Phase I Cultural and Paleontological Assessment: Magnolia Tank Farm Project City of Huntington Beach, Orange County, California
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PHASE I CULTURAL AND PALEONTOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT: MAGNOLIA TANK FARM PROJECT CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared on Behalf of: SLF-HB Magnolia, LLC 2 Park Plaza Irvine, CA 92614 Principal Investigators/Authors: Tria Marie Belcourt, M.A., Registered Professional Archaeologist Jennifer Kelly, M.Sc., Geology, Professional Paleontologist Sonia Sifuentes, M.Sc., Registered Professional Archaeologist Material Culture Consulting Project Number: SRI-17-01 Type of Study: Cultural and paleontological resources assessment Cultural Resources within Area of Potential Impact: None Paleontological Formations: Younger Quaternary Alluvium USGS Quadrangle: Newport Beach APN(s): 114-150-36, 114-481-32 Survey Area: 29 acres Date of Survey: August 8, 2017 Key Words: Paleontology, Archaeology, CEQA, Phase I Survey, Negative Survey MANAGEMENT SUMMARY SLF-HB Magnolia, LLC proposes to convert a currently vacant and graded lot into a mixed-use community that provides visitor serving commercial uses, new residential neighborhoods, opportunities for coastal access and passive recreation and incorporates measures to protect adjacent natural resources, called the Magnolia Tank Farm Project (Project). The Project is located in the City of Huntington Beach, Orange County, California The Project includes construction of up to 250 for-sale residential units and visitor-and-resident-serving commercial uses facilities. Material Culture Consulting, Inc. (Material Culture) was retained by SLF-HB Magnolia, LLC (SLF-HB) to conduct the Phase I cultural and paleontological resource investigation of the Project Area. These assessments were conducted in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and included cultural and paleontological records searches, a search of the Sacred Lands File by the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), outreach efforts with ten Native American tribal representatives, background research, and a pedestrian field survey, all of which resulted in negative findings. The records searches, SLF search, and communication with Native American groups did not identify any previously known cultural resources or fossil localities within the Project Area; however, two cultural resources are within a 1- mile buffer of the Project Area, historic-era water tanks and a prehistoric shell deposit. Prior and ongoing work associated with other construction projects have already established both of these resources are ineligible for National Register of Historic Places (HRHP) or California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and neither resource will be impacted by the Project. The geologic unit present within the Project Area is identified as younger Quaternary Alluvium, procured as fluvial deposits from the nearby Santa Ana River to the east. While these deposits are typically devoid of significant vertebrate fossils, they are usually underlain by older Quaternary deposits that can contain paleontological resources. Examination of historic topographic maps and aerials indicate that prior to the 1950s, the area was mainly coastal wetlands with a river south of the Project Area and smaller streams northwest of the area (earliest map from 1896). Starting in the 1950s, major development occurred in the area, changing the area into an industrial landscape. The pedestrian survey of the Project Area was conducted on August 8, 2017 by Judy Bernal, archaeologist and cross-trained paleontologist. During the course of fieldwork, survey conditions were very good and ground visibility averaged good (80 to 95%) due to recent grading activities within the Project Area. A dense concentration of unidentifiable marine shells and shell fragments is present throughout approximately 50% of the Project Area, mostly within the western and northwestern portions of the Project Area. Based on similar observations made on other projects, and the lack of cultural material associated with the shell, it is believed that this shell scatter is natural and not cultural. Beyond the shell scatter, no cultural or paleontological resources were identified during the survey. The observed shell scatter is most likely associated with naturally occurring shell deposits. However, several nearby highly sensitive archaeological sites are found in similar coastal settings. Therefore, we recommend cultural monitoring during initial ground disturbance associated with the Project. While the majority of the Project Area is mapped in younger Quaternary Alluvium, the probability of older Quaternary deposits present underneath that may contain paleontological resources is high enough that we recommend a paleontological resource mitigation program be put in place to monitor, salvage, and curate any recovered fossils associated with the current study area. We only recommend paleontological monitoring during substantial ground disturbance activities, those whose depths are greater than 10-ft below surface, when such activities are likely to disturb