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| West Park gears up for environmental review |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 25 June 2008 | |
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At a glance
Under the scope
An environmental impact report is a specific look at a project — in this case, PCCP West Park. It covers these subjects, among others:
The county is moving ahead with the environmental review process for West Park after nearly 1½ years of exclusive negotiations between the county and the would-be developer of an industrial park in Crows Landing.  Pi Photo File The public review period opened June 18 and will last until Aug. 4, allowing people to state their opinions on what topics the report should cover. County leaders will host a scoping meeting Tuesday at Bonita School in Crows Landing. The meeting will give people an opportunity to provide formal comments about what should be analyzed in the forthcoming environmental review. “We’re in listening mode, and we want to remain true to a very transparent process,” said Keith Boggs, Stanislaus County’s deputy executive officer for economic development. PCCP West Park LLC hopes to build a 4,800-acre industrial park on and around a former naval airfield in Crows Landing, which is now mostly owned by the county. The project would include an intermodal hub, where goods would be shipped to and from the Port of Oakland by rail. County supervisors voted 4-1 on April 22 to move ahead with negotiations with developer Gerry Kamilos. Proponents say the project would provide 37,000 jobs at build-out and would reduce regional air pollution and traffic by using trains rather than trucks. The plan has come under fire from the Patterson and Newman city councils and several other local governing agencies because of its size, possible harm to local traffic and air quality and the impact of rail on the city of Patterson. The environmental review will set out standards and measures to protect agricultural, biological, cultural and visual resources for the project, which is expected to be finished within 30 years. Those standards would become part of a project specific plan. Project analysis would include the specific plan, rezoning, a subdivision map, the development agreement, and an airport land-use compatibility plan amendment. Debra Lilly, an environmental project manager with EDAW’s Sacramento office, said the firm will handle most of the analysis required for the report with its own staff. The traffic analysis will be conducted by engineering firm TJKM. In the past, representatives from both companies have answered questions about West Park at public workshops and other meetings. EDAW representatives, for instance, have manned booths that detail West Park’s water storage possibilities and impacts on regional air quality. Still, Lilly indicated the firm would take an objective look at the project. “It hasn’t really been a promotional activity, but it’s been a scientific analysis,” she said of EDAW’s past work with West Park. Boggs noted that the environmental review process must adhere to the California Environmental Quality Act, which he said has strict requirements. County staff will work to ensure the environmental review meets those requirements, he said. “The county will scrutinize every chapter (of the document),” he said. West Park will foot the bill for the cost of the entire environmental review process. Kamilos said the cost is unknown, but he estimated it would be “in the millions of dollars.” “This is not an inexpensive process to go through,” he said. Boggs said a draft report may be finished in 12 to 14 months. A public comment period will follow before EDAW resumes work on the final environmental impact report. “I think everyone is committed to not cut corners and to take this process extremely seriously,” Kamilos said. Meanwhile, the airbase will have to be established as a redevelopment area, possibly as soon as this fall, and a development agreement must be finalized between the county and the developer. If all goes as planned, Kamilos said, construction on infrastructure and some buildings may start as soon as spring 2010. To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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