Campus walkway with banners

Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report in Compliance with Title 14, Section 15082(a) of the California Code of Regulations

 

Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21165 and the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Section 15050, the Antelope Valley Community College District (District) is the Lead Agency responsible for preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) addressing potential impacts associated with the project identified below.

 

AGENCIES: The purpose of this notice is to serve as a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an EIR pursuant to the State CEQA Guidelines Section 15082, and solicit comments and suggestions regarding the scope and content of the EIR to be prepared for the proposed project. Specifically, the District requests input on environmental information germane to your agency’s statutory responsibility in connection with the proposed project. Responsible agencies may rely on the Draft EIR prepared by the City when considering permits or other approvals for this project.

 

ORGANIZATIONS AND INTERESTED PARTIES: The District requests your comments regarding the proposed scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the EIR.

 

PROJECT TITLE: Antelope Valley Community College District 2016 Facilities Master Plan

 

PROJECT LOCATION: Antelope Valley College, 3041 West Avenue K, Lancaster, California, 93536-5426.

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The proposed project is an update of the Antelope Valley Community College District (District) Facilities Master Plan (FMP), also known as the 2016 FMP. The 2016 FMP is guide for the future development of the District’s Lancaster campus, also known as Antelope Valley College (AVC). The 2016 FMP would accommodate an increase in full-time equivalent students (FTES)  district-wide (including both the Lancaster campus and the District’s Palmdale Center) of 5,175 FTES by 2030, compared to 2014 levels, for 19,852 total FTES in 2030, 15,908 of which would be at the Lancaster campus.

 

The 2016 FMP is a strategy for modifying the Lancaster campus to accommodate growth and change over the next 30 years. The initial FMP for the Palmdale Center is presently being developed to support proposed expansion plans of the center and will be incorporated into the District Facilities Master Plan at a later date. The 2016 FMP is based on findings from the District’s Educational Master Plan. It provides a guide for long-term land and building use, and serves as a guide for near-term decisions on program planning and implementation, resource allocation, setting priorities and other College administrative matters which influence the student educational experience at AVC.

 

The 2016 FMP presents an overall picture of the future developed campus and includes recommendations for new construction, building renovations, change of use, and site development projects. It recommends the demolition and replacement of a number of the oldest buildings on the campus. Functions currently housed in these facilities will be relocated to new or existing facilities and will be designed to support the new campus zoning diagram and address projected instructional program needs. Although the 2016 FMP does not specify an exact amount of new square footage that would be added to the Lancaster campus upon full implementation of the 2016 FMP, it does identify a need for additional assignable square feet (ASF) on campus. ASF is the assignable or usable space within a building. The 2016 FMP requires approval by the District’s Board of Trustees.

 

PROBABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE PROJECT: The Initial Study for the proposed project found that it would have potentially significant environmental impacts in the following areas, which will therefore be studied in the EIR: Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Noise, Transportation/Traffic, Tribal Cultural Resources, and Utilities and Service Systems.

 

Scoping Meeting/Community Workshop. The Antelope Valley Community College District, in its role as Lead Agency, will hold a public scoping meeting to provide an opportunity for the public and representatives of public agencies to address the scope of the Environmental Impact Report. The Scoping Meeting for the project is scheduled to occur during a regular meeting of the Antelope Valley Community College District Board of Trustees on Monday, June 11, 2018, 6:30 pm at the following location:

Antelope Valley Community College District – PALMDALE CENTER

Room 147 & 148 

2301 East Palmdale Boulevard

Palmdale, CA 93550

 

PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD:The Initial Study – Notice of Preparation (IS-NOP) for the proposed project is available for public review and comment pursuant to California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 15082(b). The public review and comment period during which the District will receive comments on the IS-NOP begins Tuesday, May 29, 2018 and ends Wednesday, June 27, 2018. 

 

THE IS-NOP IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

 

  • Antelope Valley College, Facilities Services Building, 3041 West Ave K, Lancaster, CA, 93536-5426, Monday through Thursday between the hours of 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., and Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
  • Online at: http://www.avc.edu/news/2018/may/NOP

 

RESPONSES AND COMMENTS: Please list a contact person for your agency or organization, include U.S. mail and email addresses, and send your comments to:

 

Antelope Valley Community College District

Attn: Doug Jensen, Executive Director, Facilities Services

3041 West Avenue K

Lancaster, CA 93536-5426

 

Or via email to: djensen@avc.edu    

Click here to view the Master Plan (Antelope Valley College Master Plan IS-NOP.pdf)