LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT J U L Y 22014 0 1 4 334202 4 2 0 2 DEL OBISPO STREET CITY OF DANA POINT APPENDIX D CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY ASSESSMENT & PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT P:\DPC1301 Del Obispo\Preprint DEIR\PDFS\Appendices\Appendices.doc «07/23/14» D R A F T ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. 34202 DEL OBISPO STREET JJULY U L YYY 22014 0 1 4 CITY OF DANA POINT This page intentionally left blank D-2 P:\DPC1301 Del Obispo\Preprint DEIR\PDFS\Appendices\Appendices.doc «07/23/14» CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT SURVEY 34202 DEL OBISPO STREET CITY OF DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA July 2014 CULTURAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT SURVEY 34202 DEL OBISPO STREET CITY OF DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA Submitted to: Kurth Nelson, III Senior Planner City of Dana Point 33282 Golden Lantern Dana Point, California 92629 Prepared by: Ivan H. Strudwick, RPA LSA Associates, Inc. 20 Executive Park, Suite 200 Irvine, California 92614 (949) 553-0666 Project No. DPC1301 National Archaeological Data Base Information: Type of Study: Record Search, Survey Sites Recorded/Updated: None USGS Quadrangle: Dana Point, California 7.5 ′ (USGS 1968) Acreage: ~9 acres Key Words: Negative Survey July 2014 MANAGEMENT SUMMARY LSA Associates, Inc. (LSA) conducted a cultural resource assessment of the Del Obispo Project located in the City of Dana Point, in Orange County (County), California. The assessment included a record search, field survey, and report. The record search was completed on December 10, 2013, and the field survey was completed on December 27, 2013. The purpose of the assessment was to determine the presence of cultural resources within the proposed project area. The record search conducted at the South Central Coastal Information Center (SCCIC) indicated that portions of the project area were previously surveyed but that no cultural resources have been documented within the project area. Although ground visibility was excellent, the field survey did not identify any cultural resources. Soil on site developed primarily as a result of flooding of nearby San Juan Creek. Because of this flooding, deposits of prehistoric origin are unlikely to be of great age and would likely be greatly disturbed. Since the project area was used as a mobile home park for many years and likely contains Artificial Fill over part of it, the likelihood that intact subsurface cultural deposits will be present within the project area is very low. Therefore, LSA recommends that no further cultural resource management of the project area is necessary. In the unlikely event that previously undocumented archaeological materials are encountered during construction, work in the vicinity of the find should be halted and a County-certified archaeologist consulted to determine the appropriate treatment of the discovery. If human remains are encountered during construction activities, State Health and Safety Code Section 7050.5 states that no further disturbance shall occur until the County Coroner has made a determination of origin and disposition pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 5097.98. The County Coroner must be notified of the find immediately. If the remains are determined to be Native American, the County Coroner will notify the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), which will determine and notify a Most Likely Descendant (MLD). With the permission of the landowner or his/her authorized representative, the MLD may inspect the site of the discovery. The MLD shall complete the inspection within 48 hours of notification by the NAHC. The MLD may recommend scientific removal and nondestructive analysis of human remains and items associated with Native American burials. P:\DPC1301 Del Obispo\Cultural\Final Cultural Report (Clean).docx «07/23/14» i TABLE OF CONTENTS MANAGEMENT SUMMARY............................................................................................................... i INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 PROJECT LOCATION ................................................................................................................. 1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................... 1 PROJECT PERSONNEL .............................................................................................................. 3 SETTING ............................................................................................................................................... 4 CURRENT SETTING ................................................................................................................... 4 NATURAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................ 4 CULTURAL.................................................................................................................................. 5 METHODS ........................................................................................................................................... 13 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH .......................................................................................................... 13 FIELD SURVEY ......................................................................................................................... 13 REPORT OF FINDINGS ..................................................................................................................... 14 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH .......................................................................................................... 14 FIELD SURVEY ......................................................................................................................... 15 RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 17 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 18 FIGURE Figure 1: Project Location ...................................................................................................................... 2 APPENDIX A: RECORD SEARCH RESULTS LETTER P:\DPC1301 Del Obispo\Cultural\Final Cultural Report (Clean).docx «07/23/14» ii LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. CULTURAL RESOURCE ASASSESSMENTSESSMENT SURVEY J U L Y 22014 0 1 4 34202 DEL OBISPO STREET CITY OF DANA POINT INTRODUCTION The City of Dana Point (City) contracted LSA Associates, Inc. (LSA) to conduct a cultural resources assessment for the 34202 Del Obispo Street Project (project) to determine whether cultural resources are present. This assessment addresses the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act ([CEQA] as amended January 1, 2013): Public Resources Code, Division 13 (Environmental Quality), Chapter 2.6, Section 21083.2 (Archaeological Resources) and Section 21084.1 (Historical Resources); and the Guidelines for CEQA (as amended December 1, 2012), California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 14, Chapter 3, Article 5, Section 15064.5 (Determining the Significance of Impacts on Historical and Unique Archaeological Resources). It should be noted that the term “project area” is used to refer to the approximately 9-acre (ac) project site throughout this report rather than term “project site” in order to avoid confusion with the term “site” when referring to locations identified as potentially containing cultural resources. PROJECT LOCATION The project area is an approximately 9 ac parcel located at 34202 Del Obispo Street in the City of Dana Point, California. The project area consists of two parcels (Assessor’s Parcel Numbers [APNs] 668-271-03 and 668-271-04) and is located near the northeast corner of Del Obispo Street and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). In general, the project is located less than 0.25 mile (mi) inland (north) of the coast at Doheny State Beach, just 0.5 mi northeast of Dana Point Harbor, and approximately 1 mi east-northeast of Dana Cove. Specifically, the project is located on the west bank of San Juan Creek. It is bordered on the north by the South Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA), by an area of commercial businesses and PCH on the south, and by Del Obispo Street and a Denny’s restaurant on the west. A pedestrian overcrossing at PCH, leading from businesses along the south side of the project area to Doheny State Beach, has a sign that reads “Dana Point” and acts as a visual gateway to the Dana Point Harbor and downtown area. Located at an elevation of approximately 10 to 20 feet (ft) above mean sea level, the project area is depicted on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Dana Point, California 7.5- minute topographic quadrangle map (1968) in an unsectioned area of Township 8 South, Range 8 West, San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian (Figure 1). PROJECT DESCRIPTION The proposed mixed-use project includes construction of a residential/mixed-use community of 168 condominium units, approximately 2,471 square feet (sf) of commercial space, and 0.5 ac of parkland fronting PCH. The residential condominiums, 10 percent (17) of which are proposed as affordable units in compliance with the Mellow Act, will be located in 34 separate buildings separated by driveways, parking areas, and private and common open-space areas. Although the majority of residential units will be two- or three-bedroom units, 30 of the residences will be one- bedroom units.