APPENDIX A NOTICE OF PREPARATION/INITIAL STUDY/ NOP COMMENT LETTERS Notice of Preparation and Scoping Meeting for the Back Bay Landing Project Environmental Impact Report DATE: October 1, 2012 SUBJECT: Back Bay Landing Project - Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Back Bay Landing project is a proposed integrated, mixed-use waterfront village on an approximately 7 acre portion of a 31.4 acre parcel located adjacent to the Upper Newport Bay in the City of Newport Beach. The majority of the project site (6.332 acres) is located immediately north of East Coast Highway between Bayside Drive and the Bayside Marina adjacent to the Upper Newport Bay. The balance of the project site (0.642-acres) is located under and immediately south of the East Coast Highway bridge. The project site is illustrated on the map below. The proposed project involves land use amendments to provide the legislative framework for future development of the site. Amendments to the General Plan and Coastal Land Use Plan are required to change the land use designations to a Mixed-Use Horizontal designation and a Planned Community Development Plan (PCDP) is proposed to establish appropriate zoning regulations and development standards for Parcel 3. The requested approvals will provide for a horizontally distributed mix of uses, which will include visitor-serving recreational and marine commercial retail, office, marine office, boat services, marine services, and enclosed dry stack boat storage along with a vertical and horizontal mix of multi-family residential over retail and multi-family residential flats, as regulated by the proposed Back Bay Landing PCDP. No development is proposed for the De Anza Bayside Marsh Peninsula nor are any changes proposed to the existing Bayside Village Marina. In addition to the land use amendments, other requested approvals are a Lot Line Adjustment, Traffic Study pursuant to the City’s Traffic Phasing Ordinance, Affordable Housing Implementation Plan, and Development Agreement. Specific project design and site improvement approvals will be sought at a later time. This EIR will address the proposed legislative approvals and reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts resulting from those approvals. A detailed Project Description can be reviewed in the project Initial Study, which is available in hard copy form at the City of Newport Beach Planning Division Counter and at several public libraries, and online at the City’s website, as described below. NOTICE OF PREPARATION & INITIAL STUDY: The City of Newport Beach will be the Lead Agency to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Back Bay Landing project. The City has prepared an Initial Study that provides a detailed project description and evaluation of the potential environmental effects of the proposed project. The Notice of Preparation and accompanying Initial Study are available for a 30-day public review period beginning October 1, 2012 and ending October 30, 2012 at the City of Newport Beach Planning Division, 3300 Newport Boulevard, Newport Beach, CA 92663, and at the following locations: Newport Beach Public Library Newport Beach Public Library Central Library Mariners Branch 1000 Avocado Avenue 1300 Irvine Avenue Newport Beach, CA 92660 Newport Beach, CA 92660 Newport Beach Public Library Newport Beach Public Library Balboa Branch Corona del Mar Branch 100 East Balboa Boulevard 420 Marigold Ave. Newport Beach, CA 92660 Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 The document can also be accessed online at: http://www.newportbeachca.gov/ceqadocuments. All comments and responses to this notice should be submitted in writing to: Jaime Murillo, Associate Planner City of Newport Beach 3300 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach, CA 92663 949-644-3209 The City will also accept responses to this notice submitted via e-mail received through the close of business on October 30, 2012. E-mail responses to this notice may be sent to [email protected] NOTICE OF PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING: The City will conduct a public scoping meeting in conjunction with this Notice of Preparation in order to present the project and the EIR process and to receive public comments and suggestions regarding the scope and content of the EIR. The meeting will be held on October 17, 2012, at 6:00 P.M. at the Friends Room, Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Avenue, Newport Beach, California. INITIAL STUDY BACK BAY LANDING PROJECT CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA PCR OCTOBER 2012 INITIAL STUDY BACK BAY LANDING PROJECT CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA Prepared For: City of Newport Beach 3300 Newport Boulevard Newport Beach, California 92663 Tel: 949.6443209 Contact: Jaime Murillo, Associate Planner Prepared By: PCR Services Corporation One Venture, Suite 150 Irvine, California 92618 OCTOBER 2012 Table of Contents Page 1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION.......................................................................................................................................1-1 1. Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................1-1 2. Project Location.................................................................................................................................................................1-1 3. Existing Site Conditions and Surrounding Land Uses........................................................................................1-2 4. Project Site General Plan and Zoning Designations............................................................................................1-2 5. Description of the Proposed Project.........................................................................................................................1-5 7. Construction Schedule and Phasing.......................................................................................................................1-10 8. Necessary Approvals....................................................................................................................................................1-10 2. ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST FORM.............................................................................................................2-1 3. EXPLANATION OF CHECKLIST DETERMINATIONS....................................................................................3-1 I. Aesthetics.............................................................................................................................................................................3-1 II. Agriculture and forestry resources...........................................................................................................................3-2 III. Air Quality............................................................................................................................................................................3-3 IV. Biological Resources........................................................................................................................................................3-5 V. Cultural Resources ...........................................................................................................................................................3-7 VI. Geology and Soils ..............................................................................................................................................................3-8 VII. Greenhouse Gas Emissions........................................................................................................................................3-10 VIII. Hazards and Hazardous Materials..........................................................................................................................3-10 IX. Hydrology and Water Quality...................................................................................................................................3-13 X. Land Use and Planning ................................................................................................................................................3-15 XI. Mineral Resources.........................................................................................................................................................3-16 XII. Noise.................................................................................................................................................................................... 3-16 XIII. Population and Housing.............................................................................................................................................. 3-18 XIV. Public Services ................................................................................................................................................................ 3-18 XV. Recreation......................................................................................................................................................................... 3-19 XVI. Transportation/Traffic................................................................................................................................................ 3-19 XVII. Utilities and Service Systems .................................................................................................................................... 3-20 XVIII. Mandatory Findings of Significance......................................................................................................................