REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Patrick Henry Drive Specific Plan, Draft Notice of Preparation
Report
BACKGROUND
The City formally commenced the preparation of a Specific Plan for the Patrick Henry Drive (PHD) area with the City Council's approval of a contract on August 22, 2018 with planning consultants, MIG, Inc. (MIG). Preparation of the Specific Plan will identify new General Plan land use designations and associated policies for urban design, amenities, infrastructure and other land use elements to support the redevelopment of the PHD area from low-intensity office and industrial park use into high-density, mixed use neighborhoods. The Patrick Henry Drive Specific Plan area is designated as a Phase III Future Focus Area for high-density residential development in the City's 2010-2035 General Plan.
At the August 28, 2019 meeting, the City Council directed staff to return with a detailed project description prior to issuance of a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the PHD Specific Plan.
DISCUSSION
The release of a NOP is the first public action in the EIR preparation process. The purpose of the NOP is to inform agencies and interested parties that an EIR will be prepared for a project and to describe the scope of the project that will be addressed in the EIR. NOPs include information about the project and its potential environmental impacts to allow agencies and interested parties the opportunity to provide feedback related to the scope and content of the EIR, including mitigation measures that should be considered and alternatives that should be addressed. NOPs include a detailed project description, a description of the required approvals, and a list of the impact areas that will be studied, including air quality, biological resources and noise. While the details of the Specific Plan will be further developed before release of the EIR and ultimately before preparation of the Specific Plan document for...
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