Agenda - 09-01-2009 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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by a qualified individual or firm prior to planning staff's completion of the final EA report. That report was prepared by Hal Owen & Associates, Inc and is included as ATTACHMENT FOUR for your review. Environmental Assessment: In the fall of 2008, staff was presented with a rough concept plan detailing the possible development of a solid waste transfer station on the Site. The concept plan indicated that there would be approximately eight (8) to ten (10) acres of land disturbing activity associated with the project, including the proposed access road off of NC Highway 54. After review of the concept plan, and the various provisions of the EIO, staff concluded that: 1. The proposed development project was not listed as being exempt from the preparation of an EA, 2. The proposed land disturbing activities were over the 40,000 square foot threshold detailed within Section 2.2.3 of the EIO requiring the submission and completion of an EA, and 3. The project was proposed on a parcel(s) of property over 2 acres in area. For these reasons, staff required the completion of an EA as a prerequisite step to a future formal site'plan application submission and review process. The EIO gives applicants the option of preparing an EA study prior to the actual submittal of a development project as part of the due diligence process or as part of the process of obtaining a valid governmental approval. For those land uses that are permitted by right, as detailed within Section 4.3 of the Orange County Zoning Ordinance, the applicant may choose to submit the EA along with the building permit application. In this specific instance, the EA was a mandatory prerequisite to investigate and identify possible environmental issues both on an off site arising prior to the County making adecision to* purchase the site. The EA application for Site, completed by the consultant and their sub-consultants, was prepared in accordance with the Orange County EIO and followed the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) application guidelines to provide staff additional information regarding environmental impacts of the project. Other than the 40,000 square feet triggering mechanism, there are no other criteria in the Orange County El 0 that would require preparation of an EA. Furthermore, the project as proposed would not require an EA under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) because the anticipated amount of waste to be handled is less than 350 tons per day.