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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-12-21; Planning Commission; ; EIR 03-05|PDP 00-02|SP 144H|SUP 05-04|CDP 04-41|DA 05-01|RP 05-12|HMP 05-08 - PRECISE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND DESALINATION PLANTThe City of Carlsbad Planning Department'^ A REPORT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION © Item No. P.C. AGENDA OF: December 21,2005 Application complete date: February 24,2005 Project Planner: Scott Donnell Project Engineer: Bob Wojcik SUBJECT: EIR 03-05/PDP 00-02/SP 144(HVSUP 05-04/CDP 04-41/DA 05-01/RP/HMP 05-08 - PRECISE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND DESALINATION PLANT - Information item for the proposed Precise Development Plan for the Carlsbad Seawater Desalination Plant and Encina Power Station and other related permits. I. RECOMMENDATION That the Planning Commission take no action as this is an information item only. II. INTRODUCTION Staff has scheduled this information item to provide the Planning Commission with an introduction to and overview of the Precise Development Plan and Desalination Plant project. The project is a joint submittal of Cabrillo Power, owner of the Encina Power Station, and Poseidon Resources, proponent of the desalination plant. The power station, originally completed in 1952, covers approximately 95 acres between Carlsbad Boulevard and Interstate 5 and is bordered on the north by Agua Hedionda Lagoon. While the proposed desalination plant is proposed on the power station grounds, the project also features several miles of pipelines that would extend into Vista and Oceanside and a coimection to the Encina Power Station ocean discharge. This infonnation item is a noticed public hearing, which provides the public an opportunity to comment. However, the Plarming Commission will take no action on the project at this time. Instead, the formal public hearing for this project is tentatively set for January 18, 2006. After the Plarming Commission makes a recommendation on the project following the formal hearing, the project will be scheduled for public hearing before the City Council and Housing and Redevelopment Commission for fmal city approval and certification of the EIR. There are a number of attachments to this staff report. Staff has already provided these attachments to the Planning Commission so Commissioners have adequate time to review them before the formal public hearing. The Commission is not expected to have reviewed the attachments for this information item. IIL PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND BACKGROUND The project involves a host of different permits not only from the City of Carlsbad but other local, state, and federal agencies as well. Following is a listing of the project's primary components £ind necessary permits. l/KP/I EIR 03-05/PDP 00-02/SP 144(H)/SUP 05-04/CDP 04-41/DA 05-01/KP/HMP 05-08 - PRECISE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND DESALE^ATION PLANT December 21, 2005 Page 2 • Precise Development Plan PDP 00-02: The Precise Development Plan (PDP) is a Zoning Ordinance requirement for development in the Public Utilities (P-U) Zone. While it is the permit necessary for the desalination plant, the PDP also would serve as the planning document for the whole Encina Power Station. As such, the PDP serves somewhat like a specific or master plan by providing plarming areas, basic development standards, and review and amendment procedures for improvements proposed at the power station. • Desalination Plant: On a four-acre site currently occupied by a fiiel oil storage tank at the Encina Power Station, Poseidon Resources proposes to construct a plant that would desalinate approximately 100 million gallons per day (mgd) of power plant cooling water into approximately 50 mgd of potable water. Much of the desalination and pumping equipment would be housed in a building that resembles an industrial office building. • Pipelines: From the desalination plant, new pipelines would extend into the cities of Carlsbad, Oceanside and Vista to deliver product water to Carlsbad and local water districts for use by homes and businesses. Most proposed pipelines would be built in existing or ftiture roadways and different pipeline alignments are under consideration. Cannon Road, College Boulevard, Faraday Avenue, and Melrose Drive are some of the roadways the different alignments would follow. • Environmental Impact Report EIR 03-05: The City has prepared an environmental impact report (EIR) for this project. The EIR considers potential impacts associated with all project components, including marine biological impacts and those project aspects in the cities of Oceanside and Vista. • Coastal Development Permit: The project is required to obtain a coastal development permit from the Califomia Coastal Commission. A coastal permit from the Commission is needed because the desalination plant and some of the pipelines are located in the Agua Hedionda Lagoon segment of the Carlsbad Local Coastal Program, a segment for which the City does not have the authority to issue a coastal permit. Coastal Commission review would occur after the City's review. A coastal development permit is also needed from the City of Carlsbad for portions of the proposed pipelines outside the Agua Hedionda Lagoon segment but still in the Coastal Zone. • Specific Plan Amendment SP -144(H): The Encina Power Station, Agua Hedionda Lagoon, and adjacent areas are located in the Encina Specific Plan. An amendment to this specific plan is necessary to incorporate the PDP into the specific plan. • Other Permits: Along with a PDP and coastal development permit, some of the other permits the project will require include a redevelopment permit as the project is in the South Carlsbad Coastal Redevelopment Plan, Development Agreement (DA), Special Use Permit (floodplain), and Habitat Management Plan Permit from the City of Carlsbad. Please note that a case number for the redevelopment permit is pending. Further, the Development Agreement is still under negotiation and has not been provided as an attachment. Other agency permits include a Domestic Water Supply permit form the State Department of Health Services; a lease from the Califomia State Lands Commission for portions of the project extending to state-owned lands; an Industrial Waste Permit from l/RP/I EIR 03-05/PDP 00-02/SP 144(H)/SUP 05-04/CDP 04-41/DA 05-01/RP/HMP 05-08 - PRECISE DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND DESALINATION PLANT December 21, 2005 Page 3 the Encina Wastewater Authority; and permits from agencies such as the City of Vista and various water districts for which connection to existing water systems is sought. IV. ANALYSIS To assist in the Commission's understanding of this project and aid in its formal project review tentatively set for January 18, 2006, staff intends to present this project according to the following outline: • Project introduction, history, and permit requirements • Comprehensive overview of desalination process and onsite and offsite facilities • EIR contents • Summary of EIR public comments and responses prepared to them, including discussion of main concems expressed • Commission question and answers • Public testimony Both the applicant and the City's environmental consultant will attend the meeting to present and answer any questions. V. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The City circulated for public review the project's draft EIR beginning in May 2005. A final EIR has been prepared, incorporating public comments and the City's responses to those comments. The EIR will require review and recommendation by the Planning Commission and subsequent certification by the City Council and Housing and Redevelopment Commission. ATTACHMENTS: (Please note that the PDP and SP are still in draft form and are subject to change.) 1. Final Environmental Impact Report EIR 03-05 2. Draft Precise Development Plan PDP 00-02 3. Draft Specific Plan 144(H)