sensitive sediments. A copy of this report will be permanently filed with the SCCIC at California State University, Fullerton. All notes, photographs, correspondence and other materials related to this Project are located at Material Culture Consulting, Inc., located in Pomona, California. Material Culture Consulting, Inc. | 2701-B North Towne Avenue Pomona CA 91767 | 626-205-8279 | www.materialcultureconsulting.com TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 5 PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION 5 PROJECT PERSONNEL 5 REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT 9 CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT 9 CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL LANDMARKS AND POINTS OF HISTORICAL INTEREST 10 ORANGE COUNTY GUIDELINES 11 CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH GUIDELINES 11 PALEONTOLOGY 11 BACKGROUND 14 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 14 PALEONTOLOGICAL SETTING 14 PREHISTORIC CONTEXT 14 ETHNOGRAPHY 15 HISTORICAL SETTING 16 METHODS 18 CALIFORNIA HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY SYSTEM AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND RESEARCH 18 NATIVE AMERICAN OUTREACH AND BACKGROUND RESEARCH 18 PALEONTOLOGICAL RECORDS SEARCH 18 FIELD SURVEY 18 RESULTS 20 CALIFORNIA HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY SYSTEM AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND RESEARCH 20 NATIVE AMERICAN OUTREACH AND BACKGROUND RESEARCH 22 PALEONTOLOGICAL RECORDS SEARCH 25 CULTURAL AND PALEONTOLOGICAL FIELD SURVEY 25 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 29 CULTURAL RESOURCES CONCLUSIONS 29 CULTURAL RESOURCES RECOMMENDATIONS 29 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES CONCLUSIONS 30 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES RECOMMENDATIONS 30 REFERENCES 31 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. MAGNOLIA TANK FARM PROJECT VICINITY ................................................................................................................ 6 FIGURE 2. MAGNOLIA TANK FARM PROJECT AREA (DEPICTED ON NEWPORT BEACH USGS 7.5 MINUTE QUADRANGLE) ....................... 7 FIGURE 3. MAGNOLIA TANK FARM PROJECT AREA (DEPICTED ON AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH) ................................................................. 8 FIGURE 4. PROJECT AREA (DEPICTED ON 1938 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH)........................................................................................ 22 FIGURE 5. PROJECT AREA (DEPICTED ON 1963 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH SHOWING AREA CUT/FILLED FOR TANKS) ................................... 23 FIGURE 6. MAGNOLIA TANK FARM PROJECT AREA (DEPICTED ON 1972 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH – FIRST VISUAL PRESENCE OF TANKS) ....... 24 FIGURE 7. PROJECT OVERVIEW FROM ENTRANCE OF SITE (VIEW WEST) ...................................................................................... 26 FIGURE 8. PROJECT OVERVIEW FROM MOST SOUTHERN AREA (VIEW NORTH) .............................................................................. 27 FIGURE 9. PROJECT OVERVIEW FROM WEST STOCKPILE (VIEW NORTH) ...................................................................................... 27 FIGURE 10. REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO OF SHELLS OBSERVED IN PROJECT AREA (LIKELY DERIVED FROM FILL SOILS USED AT THE SITE) .......... 28 Material Culture Consulting, Inc. | 2701-B North Towne Avenue Pomona CA 91767 | 626-205-8279 | www.materialcultureconsulting.com LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. ADDITIONAL SOURCES CONSULTED FOR THE PROJECT ................................................................................................. 20 TABLE 2. PREVIOUS RESOURCES WITHIN 1-MILE BUFFER OF PROJECT AREA ................................................................................. 20 TABLE 3. PREVIOUS CONDUCTED RESOURCE INVESTIGATIONS WITHIN 1-MILE BUFFER OF PROJECT AREA .......................................... 20 APPENDIX A – QUALIFICATIONS APPENDIX B - NAHC AND NATIVE AMERICAN CORRESPONDENCE APPENDIX C - PALEONTOLOGICAL RECORDS SEARCH RESULT FROM NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY Material Culture Consulting, Inc. | 2701-B North Towne Avenue Pomona CA 91767 | 626-205-8279 | www.materialcultureconsulting.com Magnolia Tank Farm Project Phase I Cultural and Paleontological Resources Assessment November 2017 Page 5 of 33 INTRODUCTION SLF-HB Magnolia, LLC proposes to convert a currently vacant and graded lot into a residential housing community located in the City of Huntington Beach, Orange County, California. The Project involves the construction of up to 250 for-sale residential units of Medium Density made up of detached single-family homes and townhomes, with associated visitor-and resident-serving facilities and parking garage. Material Culture Consulting, Inc. (MCC) was retained by SLF-HB Magnolia, LLC to conduct a Phase I cultural and paleontological resource investigation of the Project Area in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The State of California