COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO CALIFORNIA A D D E N D U M #3 For the Agenda of: January 10, 2012 To: From: Subject: Supervisorial District: Contact: Board of Supervisors Community Planning and Development Department PLNP2010-00264. Stoneridge Quarry. Request For General Plan Amendment, Rezone, Use Permit, Reclamation Plan, And Development Agreement To Permit A New Hardrock Quarry And Related Aggregate Processing Facilities For A Term Of 100 Years, Located In The Eastern Portion Of Sacramento County, Approximately 1.5 Miles South Of White Rock Road And 500 Feet East Of Scott Road, In The Cosumnes Community. Applicant: Angelo G. Tsakopoulos. APNs: 073-0020-008, 072-0110-045 and 065. Environmental Document: Final Environmental Impact Report. Roberta MacGlashan Jeff Gamel, Senior Planner, 874-5835; Gamelj@Saccounty.Net Overview: The addendum staff report contains further revisions to three conditions of approval in response to concerns expressed by a neighboring land owner. Recommendations: 1. Take final action to approve a Rezoning from AG-80 (Agriculture 80-acre minimum lot size) to AG-80 (SM) (Agriculture 80-acre minimum with SM combining) for that area corresponding to the active quarry/processing area for the property (i.e., 619 acres), subject to the findings listed in Section B of the Staff Report and the conditions listed in Addendum Staff Report #1 and those revisions set forth herein. 2. Take final action to approve a Use Permit to allow quarry mining and processing of materials including an aggregate processing plant, hot-mix asphalt plant, ready-mix concrete plant, construction materials recycling and dimension stone workshop for a term of 100 years, subject to the findings listed in Section B of the Staff Report and the conditions listed in Addendum Staff Report #1 and those revisions set forth herein. 3. Take final action to approve a Reclamation Plan to reclaim and reuse the 619 acres as a lake (quarry pit) and future grazing and habitat uses (aggregate processing area), subject to the findings listed in Section B of the Staff Report. 4. Take final action to approve the ordinance approving the Development Agreement between
Stoneridge Quarry Page 2 the applicant and the County, subject to the findings listed in Section B of the Staff Report. 5. Take final action to adopt the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program. Measures/Evaluation: The granted land use entitlements will enable the County to ensure a continuing local source of sand, gravel, and rock for planned growth and regional economic development consistent with the General Plan policies. Staff will monitor the project to ensure that it is developed in compliance with the conditions of approval and the Development Agreement (DA), and will summarize those findings in an annual report to the Board of Supervisors. Fiscal Impact: There will be no net fiscal impact to the General Fund from the project in that the mine operator is responsible for all costs associated with implementing and monitoring the conditions of approval, the DA, and annual reporting requirements. BACKGROUND At the previous hearing for the Stoneridge Quarry on December 7, 2011, the Board certified the Final EIR as adequate and complete, adopted the Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations, and approved the General Plan Amendments by Resolution No. 2011-0897. The Board also took tentative action to approve the remaining entitlements, and requested that staff revise three conditions of approval in response to testimony of an adjoining land owner expressing concerns pertaining to potential impacts to the quality and quantity of the well water supply from groundwater drawdown, potential impacts to the cattle grazing operation from blasting, and potential impacts to the adjacent viewshed from the quarry excavation, lighting and processing activities. On December 14, 2011, the Board adopted Resolution No. 2011-0938 to approve the establishment of a Quarry Truck Management Plan (TMP) Funding Mechanism Program for eastern Sacramento County. The Stoneridge Quarry is located within the TMP program area, and recommended conditions of approval and Development Agreement for the quarry entitlements require participation in this program. Subsequent amendments to the Teichert Quarry entitlements will be necessary to participate in this program, and those amendments, once approved, will be automatically reflected in the Stoneridge Quarry Development Agreement. No further amendments to the recommended conditions are necessary based on the Board s recent action on the TMP program. DISCUSSION Recommended Condition #56 requires the mine operator to provide a setback of at least 150 feet from the boundary of APN #073-0020-031, and to construct berming of an average height of 12 feet within this setback area. Exhibits have been added to this condition illustrating the berming and landscaping that would be required along this property line. In addition, and consistent with the discussion at the prior hearing, the applicant has offered to limit any blasting that occurs within 500 feet of this property line during the period from November 1 st to February 1 st until the JG:jg:gvc PLNP2010-00264 Add #3 2
Stoneridge Quarry Page 3 quarry depth within this area has progressed to a depth of 40 feet below original grade. The effectiveness of this restriction will be evaluated by the Board during the annual report required for the Development Agreement, and further restrictions could imposed with entitlement amendments if necessary, although there is no evidence available today to suggest that blasting adversely impacts adjacent cattle operations. Recommended Condition #60 requires the mine operator to take measures to provide for an equivalent water supply in the event of increased groundwater drawdown at any off-site existing well that is caused by the quarry. Additional language is recommended requiring the mine operator to provide a 24-hour emergency contact phone number for the adjacent property owner in the event of an impact to these existing off-site wells. The impact and the need for immediate attention was one of the primary concerns of the adjacent land owner expressed at the previous hearing. And finally, recommended Condition #111 requires that the applicant provide twenty (20) redwood trees to the adjacent land owner prior to issuance of the Work Authorization Permit for the quarry. In addition, and consistent with the discussion at the prior hearing, the applicant has offered to plant or contract with a landscape company to plant these trees in a location acceptable to the adjacent land owner, and to also install a drip-irrigation system for these trees. Letters have been received from the