SACUNION ORIGINAL: Sacramento Railyards EIR Released
Public Review Period Open through Oct. 3
By LANCE ARMSTRONG, Sacramento Union Writer
Published: September 7, 2007 17:36
The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Sacramento Railyards was released Aug. 20, giving the community the opportunity to view the updated evaluation of this extensive downtown development site. The public now has a 45-day review period, ending Oct. 3, to provide written feedback regarding this report.
In addition to written submissions, individuals can voice their comments about the EIR at a public hearing, which will be held at the historic City Hall, 915 I St., Second Floor, in Sacramento on Sept. 13 at 5:30 p.m.
The EIR, which was prepared during a 15-month period dating back to March 2006, was completed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and includes a project review of the Railyards Specific Plan—the proposed mixed-use development in the Richards Boulevard area, which would include 10,000 to 12,500 dwelling units, more than 2.3 million square feet of office space, 1,100 hotel rooms, about 1.4 million square feet of retail, 487,390 square feet of historic/ cultural space, and about 41.6 acres of open space.
The 2-inch thick, spiral bound report, which is also available in an electronic version, is a highly detailed document, which is designed to “inform public decision makers and the public about the proposed project and potentially significant adverse environmental impacts that may result from the adoption and implementation of the proposed project, and to identify appropriate feasible mitigation measures and alternatives that may be adopted to reduce or eliminate impacts.”
The report details the presence of hazardous materials and pollutants that currently exist within the railyards’ boundaries, which are described as property bounded by North B Street and the Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant to the north, the Sacramento River to the west, H and I streets to the south and 7th and 12th streets to the east.
Chemicals present in the site’s soil are divided into the following five categories: metals, asbestos, volatile organic compounds, petroleum hydrocarbons, and semi-volatile organic compounds.
In regard to asbestos, the EIR includes information relating to issues associated with possible hazards from historic building materials containing asbestos, which could be disturbed by project activities and result in the emission of harmful asbestos fibers.
The report also specifies the neighboring areas of Alkali Flat and the Ping Yuen residences across I Street as being more sensitive to air pollutants.
Another study included in the EIR relates to historical archaeological sensitivity within the entire 240-acre railyards site, which is described as having “the potential to contain important historical archaeological deposits.”
Five areas of the railyards are highlighted within this segment of the report.
The first of these areas is the Depot District, which included a Chinese neighborhood along I Street, the promontory and 7th Street, possible wharfs, an early levee, and a large portion of China Slough or Sutter Lake – a historic body of water, which once encompassed the city blocks between Front and 6th streets and G and I streets.
The area, according to this segment of the report, may contain “remains associated with Chinese neighborhood and other occupants, unique artifacts from the railyard operations, as well as historic environmental information.”
The report indicates that railroad operations artifacts from the slough, which was filled in by 1910, apparently include parts of early locomotives and obsolete railroad equipment.
Another segment of the report states that the slough area also has the possibility of including obsolete railroad cars and Chinese fishing boats.
Other historical archaeological sensitive areas designated in the EIR are: the Central Shop District, the Riverfront District, the West End and the East End.
Although not mentioned in the EIR, the current railyards project has resulted in a variety of publicly unspecified artifacts.
Pat Johnson, senior archivist of the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center, recently commented to The Union regarding these artifacts unearthed from the railyards.
“The city of Sacramento has received the materials from the railyards, but they’re unprocessed, so they’re not available at this time,” Johnson said. “There’s about a pallet’s worth with about 48 (1-cubic-foot) boxes. We didn’t open any of the boxes; they remain sealed at this point and it will take up to a year to determine what the artifacts are. We don’t know what part of the railyards they came from; they were packed up by the General Services people and then we took delivery of them from the General Services people.”
Responding to an additional inquiry, Johnson added that she has no knowledge whether any human remains were recently discovered at the railyards.
The EIR does, however, include information about prehistoric remains, which were previously discovered in the area.
Supporting The Union’s previous investigation into the possibility of a Chinese cemetery being located within the railyards, the EIR includes the following words: “There is also a possibility of at least one Chinese cemetery on the margins of Sutter Lake; historical research has neither confirmed nor conclusively refuted the existence of these sites. If there are cemeteries, they may be associated with the Chinese religious buildings (in the area).”
According to the EIR, “If human remains are discovered at the construction site during any phase of construction, all grounddisturbing activity within 50 feet of the resources shall be halted and the county coroner shall be notified immediately.”
Within the report’s Cultural Resources section, six areas in the railyards have been identified as “archaeological sensitive areas.” These areas are noted as having the potential for including both historic-era and prehistoric-era resources.
Other concerns referred to in the EIR relate to such issues as the proposed project’s possible effects on global warming, water quality, fish and wildlife, the generation of particulate matter during grading of construction site(s) and construction of proposed structures, considerable alterations to the historic Southern Pacific Railroad buildings, and increases in traffic.
Certainly, as a document of such magnitude, the EIR is much more detailed than can be thoroughly summarized within the space provided in this paper.
Those interested in viewing or obtaining copies of the EIR can do so through the city of Sacramento Web site at
www.cityofsacramento. org/dsd/projects/railyards/ or at the following locations: the historic City Hall, 915 I St., Third Floor, Sacramento; the Sacramento Public Library, 828 I St., Sacramento; and the City of Sacramento North Permit Center, 2101 Arena Blvd., Ste. 200, Sacramento. The Arena Boulevard location is the only site where one can receive a hardcopy version of the report.
The public is invited to submit written commentary regarding the EIR to either the e-mail address srjohnson@cityofsacramento. org or to: Scott Johnson, Associate Planner, City of Sacramento Development Services Department, North Permit Center, 2101 Arena Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95834.
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