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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Docks' DEIR: part I
by Sarah Payne, published on November 4, 2008 at 11:10 AM
Storyline: The Docks Area Project
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If you've read my article on the Docks Area Project, the first story in this storyline, and the conversation stemming from it, you might be wondering, "What is this DEIR? Is it really 500 pages long?" The DEIR is the Docks Environmental Impact Report, and yes, it is incredibly long. So I've decided to highlight some of the basics, focusing mainly on Chapter 5: Environmental Analysis. This is the chapter outlining all of the possible environmental impacts and the proposed plans to mitigate the problems. The chapter is broken down into eleven categories, nine of which I am going to outline for you. These nine sections detail the impacts of specific environmental aspects.
The first section, "Aesthetics, Light, and Glare," details the possible negative effects on the area created by light and glare. Basically, the report states that the proposed change in the aesthetics of the site will have a less-than-significant impact, meaning there won't be any significantly negative impacts. Since the site is completely undeveloped, any aesthetics that the project produces will be an improvement. However, by increasing the amount of buildings and lighting, there is potential for a significant impact caused by light and glare. Spillover lighting could affect neighboring communities, and any glare, depending on which materials are used in construction, could be dangerous for drivers. Since there is really no way to remedy this issue, no mitigating actions are required.
The second section discusses possible impacts on air quality. Demolition and construction will of course have impacts on air quality, both short term and cumulatively. The city is taking measures to reduce the amount of noxious emissions (nitrogen oxide, harmful particulate matter and regional pollutants) produced by construction in the short term. In order to mitigate the long term effects of demolition and construction, 75 percent of materials will be recycled and reused in order to combat the effects on global climate change. There are also existing odors caused by the Pioneer Reservoir, which will be mended in the reservoir's upgrade. Since the site is located next to a freeway, the city will plant full-leaved, deciduous trees to act as a buffer to catch vehicular pollutants.
The third section, "Biological Resources," describes the possible impacts on trees and local wildlife. The city will hire an arborist to oversee the project, deciding which trees could be removed and making sure that no heritage-protected trees will be cut down. The project will also have a short term impact on the nesting and foraging of local wildlife. Measures will be taken to ensure that construction will not interfere with particular nesting seasons. However, since wildlife is scarce in this particular area to begin with, neither the short term nor the cumulative effects will be significant.
This is only the beginning of Chapter 5. Stay "tuned" for the next article, summarizing the impacts on Cultural and Historical Resources, Hazards and Hazardous Substances, and Hydrology and Water Quality. In the meantime, you can view the DEIR here.
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Okay, in fact, it's not an accurate statement.
scenic" (5.1-19). What I meant is that currently there is nothing there - no houses, office buildings, etc. - that will be affected by any aesthetic changes.
The area along that part of Front Street has been used for many things over the years, primarily heavy industry, but most of it (except the Towe and the railroad) was demolished over the years. But that will all be in the CHR section. I'm eager to hear your thoughts on that.
I know you have a vast knowledge of Sacramento's history - I'm really interested in reading about it from your perspective.
Sutter Jr. didn't actually do the mapping, that was done by William H. Warner of the Army Corps of Engineers (with help from future Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman.) Sutter Jr. was given the title to his father's land grant, but he was very young (21 years old), barely spoke English, and was not particularly worldly: his father had run off to pan for gold, or to hide from the whole unruly mess his little empire had become, we're not sure which. Under the influence of merchants like Sam Brannan, Sutter Jr. agreed to a land-sale plan (which required the survey by Warner and Sherman) to sell plots to the incoming rush of gold-seekers, and people who wanted to sell things to the gold-seekers.
The DEIR covers the industrial history of the era pretty well: the levee walls built to protect the city from floods, the multiple railroads along the waterfront and Front Street, and the multitude of industrial uses. The area under consideration for the Docks Project was mostly a series of lumber mills, and the PG&E gas plant. There were still buildings from the PG&E plant on the site until about ten years ago. In addition to the plant, there were some other PG&E facilities, including a gymnasium that had an indoor baseball diamond! I'm still trying to figure out exactly where it ended, but some maps show the end of the T Street streetcar line ending near Front Street--which would make some sense, since PG&E owned the streetcar line until 1943.
I didn't read it but I'm sure the section on toxics mentions the PG&E plant prominently. Coal gas production was pretty noxious, and I'm sure there is all sorts of unpleasantness in the soil.
The warehouse containing the Towe is not really old enough or distinct enough to constitute a historic structure. The Towe museum itself is outside the needed scope of the EIR, but one might argue that the forced relocation of the Towe constitutes damage to a historic resource. This implies that the appropriate mitigation might include some sort of relocation assistance--that museum needs a new home, and it would be a shame to lose them entirely.
The sump building is the closest thing to a historic structure in the project, although the authors point to an earlier survey that indicates it does not have enough integrity (meaning intact historic materiel) to be a National Register eligible building.
The DEIR does do a pretty good job of capturing historic context, both for the site and the surrounding area, and its assessments of potential effects on historic and prehistoric resources are fair.