The Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project is scheduled to be completed the first week in February, and will be distributed to all of the agencies and individuals who commented on earlier drafts. In anticipation, the Napa County Planning Commission has scheduled two public hearings on the proposed project and EIR:
· 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, , 1030 Main Street in Napa
· 6 p.m., Monday, March 19, 2012, Little Theater, Building 1200, , 2777 Napa-Vallejo Highway in Napa
The focus of each hearing will be slightly different. The Feb. 21 hearing will include a presentation by County staff and consultants summarizing the Final EIR and the planning process that began in March of 2007, when Napa Redevelopment Partners submitted an application for a mixed-use neighborhood including 3,200 homes on the 154-acre site south of the City of Napa. That proposal was reduced to include 2,580 homes and a mix of other uses on 135 acres before the EIR process began in January 2009.
The Final EIR contains written responses to the comments received on the Draft EIR and the Supplement to the Draft EIR. It will also include the results of recent studies conducted by the Napa Sanitation District, and explain that the developer’s proposal has been further reduced in size to include 2,050 dwelling units and a mix of other uses on 135 acres.
Representatives of Napa Redevelopment Partners also will make a presentation at the Feb. 21 hearing and members of the public will be invited to ask questions of the applicant and staff regarding the project.
The second hearing on March 19 will be an opportunity for members of the public to make comments about the proposed project, focusing on the specific actions that will be before the Planning Commission and then the Board of Supervisors. These proposed actions include adoption of a zoning ordinance, as well as resolutions certifying the EIR, adopting a General Plan amendment, and adopting mitigation measures and other findings required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
In October 2009, the County circulated a Draft EIR for public comments, followed in February 2011 by a Supplement to the Draft EIR that contained an analysis of a potential surface water transfer from a tributary of the Sacramento River, updated information about plans to remediate hazardous materials in the soil and groundwater, and other information concerning the proposed project.
The Planning Commission must make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors regarding the project, and a schedule for the Board of Supervisors’ hearings will not be set until after the Planning Commission concludes its hearings and makes a recommendation.
No development application, development agreement, design guidelines or other approval actions will be considered for adoption until the zoning and General Plan amendments are in place.
All documents related to the project are available at www.countyofnapa.org/NapaPipe and at the County’s Department of Conservation, Development & Planning.
Questions may be addressed to Sean Trippi on the planning staff at (707) 299-1353 or napapipe@countyofnapa.org.
