HomeMy WebLinkAboutAvila Ranch DEIR Public Comment received 1-18-17 (Wheeler, Barinka) I RECEIVED
From: Davidson, Doug
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2017 9:28 AM JAN 18 2017
To: Bergman, Katelin; Corey, Tyler
Subject: FW: Avila Ranch Draft EIR comments COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Attachments: Avila Ranch Draft EIR (DEIR) comments Jan 11 2017.docx
From: Marge Barinka [
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2017 9:13 AM
To: Davidson, Doug <ddavidson@slocity.org>; E-mail Council Website <emailcouncil@slocity.org>
Subject: Avila Ranch Draft EIR comments
Please acknowledge receipt of these comments.
Marge Barinka
January 11, 2017
Avila Ranch Draft EIR iDEIRj. comments
Attention: John Rickenback/Tyler Corey
City of San Luis Obispo
Community Development Dept.
919 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-3210
and tcorey@slocity.org
Aesthetics and Visual Resources
• Appears to be a high density residential peninsula, almost an island, surrounded by heavy
commercial/industrial and Ag related uses. LUCE may recommend that it be re -zoned, but that does not
make it the right thing to do.
Agriculture Resources
Prime Ag land taken away.
Benefit of having Prime Ag land within the City sphere is not addressed.
Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• This "valley" that we live in is going to suffer with a terrible inversion layer of large amounts of
vehicle/equipment emissions if this Project is built and the number of daily vehicle trips reported in the
DEIR comes to pass. Now adding vehicle emissions to the soon expected "odors" from the recycle plant
located just to the east (Waste Connections). This increase in greenhouse gas emissions cannot be
healthy for anyone.
• We encourage more local residents to use bicycles for local transportation, however, with the air quality
being so highly degraded with the build out of this Project and the tremendous increase in traffic, how is
that healthy to the local population?
With the current sewer plant at maximum capacity, won't there be violation of the Air Quality laws when
this Project adds to that supply?
Biological Resources
Fairy shrimp and other native species identified? How is that being mitigated?
Realignment of creek — how does that affect native species?
Cultural Resources
• Archeological considerations not addressed
Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Land is identified as a flood plain.
• Potential future damage due to flooding
• Flood Insurance requirements
• As adjacent property owner, what will our potential flooding issues be with the re -alignment of creeks
and massive grading for the Project?
Hydrology and Water Quality
• Re -alignment of creek and creek crossing at Buckley & Vachell — what are the long term effects of re-
alignment? The existing creek situation causes flooding (and closure) at the Buckley/Vachell corner
during storm activity.
• We can only assume that there will be additional water runoff generated because of the build -out and
pave -over of these acres. Is that additional water runoff being addressed in the EIR? The southwest
corner of this property already has a serious drainage situation during heavy storm weather. The bridge
(stream below) that is just east of the Buckley Vachell corner cannot handle the current run-off that
occurs, causing overcapacity and flooding of this corner. This flooding requires road closure. That is the
current issue -how is this addressed in the EIR?
• To our knowledge the county has identified at least a good portion of this property a "Flood Zone". This
identification cannot be ignored.
• The site has numerous weak springs that ooze for days, or weeks, after a strong storm, enough to keep
the existing farming operation at a standstill for weeks after a series of strong storms. Builders, Engineers
and Buyers beware!
• Our properties that border this site on the east all have natural drainage from our acreage flowing west
onto this property. Is this accounted for in the drainage plan? Will there be a backup/flooding issue onto
the adjacent east property during severe weather? Where is the liability for such an occurrence?
• How can the statement "the City has plenty of water" be made when current residents of the City are
being required to conserve; the current sewer plant is at capacity with no plans to expand to
accommodate this and other Projects either under construction or in the pipeline.
Land Use and Planning
• Appears to be a high density residential peninsula, almost an island, surrounded by heavy
commercial/industrial and Ag related uses. LUCE may recommend that it be re -zoned, but that does not
make it right.
