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Site development issues, focusing on site acquisition

Site development issues, focusing on site acquisition. Douglas Bock See also: Stephen’s “Visual Tour of the OVRO site” FASR Planning Meeting, AUI, August 16-17, 2007. OVRO site. (not focusing on site comparables)

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Site development issues, focusing on site acquisition

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  1. Site development issues, focusing on site acquisition Douglas Bock See also: Stephen’s “Visual Tour of the OVRO site” FASR Planning Meeting, AUI, August 16-17, 2007

  2. OVRO site • (not focusing on site comparables) • Current staffing ~30: site and instrument maintenance, engineering, including high-level (PhD) • Existing building partially vacated by OVRO can possible be used for FASR • Construction & access relatively easy, some road improvements needed. • Site acquisition is the main issue for now

  3. Lease • Current OVRO lease expires in 2013 • Prototyping and early test array would be on existing lease, with permission for construction from DWP (informed by CEQA analysis) • Expect to renew lease (expanded area for FASR) for 25 years in 2010 or 2011 • Renewal of this lease (by DWP board/LA council) is the action that is informed by main CEQA document

  4. Environmental Analysis • Purpose is to inform decision-making by federal and state agencies • Local governments often represent state in California • Environmental documents can be joint state/federal or separate, but typically rely on one set of surveys (need to get survey requirements in place early). • It is likely that the project (using consultants) would prepare & fund the state document under the direction of DWP. Federal analog unclear (to me!)

  5. Terminology

  6. Case study I - Allen Telescope Array (ATA) • Lead state agency: UC Berkeley • Lead federal agency: Forest Service • EA and separate Mitigated Negative Declaration (main text similar in the two documents) • Expansion of existing site • Main issues: • Sensitive plants and animals (avoided in configuration design) • Visual (mitigated by sand-blasting of antenna surfaces) • Timeline • Original application for Special Use Permit late 1999; moved slowly until… • Public scoping Aug 2002 • EA Dec 2002; Mit. Neg.Dec. Feb 2003 • Project approval *** tbc (Sep 2003) • Cost ~ $100k + ~0.5 work-year staff

  7. Case Study II: CARMA • Lead State agency: UC Berkeley • Lead Federal agency: Forest Service • Joint EIS/EIR • New site • Main issues • Weeds/botanical • Impact to traditional tribal lands • Timeline: • Earliest siting discussions 1996 • Candidate sites identified *** tbc (2002?) • Public scoping ***tba • Draft EIS/EIR March 2003 • Final EIS/EIR Oct 2003 • Approval May 2004 • Cost $1.2m (1996-2004) + several work-years staff

  8. FASR • Project scope (from environmental perspective) much more like ATA • Lead State agency: probably LA DWP (UC would be guided by DWP analysis should it determine its decision has any impact) • Lead Federal agency: NSF? • Expansion of existing site • Main issues: • Visual (mitigate in configuration design and by painting, etc) • Likely biological/archaeological areas of concern can probably be avoided (no obvious site-wide issues) • Others? Public scoping…

  9. Strategy • Local DWP staff supportive so far • General community expected to be supportive if access is maintained • Avoid localized impacts in configuration design • Mitigate visual impacts in antenna design • Brief DWP HQ and County at time of request for first local installation (pref. 1 yr in advance) • Engage community so that they understand local and global benefits of the project, and likely mitigations to their concerns. Start to learn of any new concerns at this time • Get going early on surveys (biological/archaeological, especially if DWP has information on existing concerns). • Start full project NEPA/CEQA analysis well in advance (at least 2 yrs).

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