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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09 - Newport Dunes Resort EIRREPORT TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: Newport Dunes Resort Environmental Impact Report SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve amendment to the professional services agreement with LSA Associates, Inc. The City Council approved an amendment to the professional services agreement with LSA Associates with regard to changes in the project on April 11, 2000. This amendment is for $10,500. The amendment with regard to additional work on responses to comments and preparation of the Final EIR ($27,500) was continued, with requests for a status report on the EIR and for the consultant to be present at the meeting of April 25. LSA Associates has prepared the attached status report, and will have a representative at the Council meeting. As the status report indicates, the consultant has provided additional responses to comments and questions from the Environmental Quality Affairs Committee (EQAC). This information was available for the Planning Commission's consideration on April 20. In addition, EQAC's chairman intends to place this report on the EQAC agenda for May to enable the Committee to make its recommendation on the adequacy of the EIR to the City Council when it is conducting public hearings on the project. Staff believes the requested amendment for additional work is justified, as there has been an unusually high amount of public interest in the Newport Dunes Resort project and commensurate amount of comments on the EIR. Assistant City Manager ,A�C Attachment: Memorandum from LSA Associates, Inc. CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Hearing Date: April 25, 2000 zEWOOR, o� COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC Agenda Item DEVELOPMENT No.: 9 PLANNING DEPARTMENT Staff Person: Sharon Z. Wood 3300 NEWPORT BOULEVARD (949) 644 -3222 NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92658 (714) 644 -3200; FAX (714) 644 -3250 REPORT TO THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: Newport Dunes Resort Environmental Impact Report SUGGESTED ACTION: Approve amendment to the professional services agreement with LSA Associates, Inc. The City Council approved an amendment to the professional services agreement with LSA Associates with regard to changes in the project on April 11, 2000. This amendment is for $10,500. The amendment with regard to additional work on responses to comments and preparation of the Final EIR ($27,500) was continued, with requests for a status report on the EIR and for the consultant to be present at the meeting of April 25. LSA Associates has prepared the attached status report, and will have a representative at the Council meeting. As the status report indicates, the consultant has provided additional responses to comments and questions from the Environmental Quality Affairs Committee (EQAC). This information was available for the Planning Commission's consideration on April 20. In addition, EQAC's chairman intends to place this report on the EQAC agenda for May to enable the Committee to make its recommendation on the adequacy of the EIR to the City Council when it is conducting public hearings on the project. Staff believes the requested amendment for additional work is justified, as there has been an unusually high amount of public interest in the Newport Dunes Resort project and commensurate amount of comments on the EIR. Assistant City Manager ,A�C Attachment: Memorandum from LSA Associates, Inc. LSA PARK PLAZA INC. ONE PARK PLAZA, SUITE $00 IRVINE, CALIFORNIA 92614 MEMORANDUM DATE: April 14, 2000 To, Sharon Wood, Assistant City Manager FROM, Robert W. Balen, Principal OTHER OFFICES; 949.5530666 TEL BERKELEY RIVERSIDE 949.553.8076 FAX PT. RICHMOND ROCKLIN SUBJECT. Status of Newport Dunes Resort EIR Process This memorandum is provided in response to the City Council's April 11 request for a status report on the progress of the Newport Dunes Resort EIR. LSA Associates, Inc. (LSA) is in the process of preparing the Final EIR package for review and certification by the City Council. The status is summarized below. Responses to Comments LSA prepared a Draft Responses to Comments (DRTC) document on January 28, 2000, with the input of the City Planning Department, the City Attorney's office, and subconsultants responsible for preparing technical studies included in the DEIR, as well as the applicant. The DRTC included responses to the comments raised by the City's Environmental Quality Affairs Committee (EQAC), charged with reviewing the DEIR. The City Attorney's office has reviewed the DRTC and found the document consistent with the requirements of CEQA. On March 23, 2000, the EQAC submitted a letter to the Planning Commission listing their concerns with the DRTC. In response to EQAC's letter, LSA has provided a memo report, dated April 14, 2000, which attempts to further clarify the responses with which EQAC had concerns. We believe this memorandum provides additional clarification of issues, as well as an explanation of the level of analysis required for compliance with CEQA. At its meeting on April 6, 2000, this Planning Commission evaluated the adequacy of the DEIR, and DRTC and found the documents to be consistent with the requirements of CEQA. Therefore, with the City's approval, LSA will now prepare a Final Responses to Comments document for inclusion in the Final EIR package. Environmental Evaluation of the Revised Project At its meeting on April 11, the City Council authorized LSA and its subconsultant, Mestre Greve Associates, to prepare for its review an environmental analysis of the revised Newport Dunes Resort as modified by the Planning Commission. This revised environmental analysis is necessary for the purposes of CEQA to document that the; revised project has no new environmental impacts not anticipated in the DEIR or the subsequent analyses of the project modifications prepared by LSA. In 4 /14 /00((PACN13834\A.dmin \4 -14 status memompd>> LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. addition, the analysis will determine whether any of the significant impacts identified in the DEIR (air quality, traffic, visual resources) have been reduced to less than significant levels through the redesign of the project. LSA and Mestre Greve Associates are currently preparing this revised analysis, and we plan to submit a draft copy to the City Planning Department for review on April 28. Final EIR Package LSA will compile the Final EIR package for certification by the City Council. The Final EIR will include Volumes I and II the Draft EIR, the Responses to Comments, Errata, the Revised Environmental Analysis, Facts & Findings, Planning Commission and City Council staff reports and resolutions, and a Statement of Overriding Considerations. This Final EIR package will be compiled for certification by the City Council after the completion of the environmental evaluation of the revised project. LSA will continue to work expeditiously at the direction of the City staff to complete the CEQA process for the Newport Dunes Resort project. Please do not hesitate to call me if there are any issues that you would like to discuss. 4 /14 /00<CPACNB834V1dmin14 -14 status memompO