California Cattleman s Association and the Sacramento County Farm Bureau (attached) requesting continuance of the Stoneridge Quarry until sometime in March of 2012. These requests are based on the need to identify suitable mitigation for the adjacent land owner relative to water, animal health, aesthetics and other issues. Staff believes that these impacts have been adequately addressed through the CEQA process, and that the recommended mitigation measures and conditions of approval as revised herein will provide acceptable mitigation for adjacent land uses. In addition, the Board will have the ability to review the resulting impacts and effectiveness of the mitigation measures and conditions of approval during the annual report required for the Development Agreement, and may direct staff to pursue the appropriate entitlement amendments to impose additional operating restrictions if necessary. MEASURES/EVALUATION The granted land use entitlements will enable the County to ensure a continuing local source of sand, gravel, rock, and other ancillary products permitted by the County Code for planned growth and regional economic development consistent with the General Plan policies. Staff will monitor the project to ensure that it is developed in compliance with the conditions of approval and the DA, and will summarize those findings in an annual report to the Board of Supervisors. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS There will be no net fiscal impact to the General Fund from the project in that the mine operator is responsible for all costs associated with implementing and monitoring the conditions of approval, the DA, and annual reporting requirements. JG:jg:gvc PLNP2010-00264 Add #3 3
Stoneridge Quarry Page 4 Respectfully submitted, NAVDEEP S. GILL Chief Operations Officer APPROVED: By: BRADLEY J. HUDSON County Executive Attachments: 1. Revised Conditions of Approval 2. Berming Exhibits P-1 through P-5 3. Letter from the California Cattleman s Association, dated December 19, 2011 4. Letter from the Sacramento County Farm Bureau, dated December 19, 2011 5. Signed Rezone Ordinance This staff report was prepared on December 27, 2011. JG:jg:gvc PLNP2010-00264 Add #3 4
Revised Conditions of Approval Stoneridge Quarry Addendum #3 Amend Condition #56 as follows: 56. The Operator shall provide for a setback of at least 150 feet for the quarry pit from the south property line. No mining shall occur within this setback area. Within 6 months of initiation of the Phase I mining, construct a berm within this setback area along the south property line common boundary with APN #073-0020-031, as identified by Exhibits P-1 through P-5. The berming shall average 12 feet in height, and shall be constructed to avoid the dripline of any existing oak tree along the south boundary of the quarry. The berming shall be vegetated with native grasses and oak trees. Additionally, from November 1 st to February 1 st, the Operator shall not engage in any blasting within 500 feet of the south property line common boundary with APN #073-0020-031 until mining within 500 feet of this property line has progressed to a depth of 40 feet below the initial ground surface. The effectiveness of the blasting restriction shall be evaluated annually by the Board of Supervisors as part of the annual report required by the Development Agreement. (Planning Division condition) Amend Condition #60 as follows: 60. The Operator shall take measures to provide for an equivalent water supply in the event of increased groundwater drawdown caused by the quarry. Such additional measures could include constructing a deeper well and/or providing financial compensation for increased pumping costs, providing an alternative source of water, or moving existing wells to an area where there is less or no increased groundwater drawdown. Other measures may also be applicable. The County Environmental Coordinator will not require the Operator to fund incremental costs when there is no logical, financial or operational reason to locate a supply well within the quarry groundwater drawdown area. In order to establish the baseline quality and quantity of water produced by the existing off-site wells (Private Wells 1, 2, 3 and 08N01E10 as indicated on Plate HY-9 of the FEIR) the operator shall provide funding to the County for all costs to hire an independent third party contractor to test the wells in accordance with industry standards. Such testing will be overseen by the Sacramento County Environmental Coordinator. Once a baseline has been established and if the owners of the above referenced wells demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Sacramento County Environmental Coordinator that an impact to well production has occurred, the Operator shall provide funding to the County to hire an independent third party contractor to test the wells and determine if the impact is a result of quarry operations. If to the satisfaction of the Sacramento County Environmental Coordinator an impact due to the quarry is demonstrated by the well testing, then the Operator will be required to comply with the measures above for providing an equivalent water supply. In the event of a sudden loss of production from Private Well #1 (used for livestock watering) which is not the result of mechanical failure, the Operator shall immediately provide equivalent water for livestock production for thirty (30) days while the cause of the production loss is being evaluated as set forth above. Additionally, the operator shall
provide the owner of Private Wells 1, 2, 3 and 08N01E10 as indicated on Plate HY-9 of the FEIR, a 24-hour emergency contact phone number for reporting loss of well production and shall relay any reports of loss of well production to the Environmental Coordinator within one business day. The above measures will not be required if access is not granted by the private property owners of potentially impacted sites in order to establish the baseline quality and quantity of the groundwater. (Mitigation Measure HY-1) Add a new condition to read as follows: 111. Prior to issuance of the Work Authorization Permit, the Operator shall provide the owner of APN 073-0020-031 with twenty (20) 10-gallon redwood trees to help provide for additional off-site screening of the quarry. The Operator shall plant or contract with a landscape company to plant the trees in a location acceptable to the owner of APN 073-0020-031. Additionally, the Operator shall install or contract with a landscape company to install a drip-irrigation system for the trees. The owner of APN 073-0020-031 shall be responsible for the water supply and water-source connection for the drip-irrigation system, irrigation, and maintenance of the trees. (Planning Division condition)