Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-12-16; Planning Commission; ; EIR 97-01 - CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSET! City of Carlsbad Planning Departm!t A REPORT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION P.C. AGENDA OF: December 16, 1998 Item No.@ Application complete date: NI A Project Planner: Christer Westman Project Engineer: Ken Quon SUBJECT: EIR 97-01 -CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE -Request for recommendation of certification of a re-circulated Environmental Impact Report and recommendation of approval of CEQA Findings of Fact, a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the development of an 18 hole championship golf course with clubhouse, practice facilities, and pads for future industrial/golf related development on approximately 397 acres located north of Palomar Airport Road, east and west of College Avenue in Local Facilities Management Zones 5 and 8 I. RECOMMENDATION That the Planning Commission ADOPT Planning Commission Resolution No. 4442 RECOMMENDING CERTIFICATION of Re-circulated Environmental Impact Report BIR 97-01, approval of CEQA Findings of Fact, Statement of Overriding Considerations, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program based on the findings contained therein. II. INTRODUCTION The Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on April 1, 1998 and considered BIR 97- 01 for the Carlsbad Municipal Golf Course. At that time staff indicated that the biological mitigation was still being negotiated with the wildlife agencies. The Planning Commission recommended City Council approval of the BIR based on that understanding. Additional surveys for sensitive species, including the California gnatcatcher, were completed and subsequent negotiations with the wildlife agencies resulted in significant changes in the mitigation measures. Because of this additional information, the BIR was re-circulated for review and comment. This staff report summarizes the additional information. III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND The site is located north of Palomar Airport Road and on either side of College Boulevard. The project is immediately east of Carlsbad Ranch/LEGOLAND and west of the Carlsbad Research Center and Palomar Airport. Portions of the site are within Phase III of the Carlsbad Airport Centre, College Business Park, and the southern section of Veteran's Memorial Park. The project encompasses approximately 397 acres and has a varied topography which is dominated by rolling hills to moderately steep slopes. Portions of the site have been disturbed through previously approved grading, active agriculture, easement and line maintenance by Southern : ' ~ EIR 97-01 CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE December 16, 1998 Pa e2 California Gas and Electric, and illegal encampments. Those areas which have not been disturbed have varying degrees of significant and insignificant native and non-native vegetation. Nearly 200 acres are non-native grassland, 80 acres are Diegan Coastal Sage Scrub and 20 are southern willow scrub. The site has final map approval for two industrial subdivisions. Those subdivisions do not serve any benefit to the golf course project but will remain in place. Should there be a conflict of lot lines, future development pads, and/or proposed structures, they will be adjusted by a future lot line adjustment. The project has been designed to take access from Palomar Airport Road at Hidden Valley Road. The entrance to the golf course parking lot and clubhouse is at the northern terminus of Hidden Valley Road. The clubhouse is proposed as a split level two story structure. As seen from the main entrance, it is a single story building and as seen from the south, it is two stories. The upper levels house the foyer, bar and dining facilities as well as administrative offices and pro- shop, while the lower level houses the locker rooms and equipment and cart storage. The first of the front nine holes begins at the clubhouse. Holes two through seven are on the east side of College A venue and are accessed via a proposed bridge which is 17 feet wid_e and has a span over College Avenue of 127 feet. The design of the bridge includes materials and design elements found on the clubhouse. Holes eight and nine parallel Palomar Airport Road and Hidden Valley Road consecutively to return to the clubhouse. The first of three industrial pads is located at the comer of Palomar Airport Road and Hidden Valley Road and is five acres in size. All of the proposed Planned Industrial pads will require subsequent environmental and site plan review. Adjacent to hole number nine is the practice facility which is approximately 11.5 acres. The practice facility will have bunker style lighting for play in the evenings. It is also designed so that balls may be hit from either direction. The police shooting range has been relocated from a northeastern location to a northwestern location. Access to the relocated shooting range will be from the northern terminus of Hidden Valley Road. A long access driveway moves northerly and down a canyon from 240 feet above sea level to an elevation of 120 feet above sea level. The shooting