07/21/2004 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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t�4J vlU•J'L �e,�S i oil, MEMORANDUM July 19, 2004 to: City Council from: Jeff Smyser subject: Record of Decision for the EAW, Pheasant Hills Preserve 12th Addition (Island Project) The Environmental Assessment Worksheet process on this project is nearing completion. The next action is for the City Council to make a positive or negative declaration: whether or not an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) should be required. Staff is requesting direction from the Council at this time on whether or not the Council wishes to hold a public hearing on the EIS decision. If so, we could hold the hearing at the City Council meeting on August 9t'. Staff has prepared a draft Record of Decision, but we have not yet prepared the City Council resolution that will include the declaration itself. The Record of Decision includes findings and responses to comments on the EAW. The document should be revised as necessary to reflect the City Council's views on the issues. As a reminder, the decision on the EAW is not an approval or denial of the development project. The EAW addresses potential environmental impacts. Information in the EAW should inform the decision on the project itself, but action on the project is a different decision. Though the Record of Decision as yet includes no direct recommendation, staff's view at this time is that an EIS should not be ordered (negative declaration). The main environmental issues are noise and vibration from the bridge construction and the visual impact of the proposed bridge. The bridge construction will be temporary, and the noise and vibration impacts could be mitigated and avoided through a pre - construction monitoring survey and an ongoing monitoring program. A new bridge type with a lower profile has been submitted by the developer. This would have far less visual impact than the previously proposed truss bridge. There will be a visual impact, but the question is whether it is significant. We discussed the draft Record of Decision with the Environmental Board on July 15. The Board requested some changes and clarifications to the text of the document, which are included in the July 19 draft. The Environmental Board then recommended a negative declaration on the need for an EIS.