Draft Environmental Impact Statement; City of Porterville, CA; Section 108 Loan Guarantee Funded Infrastructure

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4307-N-01]

Draft Environmental Impact Statement; City of Porterville, CA;

Section 108 Loan Guarantee Funded Infrastructure

agency: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, HUD.

action: Notice.

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summary: The Department of Housing and Urban Development gives notice

that the City of Porterville, California, intends to prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement for a public infrastructure project to

be located within the Urban Development Boundary of Porterville.

This Notice is in accordance with regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality as described in 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. Federal

agencies having jurisdiction by law, special expertise, or other

special interest should report their interests and indicate their

readiness to aid in the EIS effort as a ``Cooperation Agency.''

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be completed for the

proposed action described herein. Comments relating to the Draft EIS

are requested and will be accepted by the contact person listed below.

When the Draft EIS is completed, a notice will be sent to individuals

and groups known to have an interest on the Draft EIS and particularly

on the environmental impact issues identified therein. Any person or

agency interested in receiving a notice and making comment on the Draft

EIS should contact the person listed below.

dates: Comments Due: December 16, 1997.

addresses: All interested agencies, groups and persons are invited to

submit written comments on the within-named project and the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement to the following contact person: Ronald

J. Mauck, City of Porterville, Department of Community Development and

Services, 291 North Main Street, Porterville, CA 93257. Such comments

should be received by the office within 15 days of the publication of

this notice in the Federal Register and all comments so received will

be considered prior to the preparation and distribution of the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement.

Particularly solicited is information on reports or other

environmental studies planned or completed in the project area, major

issues and date which the EIS should consider and recommended

mitigating measures and alternatives associated with the proposed

project. Federal agencies having jurisdictions by law, special

expertise or other special interest should report their interests and

indicate their readiness to aid the EIS effort as a ``cooperating

agency''.

for further information contact: Ronald J. Mauck, City of Porterville,

Department of Community Development and Services, 291 North Main

Street, Porterville, CA 93257.

supplementary information: The proposed project involves installation

of a variety of public infrastructure including, but not necessarily

limited to, public streets (including curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and

street lights), water and sewer trunk lines, highway on and off ramps,

and storm drain lines. The primary objective of installing the

infrastructure is to facilitate the development of new industrial and

commercial employment centers to accomplish provision of new jobs,

particularly low- and moderate-income jobs, within the community.

The City of Porterville anticipates acquiring Community Development

Block Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act

of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-383) to repay a Section 108 Loan Guarantee from the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in funding the

proposed project.

The combined Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact

Statement (EIR/EIS) will analyze potential environmental effects of

five project alternatives. The alternatives described here are not

intended to represent a final list of alternatives that may be

considered, but are illustrative of varying options for investment of

the Section 108 Loan Guarantee funds, enabling an evaluation of the

full range of potential environmental impacts in the EIR/EIS.

Development plans for the final selected project alternative will

represent infrastructure facilities to be constructed and address

related growth inducing effects which fall within the range of impacts

identified within the EIR/EIS alternatives.

Alternatives

Alternative I would provide for extension of water and sewer trunk

lines within Indiana Street and Teapot Dome Avenue connecting the

existing City water and sewer infrastructure system with industrial

designated lands along Teapot Dome Avenue and within the easterly

sector of the Porterville Municipal Airport. Alternative I would also

include development of a new highway interchange at the intersection of

State Highway 65 and Teapot Dome Avenue. Approximately 200 acres of

vacant and agricultural land currently designated by the City General

Plan for future industrial development would ultimately be converted to

urbanized use under Alternative I.

Alternative 2 would provide for extension of water trunk lines

within South Newcomb Street from River Avenue south across the Tule

River to a point just south of the intersection of South Newcomb Street

and State Highway 190. Alternative 2 would also provide for the

construction of South Newcomb Street to arterial width from Heritage

Avenue south across the Tule River, inclusive of construction of a

bridge across the river, to a point just south of the intersection of

South Newcomb Street and State Highway 190. Street improvements would

include curb, gutter, sidewalk, and streetlights. Approximately 200

acres of vacant land currently designated by the City General Plan for

low-density residential uses would be ultimately converted to

Industrial/Commercial Uses under Alternative 2.

Alternative 3 would provide for extension of sewer and trunk lines

from Indiana Street north of Gibbons Avenue to the intersection of

Indiana Street and Scranton Avenue then west along Scranton Avenue

across State Highway 65 to the intersection of Scranton Avenue and

South Newcomb Street. Construction of State Highway on and off ramps at

the intersection of State Highway 65 and Scranton Avenue would also be

provided by Alternative 3. Approximately 300 acres of vacant land

designated for highway commercial uses and 200 acres of primarily

vacant land designated for industrial uses would ultimately be

converted to urbanized uses under Alternative 3.

[[Page 63555]]

Alternative 4 (the proposed Project Alternative) would provide for

infrastructure improvements within two (2) distinctly separate

locations. Alternative 4--Area No. 1 would provide for extension of

water and sewer trunk lines in the vicinity of the Porterville

Municipal Airport, improvement of Tea Pot Dome Avenue, and Newcomb and

West Streets proximate to the Municipal Airport, improvements to the

abandon runway located at the Municipal Airport, and installation of

master planned storm drain improvements in the vicinity of the

municipal airport. Alternative 4--Area No. 2 would provide for

extension of water trunk lines in the vicinity of South Jaye Street,

State Highway 65, and Gibbons Avenue. South Jaye Street would be

extended as an arterial width Street from its southerly terminus to

Gibbons Avenue. Alternative 4 would also accomplish installation of

storm drain facilities in South Jay Street and Gibbons Avenue. Under

Alternative 4, approximately 200 acres of primarily vacant land

designated for industrial uses would ultimately be converted to

urbanized use.

Alternative 5 is the No Project alternative, consideration of which

is required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and by

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under this alternative,

the proposed infrastructure project would not occur precluding

industrial/commercial development of any of the areas discussed in

Alternatives 1-4.

Environmental effects of the proposed project: Land use and

planning; population and housing; water impacts; air quality impacts;

transportation and circulation impacts; biological resources impacts;

energy and mineral resource impacts; hazards; noise impacts; demands on

public services and utilities; aesthetic impacts; recreation impacts;

and cumulative effects.

Need for the EIS

It has been determined that the project may constitute an action

significantly effecting the quality of the human environment and an

Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared by the City of

Porterville in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (Pub. L. 91-190) on such project.

Responses to this notice will be used to:

1. Determine significant environment issues;

2. Identify data which the EIS should address; and

3. Identify agencies and other parties which will participate in

the EIS process and the basis for their involvement.

This notice is in accordance with the regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality under its rule (40 CFR part 1500).

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be published and

distributed about January 15, 1998, and a copy will be on file at the

City of Porterville Department of Community Development and Services at

291 North Main Street, Porterville, CA 93257 and available for public

inspection, or copies may be attained at the same address, upon

request.

Scoping

This notice is part of the process used for scoping the EIS.

Responses will help determine significant environmental issues,

identify data which the EIS should address, and help identify

cooperating agencies.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be published upon

completion and will be on file, and available for public inspection at

the address listed below. Copies may also be obtained upon request, at

the same address.

This Notice shall be effective for one year. If one year after the

publication of the Notice in the Federal Register a Draft EIS has not

been filed on the project, then the Notice for that project shall be

cancelled. If a draft EIS is expected more than one year after the

publication of this Notice, a new and updated Notice must be published.

Dated: November 20, 1997.

Richard H. Broun,

Director, Office of Community Viability.

[FR Doc. 97-31339 Filed 11-28-97; 8:45 am]

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