EIR 03-18; AVEP Solar Project by Chaparral Solar, LLC, Rabbitbrush Solar, LLC, and Tumbleweed Solar, LLC

EIR 03-18; AVEP Solar Project by Chaparral Solar, LLC, Rabbitbrush Solar, LLC, and Tumbleweed Solar, LLC

The project proponents are requesting: (a) Four Specific Plan Amendments to the Willow Springs Specific Plan, from designations 5.3/2.85 (Maximum 10 units/net acre / Noise Management Area (65db)),5.3/4.4 (Maximum 10 units/net acre/ Comprehensive Planning Area), 5.3/4.4/2.1 (Maximum 10 units/net acre/ Comprehensive Planning Area/ Seismic Hazard), 5.6 (Minimum 2.5 gross acres/unit), 5.6/2.8 (Minimum 2.5 gross acres/unit/ Military Flight Operations (60db)), 5.6/2.85 (Minimum 2.5 gross acres/unit/ Noise Management Area (65db)), 5.7 (Minimum 5 gross acres/unit), 5.75 (Minimum 10 gross acres/unit), 6.2 (General Commercial) and 8.5 (Resources Management (Minimum 20-acre parcel size)) to designations 8.1 (Intensive Agriculture (Minimum 20-acre Parcel Size)), 8.1/2.1 (Intensive Agriculture (Minimum 20-acre Parcel Size / Seismic Hazard), 8.1/2.8 (Intensive Agriculture (Minimum 20-acre Parcel Size)/ Military Flight Operations (60db)) and 8.1/2.85 (Intensive Agriculture (Minimum 20-acre Parcel Size)/ Noise Management Area (65db)), totaling approximately 10 acres in T9N/Rl3W SBB&M and approximately 1,727 acres in T9N/R,14W SBB&M. (SPA 1, Map 231-18; SPA 25, Map 232; SPA 27, Map 232; SPA 29, Map 232). (b) Four Specific Plan Amendments to amend the Circulation Plan of the Willow Springs Specific Plan, to eliminate future road reservations along Section lines in Sections 7 and 18 T9N/R13W SBB&M, and to eliminate future road reservations along Section and Mid-Section lines in Sections I 0, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 36 T9N/R 14W SBB&M. (SP A 2, Map 23 I -18; SP A 26, Map 232; SP A 28, Map 232; SP A 30, Map 232). (c) Four Changes in zone classification from the existing zone districts of approximately 10 acres of E(2½) RS FPS in Zone Map 231-18, approximately 472 acres of E(2½) RS FPS in Zone Map 232, approximately 160.5 acres of E(5) RS FPS in Zone Map 232, and approximately 18 acres of E(10) RS FPS in Zone Map 232, to the A FPS (Exclusive Agriculture - Floodplain Secondary Combining) District. (ZCC 3, Map 231-18; ZCC 40, Map 232; ZCC 41, Map 232; ZCC 42, Map 232). (d) Four Conditional Use Permits, one in Zone Map 231-18 and three in Zone Map 232,. to allow for the construction and operation of three solar facilities with a total generating capacity of approximately 375 megawatts within the A (Exclusive Agriculture) Zone District pursuant to Section 19.12.030.G of the Kern County Zoning Ordinance. Each of the three facilities would have a generating capacity of approximately 125 megawatts. (CUP I, Map 231-18; CUP 33, Map 232; CUP 35, Map 232; CUP 37, Map 232). (e) Three Conditional Use Permits, in Zone Map 232, to allow for the construction and operation of communication tower(s) in conjunction with the proposed solar facilities. (CUP 34, Map 232; CUP 36, Map 232; CUP 38, Map 232). (f) Three requests for nonsummary vacations of public access easements, one corresponding to each of the three solar facilities. (g) The project's permanent facilities would include service roads, communication towers, communication cables, overhead and underground transmission lines, energy storage systems, operations and maintenance facilities, and a gen-tie and/or collection lines to transmit electricity generated on the project site.

Rosamond

Kern

Air Resources Board, Major Industrial Projects, Cal Fire, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, District 9 (DOT), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Caltrans, Division of Aeronautics, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Emergency Services, California, Office of Historic Preservation, Resources Agency, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Victorville Region 6 (RWQCB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Victorville Region 6 (RWQCB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

Other (communication towers), Power:Solar (Megawatts 375)

Use Permit, Specific Plan Amendment; Nonsummary vacation of public access easements; Zone Change

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Economics/Jobs, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Schools/Universities, Septic System, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire, Wildlife, Wildfire and Energy