[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19054-19055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7315]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed University of California Merced and University Community 
Project, Corps Permit Application Number 199900203

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The University of California, Merced (University) and 
University Community Land Company (UCLC) LLC have submitted an 
application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) under the Clean 
Water Act Section 404 and River and Harbor Act Section 10 for a 
proposal to construct an approximately 810-acre campus and an 
associated University Community in Merced County. The Proposed Action 
is located in eastern Merced County, east of Lake Road and Yosemite 
Lake, approximately 2 miles northeast of the City of Merced, 
California.
    The Proposed Action consists of three major components: the 810-
acre Campus; the 870-acre Community North; and the 1,245-acre Community 
South. The University controls the land that comprises the campus. 
University Community Land Company, LLC (UCLC), a not-for-profit 
corporation, owns the land that comprises Community North. LWH Farms, 
LLC

[[Page 19055]]

owns the land that comprises Community South. The University is 
currently preparing an amendment to its Long Range Development Plan to 
guide the development of the proposed campus. The proposed campus and 
Community North would consist of the following five districts: Academic 
Core; Gateway District; Student Neighborhoods; University Community 
Town Center; and University Community Neighborhoods. Community South 
would be developed in accordance with the previously adopted University 
Community Plan, which designates the Community South area for Multiple 
Use Urban Development and agricultural uses.
    The Campus and the northern portion of the University Community 
would affect 76.6 acres of the waters of the United States, including 
vernal pools and other wetlands. The primary federal involvement is the 
fill materials within waters of the United States, work and structures 
in affecting navigable waters of the United States, and potential 
impacts on the human environment from such activities.

DATES: The Corps and the University will jointly conduct a public 
scoping meeting that will be held on Wednesday April 23, 2008.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held in the California Room at 
UC Merced, located at 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95340.

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 28, 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. Parties interested in being 
added to the Corps' electronic mail notification list for the 
University can register at: http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/regulatory/register.html. Please refer to Identification Number 200601050 in any 
correspondence.
    The University and UCLC have submitted an application for a 
Department of the Army permit. Because the campus and Community North 
are immediately adjacent to each other, the land use planning of these 
two areas is closely integrated and the actions are connected. The 
overall purpose of the Proposed Action is to establish a major research 
university in Merced County that would ultimately support 25,000 full-
time equivalent students with an associated community needed to support 
the university. Projections by the California Department of Finance and 
the University indicated that a new campus is needed to accommodate 
near-term enrollment demand and an enrollment of 25,000 students in the 
long term. An adjacent community is needed to support the university by 
providing housing and other amenities.
    To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
Corps is requiring the preparation of an EIS prior to rendering a final 
decision on the University and UCLC's permit application. The Corps may 
ultimately make a determination to permit or deny the Proposed Action 
or permit or deny modified versions of the Proposed Action. The EIS 
will also provide the technical basis for the Corps to use in its 
preparation of its 404(b)(1) Guidelines compliance document as part of 
the Record of Decision (ROD). To comply with the requirements of the 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the University will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the UC Merced and 
University Community project. The Corps and the University have agreed 
to jointly prepare an EIS/EIR for the Proposed Action in order to 
optimize efficiency and avoid duplication.
    The EIS/EIR will include alternatives to the Proposed Action that 
will meet both NEPA and CEQA requirements. The alternatives will also 
meet the requirements of CWA Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines. At this time 
it is expected that the joint EIS/EIR will evaluate the following 
alternatives: (1) No Action Alternative; (2) Proposed Action; (3) 
Yosemite Avenue Alternative (formerly referred to as Alternative 20); 
(4) Downtown Merced Alternative; (5) Bellevue Ranch Alternative 
(formerly referred to as Off-Site Alternative 2); (6) Previously 
Proposed Campus and Community; and (7) No Build Alternative.
    The Corps' public involvement program includes several 
opportunities to provide oral and written comments. Affected federal, 
state, local agencies, Indian tribes, and other interested private 
organizations and parties are invited to participate. The EIS/EIR will 
address several potential environmental issues including: Impacts to 
waters of the United States, including vernal pools and other wetlands; 
aesthetics, agricultural resources; air quality, cultural resources; 
geology and soils; hazards and hazardous materials; hydrology and water 
quality; land use and planning; noise and vibration; navigation; public 
health and safety; public services and utilities; recreation; 
socioeconomics; traffic and transportation. Additional issues may be 
identified during the scoping process.
    The Corps has initiated formal consultation with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act for 
federally threatened and endangered species that may be affected by the 
Proposed Action. In addition, the Corps will consult with the State 
Historic Preservation Officer under Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act regarding potential impacts to sites listed, 
or eligible for listing, on the National Register for Historic Places.
    The joint lead agencies expect the Draft EIS/EIR to be made 
available to the public in August, 2008. A public hearing will be held 
during the public comment period for the Draft EIS/EIR.

    Dated: March 27, 2008.
James A. Porter,
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, Deputy District Enginee.
 [FR Doc. E8-7315 Filed 4-7-08; 8:45 am]
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