Noise
• DEIR does not adequately address noise from Commercial/Industrial business directly adjacent to the
Project, i.e. Air Vol Block, Cal Portland's concrete batch plant (both which run 24/7 during certain times of
the year), Lockeed Martin Drone Testing facility (testing at various times of the day and night), Ag wind
machines along Buckley Road (run periodically through the night and early mornings during frost weather
periods), and numerous heavy industrial businesses along the north side of the Project.
Larger buffers between Project and existing uses/structures/residences, roads.
Population and Housing
• We understand the need for affordable housing, but the circulation/infrastructure must be in place before
residential construction begins.
• Are there going to be requirements for number of individuals per household? DEIR states 720 residences
and 1600+- individuals living there. For the high cost of any of these units, we can only assume there will
be more than 2 individuals living in most of these units.
• The quality of life for the current residents of this area is going to be forever changed, for the worse.
Progress is inevitable, but that progress has to be realistic. This area has a large population of larger
landowners (1 acre+), many who raise livestock. To place high density housing adjacent to that situation,
plus adjacent to commercial/industrial uses is not using common sense.
• Housing prices —what will be the stated housing sales prices? Are any of these actually "affordable"?
Public Services
• With increased traffic and congestion, how are Emergency vehicles going to gain access to calls anywhere
in this area? The City has a fiduciary responsibility when allowing the development of a Project such as
this to provide for the Health and Safety of the current residents and the new residents.
Transportation and Traffic
• Gridlock is a word that is never used in the DEIR, but that is exactly what we will be faced with.
Gridlock/congestion/increased traffics accidents/decline in health and safety for all traveling through this
area.
• The extra traffic created by the Project cannot be "mitigated away" with some magic language in the
DEIR. The existing roads and City services (H2O, Sewer, etc) simply cannot currently support the Project,
no matter what the report says. Off-site infrastructure has to come first and be in place — not mitigated.
• With Project—Traffic will be Signficant even with mitigation", let's call it like it really is.
• Intersections of Vachell/So. Higuera, LOVR/So. Higuera, So. Higuera/Industrial, So. Higuera, Prado, So.
Higuera/Tank Farm and numerous residential cross streets in-between will be massively affected by the
large increase in vehicular traffic. There are small to no plans in place, or recommended to alleviate these
problems.
• Highway 101/North and South bound off ramps at LOVR are already demonstrating backup ONTO THE
HIGHWAY during certain periods of the day. This situation is dangerous and only going to get worse not
even taking into consideration the Projects that are under construction and those that are in the pipeline.
• Buckley Road extension to South Higuera. Although not a fix -all, this plan MUST be completed in the
initial phase of the Project, not at the end. The timeframe mentioned is over 5 years. This is not realistic
at all. A quote heard recently was "you don't built a house without completing the foundation first", well
this Project should not be allowed to complete Phase One without the circulation and infrastructure in
place (extension of Buckley Road to So. Higuera, widening of Buckley Road with bike lanes, addressing the
Vachell/So. Higuera intersection, addressing the Buckley Road/Hwy 227 intersection).
• As an adjacent property owner/resident, we make numerous trips weekly onto Buckley Road pulling a
livestock trailer. The current traffic on Buckley more often than not ignores the speed limit posted and
this makes for a very challenging and dangerous environment with ingress/egress of Buckley/Esperanza.
There have already been fatal accidents on numerous areas of Buckley Road and without major upgrading
and widening the additional vehicle trips mentioned in the DEIR will make this an impossible situation.
• Prado Road overpass is listed in the DEIR as mitigation, BUT it is our understanding that issue has been
decided that Prado Road overpass WILL NOT ever go through.
Utilities
How can the statement "the City has plenty of water" be made when current residents of the City are
being required to conserve; the current sewer plant is "at capacity" with no plans to expand to
accommodate this and other Projects either under construction or in the pipeline.
FINAL COMMENTS
There are so many issues within the EIR that realistically should not or cannot be mitigated, it seems irresponsible
for the Planning Commission to approve this Project as it stands currently. The Planning Commission is responsible
for looking forward (20-30 years) and using realistic methods to develop the progression of our beautiful area.
Please notify us of any and all future activity with regard to the Avila Project.
Mark Wheeler/Marge Barinka
4341 Esperanza Lane
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401