| | Published May 23rd, 2012
| Environmental Report on "Terraces" Project Available
| | By Cathy Tyson | | |
It certainly can't compete with the latest paperback novel, but for curious readers the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Terraces of Lafayette project is now available to the public.
The lengthy non-fiction report assesses the potential environmental consequences of approving the controversial 315-unit multi-family project at the corner of Deer Hill Road and Pleasant Hill Road, officially known as the Terraces of Lafayette.
It takes a village to complete a report this extensive. The Planning Center was the lead consultant with six project team members, along with subconsultants for biological resources, historic resources, geology and soils, and traffic and transportation.
They were tasked with analyzing and looking at feasible mitigation measures and possible alternatives that would reduce or avoid substantial impacts. The 14 proposed two- and three-story buildings clustered on the 22-acre parcel, locally known as the Christmas Tree Lot, obviously will impact the site in a number of ways: visually, air quality, noise, traffic and more.
With seven chapters from a Report Summary to Environmental Evaluation and appendices covering an array of topics from conceptual site plans to a preliminary stormwater control plan, there is something for everyone. For example, the Transportation and Traffic section is 122 pages long; readers should be advised that although the margins are wide, it will take a while to get through the entire report.
In order to quantify and compare possible options, EIR authors analyzed three alternatives: the no project alternative, the mitigated project alternative, and the office development alternative. Rather like Goldilocks and the three bowls of porridge, it will be up to the Planning Commission to determine which one is just right.
Looking forward, the Final Environmental Impact Report is scheduled to be released in September. When asked about next steps the City's Special Projects Manager, Ann Merideth, said, "Since the project application is a Land Use Permit and Hillside Development Permit, the Planning Commission is the decision-making body. The Commission will consider the project application this fall after the environmental review process is completed. The City Council would consider the EIR and project application if there were an appeal of the Commission's decisions."
As always, the public is invited to read over the document and offer comments. The Draft EIR can be found on the city's website at www.ci.lafayette.ca.us, or read it over at the City of Lafayette Offices, 3675 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Suite 210 or at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, 3491 Mt. Diablo. A CD is also available, call (925) 284-1969 to request it. The official public review period runs through 5 p.m. on June 28. Those with comments can send them to: Ann Merideth, City of Lafayette, 3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite 210, Lafayette, California 94549, or save a tree and send via e-mail to: amerideth@ci.lafayette.ca.us. To take a more colorful look at the proposed project, visit the developer's website for detailed architectural and landscape plans at www.terracesoflafayette.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA