Notice of Preparation of EIR for the Thermal Specific Plan
Notice of Preparation for Environmental Impact Report
A Notice of Preparation (NOP) for an Environmental Impact Report for the Thermal Ranch Specific Plan which includes Specific Plan No. 401, General Plan Amendment No. 230001, Change of Zone No. 2300003, Tentative Tract Map No. 38578, Tentative Parcel Map No. 38531, Plot Plan No. 230005, and Plot Plan No. 230006.
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COMMENT PERIOD |
The comment period for the Notice of Preparation is from May 26, 2023 through July 10, 2023.
An Initial Study was prepared with the Notice of Preparation. Documents for this are linked to below:
Two Scoping Sessions are to be held on June 19, 2023 at 1:30 and on July 10, 2023 at 1:30 with the Director’s Hearing meeting. Please see the below link for accessing the meetings.
https://planning.rctlma.org/Public-Hearings/Directors-Hearing/2023-Directors-Hearing-Meetings
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PROJECT INFORMATION |
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed Project consists of a Specific Plan and initial implementing projects. The Specific Plan is proposed on 619.1±-acres and will be comprised of a mix of uses including and centered around a 223.1±-acre equestrian center and related show facilities, including barns, stabling and related equestrian services (Planning Area 1/PA-1). The equestrian center will require 300 staff, and will have an additional 8,100 visitors on peak event days comprised of riders, trainers, stable hands and visitors. Other components of the Thermal Ranch Specific Plan would include a mix of residential neighborhoods ranging horse park workforce housing (including modular housing and RV parking accommodations) (Planning Area 4/PA-4), to large single-family estate lots, some suitable for keeping horses (Planning Area 2/PA-2). Other residential product planned includes single-family attached and detached homes (Planning Area 3/PA-3) and condominiums (possibly extended stay) in Planning Area 5 (PA-5) and may also be available to the planned hotel room pool. At buildout, the Project will provide up to 1,362 dwelling units ranging in densities from 0.60 to 27.3 units per acre.
Proposed commercial areas would provide 275,000± gross leasable square feet of retail and other commercial space, including 75,000± square feet of equestrian event-related retail space, and 10,000 square feet of office space; and up to 150,000 square feet of retail space in Planning Area 6 (PA-6). A 54.4±-acre mixed use resort with a 150± key resort hotel, beach club and ancillary retail is also proposed (Planning Area 5/PA-5). The Project provides four Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) well sites to be located in the northern and eastern portions of the Project site.
Additionally, two subdivision maps (TTM No. 385378 and TTM No. 38531), and two Plot Plan applications have been filed and are addressed in this CEQA analysis. TTM No. 38531 will subdivide the property into nine large parcels and TTM No. 38578 will further subdivide PA-2 (Estate Residential) into 132 individual lots and PA-3 into 390 single-family lots. The two plot plans will allow development to commence in PA-1 and PA-4 following approval of the Specific Plan and these related applications. Each of the major Specific Plan components is described below.
The Project will result in full half-street improvements, phased to Project improvements, of Avenue 62, Harrison Street and Tyler Street. Water and sewer will be extended from immediately off-site to serve the proposed Project. Two sewerage lift stations are proposed in the southerly portion of the Project. An on-site electric power substation is also planned. These on-site and off-site utility infrastructure improvements will be fully analyzed in the EIR.
PROJECT LOCATION: The overall project is located in the community of Thermal specifically located east of Harrison Street, south of 62nd Avenue, west of Tyler Street, north of 64th Avenue.
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Contact Information |
Any comments for the NOP should be addressed to Russell Brady at the address and/or email address below. If there are any questions please call or email.
Russell Brady, Project Planner
Riverside County Planning Department
4080 Lemon St., 12th Floor
Riverside, CA 92501
(951) 955-3025
[email protected]