sierra Vista Specific Plan Project, Corps Permit Application 
Number 200601050

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Sierra Vista Landowner Group proposes to implement a 
large-scale, mixed-use, mixed-density master planned community with 
residential, commercial, office, public/quasi-public, and open space 
land uses, and parks. The Sierra Vista Specific Plan would include 
approximately 1,148 acres of residential uses; 281 acres of commercial, 
office, and commercial-mixed uses; 162 acres of parks and paseos; 83 
acres of public/quasi-public land uses; 31 acres of urban reserve; and 
190 acres of roadways and landscape corridors. The Specific Plan would 
also include 244 acres of open space; of these, 38 acres would be 
graded as part of the project and the remaining 206 acres would be 
preservation areas.
    The Specific Plan would include 9,995 dwelling units (in a mix of 
low, medium, and high densities) and approximately 2,419,113 square 
feet of retail and office uses. The project would also provide four 
elementary schools, one middle school, and a fire station. The proposed 
project is expected to generate about 25,219 new residents and 5,821 
jobs. It is anticipated that construction would begin in spring 2010. 
The duration of construction would depend on market conditions; full 
buildout would likely be completed within 20 years from construction 
commencement.
    The proposed project site is approximately 2,138 acres and contains 
51.87 acres of waters of the United States. The project, as proposed, 
would result in direct impacts to approximately 37.74 acres of waters 
of the United States. These acreages do not include indirect impacts 
from the proposed action or impacts anticipated to result from offsite 
infrastructure that may be determined to be required as part of the 
project through the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process.

DATES: A scoping meeting will be held on April 16, 2008 from 5 p.m. to 
7 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the City of Roseville 
Civic Center

[[Page 16654]]

(Meeting Rooms 1 and 2), 311 Vernon Street, Roseville, CA 95678.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Nancy Haley, (916) 557-7731, e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to submit 
written comments on the permit application on or before April 29, 2008. 
Scoping comments should be submitted within the next 60 days, but may 
be submitted at any time prior to publication of the Draft EIS. To 
submit comments on this notice or for questions about the proposed 
action and the Draft EIS, please contact Nancy Haley, 1325 J Street, 
(Room 1480), Sacramento, CA 95814-2922. Please refer to Identification 
Number 200601050 in any correspondence.
    The Sierra Vista Landowner Group consists of eleven property 
owners. Each property owner has filed an application for a Department 
of the Army permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Because 
these applications are interrelated, the Corps is considering them in a 
comprehensive and combined manner. The joint purpose of these 
applications is to construct a large-scale mixed-use, mixed-density 
master planned community. To comply with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), the Corps has decided to prepare an EIS to assess 
the potential impacts to waters of the United States from these 
combined applications. No project alternatives have been defined to 
date. The proposed project and the alternatives to its proposed size, 
design, and location will be developed through the EIS process.
    Perennial streams, including Curry Creek; perennial marshes; 
seasonal wetland swales; seasonal wetlands, including vernal pools; and 
ephemeral and intermittent streams are located throughout the proposed 
project site. Verified wetland delineations show that 51.87 acres of 
waters of the United States occur on the proposed project site. The 
proposed project will result in direct impacts to approximately 37.74 
acres of waters of the United States and will avoid approximately 14.13 
acres of these waters of the United States for construction of the 
project. These acreages do not include indirect impacts from the 
proposed action or impacts anticipated to result from offsite 
infrastructure that may be determined to be required as part of the 
project through the EIS process.
    The proposed site for the Sierra Vista Specific Plan Area is in 
unincorporated Placer County, CA, immediately west and south of the 
City of Roseville's existing city limits. The majority of the proposed 
project site is within the City of Roseville's Sphere of Influence 
(SOI), and approximately 447 acres of the proposed project site are 
situated west of the City's SOI boundary.
    The proposed project site is approximately 6 miles west of 
Interstate 80 and State Route 65, 10 miles northeast of the City of 
Sacramento, 10 miles east of State Route 99, 5 miles west of downtown 
Roseville, and 4 miles east of the Sutter County line. The proposed 
project site is west of Fiddyment Road, north of Baseline Road to 
approximately 1/2 mile west of the Baseline Road intersection with Watt 
Avenue, and south of the West Roseville Specific Plan area.
    The project site for the EIS does not include one 40-acre parcel 
situated within the Sierra Vista Specific Plan area. This parcel is 
owned by a nonparticipating landowner, and the parcel is not included 
in the proposed action subject to this NEPA process. At such a time as 
the owner of the 40-acre parcel decides to develop that property, a 
separate environmental review would be required.
    The Corps' public involvement program includes several 
opportunities to provide oral and written comments on the Sierra Vista 
Specific Plan project through the EIS drafting process. Affected 
federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and other interested 
private organizations and parties are invited to participate. 
Significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the EIS include impacts 
to waters of the United States, including vernal pools and other 
wetlands; agricultural resources; cultural resources; threatened and 
endangered species; transportation; air quality; surface water and 
groundwater; hydrology and water quality; socioeconomic effects; and 
aesthetics.
    Vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi) have been identified 
as occupying certain areas on the project site during past surveys. 
Some of these areas are proposed by the Applicant for impact. The Corps 
will initiate formal consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (USFWS) under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act for 
proposed impacts to vernal pool fairy shrimp. USFWS may also consider 
adding additional federally listed species to the formal consultation 
process.
    No known historic resources on the project site have been listed on 
or determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic 
Places (NFP) or the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR). 
However, the Corps will initiate consultation with the State Historic 
Preservation Officer under Section 106 of the NHPA as outlined in the 
Corps' Interim Guidance to 33 CFR Part 325 Appendix C.
    It is anticipated that the Draft EIS will be made available to the 
public between April and October 2009.

    Dated: March 28, 2008.
James A. Porter,
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, Deputy District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E8-6444 Filed 3-27-08; 8:45 am]
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