[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 25, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43577-43578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18130]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Westbrook Project, Corps Permit Application Number SPK-2005-
00938

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, (Corps) 
received a Department of the Army permit application from Westpark S.V. 
400, LLC (Applicant) to fill approximately 9.6 acres of waters of the 
United States to construct the proposed Westbrook Project in Placer 
County, CA, in June 2011. The Corps, as the lead agency responsible for 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
determined that the proposed project may result in significant impacts 
to the environment, and that the preparation of an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) is required.
    The Applicant proposes to implement a moderate scale, mixed-use, 
mixed-density master planned community. The Westbrook Project, as 
proposed, would include a mixture of land uses, including new 
residential neighborhoods, elementary school, parks and several 
neighborhood serving retail centers. The Westbrook Project would 
involve approximately 146 acres of low-density residential, 84 acres of 
medium-density residential, 28 acres of high-density residential and 43 
acres of commercial land uses. Other proposed land uses include a 10-
acre elementary school site, approximately 16 acres for three 
neighborhood parks, and approximately 37 acres of open space for the 
preservation of natural resources areas.
    The proposed project site is approximately 400 acres and contains 
approximately 13 acres of waters of the United States. The project, as 
proposed, would result in direct impacts to approximately 9.6 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.

ADDRESSES: To submit comments on this notice or for questions about the 
proposed action and the Draft EIS, please contact James T. Robb, 1325 J 
Street, Room 1350, Sacramento, CA 95814. Please refer to Identification 
Number SPK-2005-00938 in any correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. James T. Robb, (916) 557-7610, 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to submit 
written comments on the permit application on or before September 3, 
2012. Scoping comments should be submitted within the next 45 days, but 
may be submitted at any time prior to publication of the Draft EIS.
    The USACE will evaluate alternatives including the no action 
alternative, the proposed action alternative, and other on-site and 
off-site alternatives. The proposed project and the alternatives to its 
proposed size, design, and location will be developed through the EIS 
process.
    The proposed project would result in direct impacts to 
approximately 9.6 acres of waters of the United States and would avoid 
approximately 2.9 acres of these waters of the United States. Waters of 
the U.S. on-site include two intermittent streams, seasonal wetlands, 
wetland swales, and vernal pools.
    The proposed site for the Westbrook community is in unincorporated 
Placer County, CA, immediately west of the City of Roseville's existing 
city limits. 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 bordered on the west by Fiddyment Road and is 
approximately 1.2 miles north of Baseline Road. The property to the 
north was previously authorized for development under permit SPK-2002-
00666 (Westpark/Fiddyment Ranch) or is under review in the case of 
Creekview (SPK-2006-00650). The property to the south, directly 
adjacent to Baseline Road, is currently under review (Sierra Vista 
Specific Plan, SPK-2006-01050 and Placer Vineyards, SPK-1999-00737). 
The proposed project site was once a part of the Sierra Vista Specific 
Plan area, but the landowners at the time withdrew their application 
for a Section 404 permit and the area was dropped from analysis under 
the Sierra Vista EIS in 2008. A new permit application was received for 
the proposed Westbrook project on June 9, 2011.
    The Corps' public involvement program includes several 
opportunities to provide oral and written comments on the Westbrook 
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.
    The applicant reports that the project area supports suitable 
habitat for certain federally-listed branchiopods, including the 
threatened vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi) and 
endangered Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio) and 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi). The suitable habitat 
for branchiopods within the project area includes vernal pools and 
depressional seasonal wetlands (including depressional areas within 
wetland swales).
    The Applicant reports that there are historic properties within the 
Westbrook

[[Page 43578]]

project area. The Corps will review this information, determine 
eligibility and initiate the appropriate state and tribal consultations 
as required 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 November 2012 and May 2013.

    Dated: July 11, 2012.
William J. Leady,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2012-18130 Filed 7-24-12; 8:45 am]
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