TN/City of Banning Comprehensive General Plan/Draft EIR Section II – Regional Environmental Setting CITY OF BANNING COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT SECTION II. REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING Introduction This section of the EIR provides a general introduction to the environmental setting of the Banning Pass area, of which the City of Banning is at the center. Discussions are based on a regional perspective to provide a broad and comprehensive understanding of the issues associated with implementation of the proposed General Plan. Topics discussed include existing and surrounding land use patterns in Banning and the vicinity, regional climate, topography, soils and geology, and biological resources. Also addressed are air quality issues, cultural resources, traffic and circulation, visual resources, and public services and facilities. The City of Banning conducted an Initial Study in accordance with Section 15063, 15064, and 15065 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (see Appendix A). Issues identified as potentially significant in the Initial Study are analyzed in detail in Section III of this document. A Notice of Preparation (NOP) for this EIR was transmitted on January 7, 2005 and comments received are included in Appendix A of this document. The General Plan study area encompasses a total of approximately 23.2± square miles of incorporated City lands, including about 8.5± square miles of Sphere-of-Influence lands, and about 5.2± square miles outside the SOI and the City but within the General Plan study area. A. Existing Land Use Development in the City of Banning is focused primarily on the valley floor along U.S. Interstate 10 due to the dramatic topographic relief of the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and south, the Banning Bench in the north central portion of the City, and the Banning Water Canyon, which runs through the northeastern and east-central portions of the City. The current II-1 TN/City of Banning Comprehensive General Plan/Draft EIR Section II – Regional Environmental Setting land use pattern in the City is characterized by a strong residential component, supported by local commercial and industrial development, with public and private open spaces interspersed throughout the City. Commercial and industrial land uses are generally clustered along U.S. I-10 and the Union Pacific Railroad, and near the Banning Municipal Airport. The General Plan study area consists of a total of 23,555± acres, of which 14,887± acres are in the City limits. Approximately 8,668 acres are in the City’s Sphere-of-Influence and unincorporated lands outside the sphere-of-influence referred to as the City’s “planning area.” Developed commercial lands include a variety of retail commercial establishments within the Ramsey Street corridor and the Downtown commercial area, as well as freeway-serving commercial such as fast food and gasoline stations. Developed commercial lands represent 8% (428± acres) of all developed lands in the General Plan study area. Developed lands designated as Industrial comprise approximately 10% (511± acres) of the total developed lands in the study area. These include airport-related uses, traditional industrial, ranging from light industrial to heavy manufacturing, and one operating sand and gravel facility. About 22% (5,168± acres) of the General Plan study area is developed. Residential land use represents about 66 % (3,415± acres) of developed lands, dominated by rural residential single- family dwelling units in the City limits and in the balance of the General Plan study area. Of the City’s total housing stock, about 79% (8,227 units), are attached and detached single-family homes, and approximately 21% (2,177 units) are multi-family units, including mobile homes. Public facilities, schools and other major community facilities comprise 5% (242± acres) of all developed lands in the General Plan study area. Under the existing General Plan no agricultural lands are specifically identified within the City limits, however Residential Agriculture (0-0.5 du/acre) and Rural Residential (0-1 du/acre) uses allow for agricultural and ranching activities. These two uses account for 1,608 acres in the City and 3,116 acres in the planning area. Also, approximately 1,101 acres are identified in the planning area as residential Agriculture, which allows for the construction of on dwelling unit per acres. Each of these agricultural related uses are accounted for in the land use calculations. Within the planning area, Open Space lands account for about 24% (5,577± acres) of the total study area; these include lands reserved for: existing and proposed parks and golf courses; natural resources, such as water and geological hazard; hillside preservation; conservation; and land reserved for recreation. Other Land Uses Under the current General Plan, less than 1% (426± acres) of lands within the study area are designated “Indian jurisdiction” are currently vacant and undeveloped. These occur outside the City limits and SOI lands. The