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Chief Administrative Office, Facilities Division, recommending the Board take the following actions related to SB 844 El Dorado County Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reentry Facility Placerville Jail Expansion Project:
1) Adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 018-2023 approving Addendum 1 and Addendum 2 to the adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND); and
2) Approve the Project as revised in Addendum 1 and Addendum 2 to the MND.
FUNDING: Accumulative Capital Outlay.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On February 8 2017, the Board adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration (2017 MND) for the SB844 El Dorado County Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reentry Facility Placerville Jail Expansion located at 300 Forni Road in Placerville, California (“Project”) (Resolution No. 024-2017; Legistar #16-0416). The Project analyzed in the 2017 MND includes construction of a two-story jail building that would connect to the northwest section of the existing jail facility. The jail building and all associated improvements would be located entirely within the existing County-owned jail property. The proposed expansion facility would include inmate housing areas with 54 beds, as well as administrative and staff support rooms, medical and mental health facilities, expanded inmate program areas, and ancillary mechanical, electrical, and janitorial rooms. The proposed medical and mental health facilities would include 14 beds. The project would not increase the inmate capacity of the jail, but rather redistribute the existing inmate population.
Addendum 1
Since adoption of the 2017 MND, El Dorado County Facilities Division has started design level drawings, coordinating closely with all applicable state and local agencies. During this design-level process, the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) has identified the need to include “areas of refuge” (e.g., for temporary emergency evacuation of inmates during fire incident). In addition, the El Dorado County Fire District (EDCFD) may require upgrades to the existing fire access road along the site’s eastern and southern boundaries. Due to the aforementioned requirements, the original anticipated grading and site work for the project would be greater than what was analyzed in the 2017 MND and would include the removal of on-site mixed oak woodland, including two Heritage trees. There are currently two options being considered for the orientation of the proposed jail expansion building and the Addendum addresses both options, and includes the entire potential impact area in the analysis. A first Addendum to the 2017 MND was prepared in 2020 analyzing the impacts of these project modifications:
• Dedication of 3,165 sf for use as areas of refuge, which would include approximately 160 square feet (sf) for paved pathways to the dirt or grass refuge areas. The proposed areas of refuge would be located to the east and northeast of the proposed building;
• A potential upgraded fire access road, if mandated by the EDCFD. The project would improve the existing gravel access road by placing four inches of asphalt concrete over 11 inches of aggregate base. Both materials would meet Caltrans specifications;
• A new mechanical yard on the southeast corner of the site, which would include:
o The addition of one 1,000-gallon propane tank on a concrete pad on the southeast corner of the site. The approved project did not include a propane tank; and
o One additional emergency generator. The approved project included one larger generator, but the County may elect to instead use two smaller generators to provide redundancy. Both generators would be installed in a weatherproof, Level 1 sound attenuated enclosure on the southeast corner of the site.
Addendum 2
Subsequent to the preparation of Addendum 1, Facilities Division continued to work on refining the project design and has determined an expansion of the existing jail parking lot located north of the existing jail facility is warranted to accommodate for temporary construction staging area and serve additional visitors to the jail. Addendum 2 was prepared in 2022 analyzing the impacts of grading and paving an approximately 0.9 acre area to create a total of 37 new parking stalls and a new eight-inch stormwater drain which would direct flows north of the proposed parking lot expansion.
CEQA:
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15163, when changes are made to an approved project, the County must evaluate such changes and, as appropriate, prepare an Addendum to a previously adopted MND.
CEQA Guidelines Section 15164(a) provides that the lead agency or a responsible agency shall prepare an addendum to a previously adopted MND if some changes or additions are necessary but none of the conditions described in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 calling for preparation of a subsequent MND have occurred.
Addendum 1 and Addendum 2 to the previously adopted 2017 MND show a supplemental or subsequent MND is not required for the project revisions described in the Addendum because there is no substantial evidence that the conditions described in Section 15162(a) have occurred, including: (1) substantial changes to the project which would require major revisions to the previous negative declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; (2) substantial changes occurred with respect to the circumstances under which the project has been undertaken which would require major revisions of the previous negative declaration due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects; or (3) a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; or new information of substantial importance, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time of the previous negative declaration was adopted, shows the project will (a) have one or more significant effects not discussed in the previous negative declaration. sus
If approved, the Division shall sign the document and file a Notice of Determination with the office of the County Recorder/Clerk.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to approve Addendum 1 and Addendum 2 to the 2017 MND. The Project may move forward without addressing the findings of the current fire lane and parking calculations prepared for the Addendum but may negatively impact SB844 contractor staging and cause potential onsite fire lane restrictions.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
February 8, 2017; Legistar File No. 16-0416: Adopt Resolution No 024-2017 approving and adopting the 2017 MND.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Sheriff Department
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no direct cost associated with the approval of this amendment. Funding for the jail expansion project, including these improvements, is included in the FY 2022-2023 ACO budget. There is no change to Net County Cost.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Execute Resolution. Facilities Division will file a Notice of Determination with the County Recorder / Clerk’s Office for the Addendum within five working days after adoption of the resolution.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Infrastructure
CONTACT
Chuck Harrell
Facilities Division Manager