Scoping Meeting Set for
Saranap Village EIR

MARCH 29, 2014 – A “scoping meeting” on the environmental impact report on Hall Equities Group’s proposed Saranap Village development will be held April 7 in Martinez.
Scoping meetings provide information about a project to government agencies that will or may be involved in an EIR. They're also an opportunity for the public to comment on topics relating to possible environmental impacts of a project.
The Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) on March 19 mailed a “notice of preparation” informing government agencies and departments that an EIR is being written on the Saranap Village project. The notice was also sent to members of  the public who have expressed an interest in the project.
An EIR is a thorough assessment of possible environmental impacts of a project. It addresses areas covered under the California Environmental Quality Act. Those included in the EIR for the Saranap Village project are aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation and traffic, utilities and service systems, and “mandatory findings of significance.”
The scoping meeting will be held on April 7, a Monday, at 3:30 p.m. at DCD’s offices at 30 Muir Road in Martinez. Members of the SCA board will attend. If you aren’t able to be there but have concerns related to environmental impacts of the project that you feel won’t be addressed under any of the categories listed above, you can fill out and submit the form at the end of this article. We’ll communicate your concerns to the county prior to the deadline for comments.
Comments can also be submitted in writing to DCD at the above address (zip code 94553), addressed to William Nelson’s attention. He is the county’s principal planner assigned to the Saranap Village project.
The EIR process. The first product of  the EIR process will be a draft of the report. Publication of the draft will initiate a 45-day period during which the public can comment on the study’s findings. Following the comment period, ESA Associates, the San Francisco consulting firm that will conduct the study, will write a final draft of the report. This will incorporate input from agencies involved in the study, public comments, and the planning staff’s response to those comments.
The EIR will be submitted to the county planning commission along with a planning department staff report that includes the department’s response to every comment submitted during the approval process. These two documents will be the basis of a public hearing before the planning commission. 
There have been significant changes to the Saranap Village project since it was first announced last spring. SCA board members will be meeting with Hall Equities Group representatives soon to discuss these changes. We’ll post an article outlining the changes in the days following the meeting.
Click here for an archive of articles about Saranap Village previously posted on our website.

    Saranap Village EIR Concern Form

    Use this form to communicate any concerns you have about environmental aspects of the Saranap Village project that you feel won’t be addressed in the EIR. We’ll forward your concerns to the county prior to the deadline for public input.