3 Department of Development Services Tim Snellings, Director Pete Calarco, Assistant Director 7 County Center Drive T: 530.552.3700 buttecounty.net/dds Oroville, California 95965 F: 530.538.7785 BUTTE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION NOTICE OF INTENT TO ADOPT A MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR TENTATIVE SUBDIVISION MAP TSM17-0001 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Butte County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider an application for Tentative Subdivision Map TSM17-0001 (Nels Leen) on July 26, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. or shortly thereafter, in the Butte County Board of Supervisors’ Room, County Administration Center, 25 County Center Drive, Oroville, California as follows: Project Information: Project: Tentative Subdivision Map TSM17-0001 APN: 039-370-019 & 039-090-061 Location: The project site is located at 1232 Stanley Avenue, on the south side of Stanley Avenue, ¼ mile east from Dayton Road, south of the City of Chico. Proposal: The applicant is requesting approval of a Clustered Tentative Subdivision Map (TSM) to divide an approximately 18.5 acre property (two parcels) into 22 parcels (21 residential lots and one open space lot) ranging in size from 0.19 acres to 12.02 acres. The 21 clustered residential lots range in size from 0.19 acres to 0.75 acres. The proposed open space parcel, Lot A, is approximately 12.02 aces). Lots will be served by a new cul-de-sac, off of Stanley Avenue, with full urban improvements including curb, gutter, sidewalk and drainage disposal. The project proposes a community waste water system, with individual septic systems and a community wastewater area. Each parcel will be provided with domestic water service via the extension of the California Water Service Company network along Stanley Avenue. The project proposes a 300 foot residential dwelling setback from the agriculturally zoned parcels to the south. Pursuant to Butte County Code §24-56.1 (Residential Setback from Orchards and Vineyards), Development Services in consultation with the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office has recommended a residential dwelling setback from adjacent active orchard (APN 039-370-102) of either of 50 feet or 25 feet with an approved vegetation screen along the eastern property lines of parcels 13-18 and from the northern property line of parcel 11. In compliance with CEQA, this notice discloses that there are no listed toxic sites present on site. A search of the state and federal agency databases for hazardous materials sites within one-mile of the project site was performed and the project site is within one-mile of an identified clean-up site. Diamond Match Factory, a State Response clean-up site, is located approximately 0.85 miles to the northeast of the project site. The Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) and reference documents for these projects are on file for public review and comment starting Tuesday, June 26, 2018 through Wednesday, July 25, 2018, at the Butte County Planning Division, 7 County Center Drive, Oroville, CA. The IS/MND is also available for review on the County website at http://www.buttecounty.net/dds/Planning/CEQA.aspx. All persons are invited to review the documents. Comments may be submitted to the Planning Division in writing at the above address at any time prior to the hearing or orally at the meeting listed above, or as may be continued to a later date. If you challenge the above application in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to the public hearing. For information call or send an email to Mark Michelena, Senior Planner, Butte County Development Services Department, Planning Division at (530) 552-3683 or [email protected]. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in the hearing, please contact us at (530) 552-3663. Notification at least 72 hours prior to the hearing will enable staff to make reasonable arrangements. BUTTE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION TIM SNELLINGS, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES Project Name: Nels Leen Tentative Subdivision Map, File # TSM17-0001 DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT BUTTE COUNTY INITIAL STUDY AND PROPOSED MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION TENTATIVE SUBDIVISION MAP (CLUSTERED) TSM17-0001 (Leen) Project Name: Nels Leen Tentative Subdivision Map, File # TSM17-0001 COUNTY OF BUTTE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES INITIAL STUDY AND MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR TENTATIVE SUBDIVISION MAP TSM 17-0001 (Leen) 1.0 PROJECT INFORMATION A. Applicant/Owner: Nels Leen (Applicant/Owner) B. Staff Contact: Mark Michelena, Senior Planner; (530) 552-3683, [email protected] C. Project Name: TSM17-0001; Leen Tentative Subdivision Map (Clustered) D. Project Location: The project site is located at 1232 Stanley Avenue, on the south side of Stanley Avenue, ¼ mile east from Dayton Road, south of the city of Chico. Township 21 North, Range 1 East, Section 19 of the Chico USGS 7.5’ Quadrangle. E. Type of Application: Tentative Subdivision Map (Clustered Development pursuant to Chapter 24, Article III, Division 8, of Butte County Code) F. Assessor Parcel Numbers: 039-090-061 and 039-370-019 G. Project Site Size: 18.5± acres H. Current Zoning: VLDR (Very Low Density Residential – (1 unit/acre density) I. General Plan Designation: VLDR (Very Low Density Residential) J. Environmental Setting: The project site encompasses approximately 18.5 acres of a largely unimproved, disturbed, vacant property located on Stanley Avenue, 0.25 miles east of Dayton Road, and approximately 0.60 miles south of the City of Chico city limits. (Figure 1) An existing single-family residence is present within APN 039-370-019, additional secondary structures include a carport, two garages, and a well. The single-family residence and additional structures will remain as Parcel 19 of the Tentative Subdivision Map (Figure 2). Additionally, irrigation infrastructure that served former agricultural practices on-site, including a well and sprinkler heads, can be found within the project boundaries. Site topography is flat, with elevations ranging from 177 feet above mean sea level (msl) in the southwestern corner of the property to 182 feet above msl in the southeastern corner of the property. The property is bordered by residential development (one with an active agricultural use (orchard)) to the north and east, on the south by Comanche Creek which separates the property from a 146-acre orchard, zoned A-40 (Agriculture – 40-acre minimum), and a mobile home park and residential development on the west. The project site is situated in the VLDR – 1.0 (Very Low Density Residential – one-acre minimum zone district), west of the Chico west of the Chico Area Greenline. This zone allows for the appropriate development of single- family homes and related uses in residential neighborhoods of the county. Standards for the VLDR zone are intended to preserve and protect the character of existing neighborhoods and ensure that new residential developments provide appropriate transition from rural to more developed areas. Permitted residential uses in the VLDR zone include a single-family home, small residential care home, second unit and accessory structures. The VLDR zone also conditionally permits non-residential uses compatible with a rural residential setting, including public and quasi- public uses, golf courses, park and recreational facilities, personal services, medical offices and clinics, and animal services. Animal grazing, crop cultivation, private stable, on-site agricultural products sales are permitted uses in the VLDR zone. The minimum permitted parcel size in the VLDR zone is 1 acre. Soils on the project site consists of Chico loam, 0 to 1 percent slopes. This unit is found on low fan terraces and derived from mixed rocks. It is well drained with a very high depth to restrictive feature (more than 80 inches). The soil is commonly used for growing almonds, walnuts, row crops, and development. ■ Butte County Department of Development Services ■ ■ Initial Study – TSM17-0001 (Leen) ■ Page 2 of 76 ■ Project Name: Nels Leen Tentative Subdivision Map, File # TSM17-0001 The Butte County General Plan identifies this property to be located in the Agricultural Land vegetative community type. Agricultural lands in the county include orchard crops such as almond and walnut, rice, and a variety of row crops. Wildlife species that may use agricultural land include a variety of avian species, as well as, raccoon (Procyon lotor), coyote (Canis latrans), and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). Vegetation within the site is primarily ruderal annual species, with the exception of a few trees within the site and the riparian vegetation found along Comanche Creek. Ruderal species present include milk thistle (Silybum marianum), Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), sunflower (Helianthus sp.), pokeberry (Phytolacca americana), and Brassica sp. Trees present on-site include European olive (Olea europaea), persimmon (Diospyros sp.), and English walnut (Juglans regia). Three large valley oaks (Quercus lobata) can be found at the southern boundary of APN 039-370-068 which is directly adjacent to APN 039-090-061. Riparian species found along Comanche Creek are typical of riparian areas within the northern Sacramento Valley. Dominant canopy species include valley oak, western sycamore (Platanus racemosa), Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia), and Fremont