March 25, 2010

Release of the General Plan 2030 Update and Recirculated DEIR

The Tulare County General Plan 2030 Update (General Plan Update) provides a comprehensive, long-term plan of the physical development of the County related to planning. The County’s General Plan Update consists of development policies that set forth objectives, principles and standards that guide land use decisions within the County.

In its role as the lead agency, the County has directed the recirculation of the DEIR for the proposed project (RDEIR). Consideration of the various comments received on the DEIR, as well as continued research and documentation in the areas of air quality and climate change regulation resulted in the County’s decision to update a number of sections of the RDEIR, as well as the 2010 Background Report.

The RDEIR has a public review period of 60 days, starting on March 25, 2010 and ending on May 27, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. Any written comments on the RDEIR must be sent or delivered to the Tulare County Resource Management Agency at the following address: Tulare County Resource Management Agency, Government Plaza, 5961 South Mooney Boulevard, Visalia, CA 93277 to the attention of David Bryant, Project Planner.

Comments on the previous DEIR released in January 2008, although a part of the administrative record, will not require a written response in the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR). New comments must be submitted for the RDEIR. The County, as provided in CEQA Guidelines, section 15088.5(f)(1), will not respond to individual comments received on the January 2008 Draft EIR but will respond to any new comments received on this February 2010 RDEIR as part of the FEIR to be considered by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.

After the review period on the RDEIR, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors and the Tulare County Planning Commission plan to hold a joint public workshop on the General Plan Update in the Chambers of the Board of Supervisors, Administration Building, County Civic Center, 2800 West Burrel, Visalia, California. The workshop will provide the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission with a review of the preliminary responses to comments on the RDEIR, and seek direction regarding the completion of the General Plan Update process. A notice of this workshop will be published. Copies of the notice will be sent to any individual or entity requesting notice. After this workshop the Planning Commission will meet in a noticed public hearing to review the proposed project and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. After the Planning Commission has made its recommendation on the proposed project, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors will notice and hold a public hearing on the proposed General Plan Update and will consider the Final EIR. Both of these public hearings will be noticed separately. Copies of the notice will be sent to any individual or entity requesting notice.