range, including parking, is approximately four acres in size. 14 parking stalls will be provided. The back nine holes begin at the clubhouse and begin a zigzag down the north facing slopes to the riparian area at the bottom of Macario Canyon. A cart path crosses the riparian at four locations to access holes 13, 14, 15, and 16 which are laid out parallel to the riparian area. A cart path connects to hole 17 up the hill and then winds to the west to hole 18 and ultimately the clubhouse. Two industrial pads are proposed at the eastern edge of the site on either side of College A venue. The pad on the north side of College Boulevard is proposed at 8.4 acres and the pad south of the road is 5.9 acres. Both pads. will be accessed from College Boulevard. A 72 foot roadway easement has been provided adjacent to the pad south of College Boulevard for access to a parcel adjacent to the golf course property known as the Hieatt property. These pads will require the completion of a lot line adjustment to properly delineate the sites. ~IR 97-0; CARLSBAD AcIP AL GOLF COURSE December 16, 1998 Pa e3 IV. ANALYSIS Because the recirculation was prompted by additional information regarding sensitive species and a modified mitigation program, this analysis will focus on those topics. The results of the additional sensitive species surveys are as follows: • California gnatcatcher: Seventeen gnatcatcher active use areas (AUA) were documented. Conservatively, ten of those use areas are preserved by the golf course design and seven will be lost. • Burrowing Owl: Suitable Burrowing Owl habitat was identified onsite, however, no Burrowing Owls were located. • Quino Checkerspot Butterfly: Host plants of the Quine Checkerspot, Dwarf Plantain and Owl's Clover were identified and mapped. No Quine Checkerspot were observed during the March and April site surveys. • Least Bell's Vireo: Least Bell's Vireos were observed in two locations. One is outside of the site boundaries in the riparian area to the north and the other is within a northern onsite riparian area to be preserved. • Willow Flycatcher: This species was not observed onsite but potential habitat exists in the npanan area. • San Diego Fairy Shrimp: No Fairy Shrimp were identified onsite during the focused surveys. • San Diego Thornmint: This species was not found onsite. • Thread-leaved Brodiaea: This species was not found onsite. • Blochman's Dudleya: This species was not found onsite. No further surveys or mitigation is required for species that are not found onsite. The mitigation plan was modified in response to comments received from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game. Modification of the mitigation program results in change to the project design which lessens impacts to biological resources. A summary of the mitigation program modifications follow. • The fairway rough on hole #2 will be reduced in width to increase a habitat corridor and area of revegetation. • The fairway rough on hole #11 will be reduced in width to increase corridor width and native plant revegetation. ·: . e EIR 97-01 CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE December 16, 1998 Pa e4 • The buildable area of the Planned Industrial/golf related pad located north of College Boulevard will be reduced from 8.4 acres to 6.57 acres. The reduction results in a wider revegetated habitat corridor. • A tee box for hole #5 will be eliminated thereby reducing the area of disturbance. • Reorientation of the shooting range will allow for the expansion of the planned wildlife corridor width in the western portion of the project site. • The golf cart path between holes #15 and #16 will be relocated to reduce impacts to wetlands. The effect of these project modifications is an overall reduction in the limits of grading and a reduction of biological impacts. In addition to these project modifications, additional offsite mitigation at Lake Calavera has been included in the mitigation program. The upland mitigation requirement for the entire project is 170 credits of which 105 can be accommodated onsite. The remaining 65 credits will be provided on the Lake Calavera site through the preservation of 130 acres of upland habitat. Preservation of the 130 acres will be accomplished through a conservation easement. Due to the potentially lower habitat quality at Lake Calavera, it was determined that a 2: 1 mitigation ratio was necessary to offset the values at the project site. A total of 341.70 acres of upland habitat are being preserved and/or enhanced both onsite and at Lake Calavera. V. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW A lead agency is required to recirculate an EIR when significant new information is added to an EIR after public notice is given of the availability of the draft EIR for public review under Section 15087 but before certification. New information was added to the EIR in the form of additional studies and a modified mitigation program and was therefore recirculated for public review and comment. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Planning Commission Resolution No. 4442 2. Location Map 3. Recirculated Draft EIR 97-01 (previously distributed) CH:eh CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE EIR 97-01 @