Lagoon Valley Conservancy
Current Status of the Lower Lagoon Valley Project Area
Early in August Standard Pacific brought into the Lagoon Valley project area some heavy earth-moving equipment, a huge water tank and several trucks full of gravel. They also stretched out black canvas around some areas of the Valley floor.
According
to Fred Buderi of the City of Vacaville Community Development Department,
"Standard Pacific has obtained a grading permit to stockpile earth in
that location out there, for use in later grading activities for the project.
I...understand that they’re beginning to place the earth in the
designated spot."
According to Project Manager Marc Fugler of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
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No, Standard Pacific has NOT been granted a permit for earth-moving activities that would impact identified wetlands;
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They could, however, do such work in the uplands (i.e. non-wetlands). No Corps 404 permit is required for work specifically in uplands, however, the applicant is still responsible for insuring that the work complies with appropriate local, state, and federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act;
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Standard Pacific requested and received approval to conduct cultural resource surveys. Information gathered will be provided to the Corps for use during Section 106 consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office. The Corps has delayed processing the applicant's permit application awaiting the additional cultural resource information.
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Standard Pacific is hoping to have the cultural report to ACE staff sometime this fall. Standard Pacific's permit application to ACE has been inactive and has basically been withdrawn until the cultural resources report is submitted;
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Standard Pacific has requested the Corps re-initiate Section 7 consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for federally listed species. The consultation stopped when the Corps withdrew the application last year.
On the Friends of Lagoon Valley website www.lagoonvalleypark.com/ace.htm you can read the Army Corps of Engineers Public Notice for this project as well as the Comment Letter submitted by the Friends in July 2007 asking for a public hearing on Standard Pacific's application. The request for a public hearing is still pending.
The
land in the
There
is an active development agreement on the property for a subdivision of 1,025
houses plus a fire station and a commercial shopping area.
This is based on the 1991 development agreement with a developer who went
bankrupt; the agreement will “sunset” within a few years.
Standard
Pacific Homes has been frustrated by the severe downturn in the housing and
home-building market and has been unable to break ground for the proposed
development. Preliminary
infrastructure costs (water, sewer, roads, etc.) will be very costly, perhaps
prohibitive.
Also,
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not yet issued permits for development.
Our sister organization, the Friends of Lagoon Valley, has filed a
comment letter and peer review report opposing development and requesting a
public hearing on the matter; both of these requests are “pending”.
See http://www.lagoonvalleypark.com/ace.htm
for details.
we’re looking for a map
to put here!
email webbie@savelagoonvalley.org
Date this page was last edited: 08/31/2010