existing General Plan designates land uses for which there is currently no General Plan land use designation as “Miscellaneous”, and these account for less than 1% (221± acres) of lands in the study area, and occur within the City limits. Neither of these land use designations are included in the Preferred Alternative. II-2 TN/City of Banning Comprehensive General Plan/Draft EIR Section II – Regional Environmental Setting B. Surrounding Land Use The General Plan study area is bordered on the north by lands that occur within the County of San Bernardino, and lands within the San Bernardino National Forest. The County of Riverside and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians reservation border the City of Banning on the east. County lands consist of primarily of Conservation and Rural Mountainous (10 acre minimum), with some Agriculture, Rural Desert (10 acre minimum) and Rural Residential (5 acre minimum) land use designations. Land uses on Morongo tribal lands include commercial development comprised of a resort hotel and casino complex, commercial and highway-serving retail development, and residential, mixed use, industrial and public facilities associated with the reservation. Lands in the northern portion of the Morongo reservation, northeast of the planning area, are preserved as open space. The unincorporated Riverside County community of Cabazon occurs southeast of the planning area. To the south are lands primarily under the jurisdiction of Riverside County, areas subject to Indian jurisdiction, as well as public lands in the San Jacinto/Santa Rosa Mountains National Monument. Surrounding land uses under the jurisdiction of the County of Riverside include a combination of Very Low Density Residential (1 ac minimum), Low Density Residential (0.5 ac minimum), Rural Mountainous (10 acre minimum) and Agriculture. Lands to the west are under the jurisdiction of the County of Riverside and the City of Beaumont. Those lands that occur in Riverside County include Conservation, Very Low Density Rural Residential (1 acre minimum), Rural Mountainous (10 acre minimum), and a small portion of Morongo tribal land. Those lands that occur in the City of Beaumont and include a mix of residential, commercial, industrial and professional office, as well as institutional uses. Lands to the northwest are under the jurisdiction of Riverside County comprised of the community of Cherry Valley. Lands further northwest are under the jurisdiction of the County of San Bernardino. C. Topography The relief of the City of Banning is characterized by dramatic topographical contrasts. The largest portion of the City occupies the narrow, southeast-trending valley known as the San Gorgonio Pass, nestled between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. As the complex San Andreas fault system slices through San Gorgonio Pass, it separates the San Bernardino Mountains segment of the Transverse Ranges from the San Jacinto Mountains segment of the Peninsular Ranges. The Peninsular Ranges extends southward from the Los Angeles Basin to the tip of Baja California. The central and northern parts of the City extend into the foothills of the steep San Bernardino Mountains, with the northernmost portion lying inside the San Bernardino National Forest. Behind the foothills, the mountains rise abruptly to San Gorgonio Peak, which, with an elevation of 11,499 feet, is the highest peak in southern California. The San Jacinto mountains, which rise steeply from the southern margin of the City, has the second highest peak, the San Jacinto Peak, with an elevation of 10,804 feet. II-3 TN/City of Banning Comprehensive General Plan/Draft EIR Section II – Regional Environmental Setting The Gorgonio Pass valley, extends westward from the Coachella Valley, rises to its highest elevation (approximately 2,600 feet) near Beaumont. Farther west, it merges with the Beaumont Plain and the San Timoteo Badlands. Within the City of Banning, elevations range from 2,080 feet above mean sea level in the eastern part of the Valley to about 5,200 feet in the mountains. Bounded by steep and rugged escarpments to the north and south, the Valley has the most spectacular scenery in southern California. Numerous tributaries, which emerge from the deeply incised, and narrow canyons in the San Bernardino Mountains, and the San Jacinto Mountains descend onto the valley floor of San Gorgonio Pass and flow eastward toward the Coachella Valley. The largest of these is the San Gorgonio River, which flows through Banning Canyon with the largest drainage basin area, collecting overland flows from several large canyons along its lower reaches before exiting the City near Interstate (I-10). Tributaries of the San Gorgonio River, such as Smith Creek (the largest tributary within the City), Gilman, Big Oaks, Mias, Hathaway, Potrero, drain the western part of the City, while Montgomery Creek, together with other smaller unnamed creeks, drains the central part. These channels coalesce along the southern edge of the City, and surface water is conveyed toward the Coachella Valley.