Crowe Center RXB
Summary
SCH Number
2022040359
Public Agency
Orange County Fire Authority
Document Title
Crowe Center RXB
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
4/18/2022
Document Description
The project area is ~973 acres located in the City of Irvine, south of highway 241, west of Alton Parkway, north of Irvine Boulevard, and east of the community of Portola Springs. The elevation on the project site is approximately 500’ to 600’ above mean sea. Environments on the project site are mostly degraded/ruderal due to a history of fire, including the 1998 Santiago Fire and the recent 2020 Silverado Fire, which burned through the entire property. Vegetation across the project area consists of mostly annual grasslands, invaded by black mustard, as well as degraded coastal sage scrub composed of isolated oak trees, small stands of cactus, with larger shrubs such as laurel sumac and lemonade berry, and thin ribbons of mule fat riparian. Every year there are dozens of roadside ignitions along roadways in Orange County and the goal of the project is to reduce the spread of fires by reducing hazardous fuels through prescribed burning. The project will provide a direct benefit to over 1500 homes, critical infrastructure, and nearly 50,000 acres of adjacent wildland by providing a buffer of reduced fuels and reduction of ignition potential. This project will also include providing wildland fire training opportunities to firefighters in the form of live fire training and suppression tactics. The project will reduce the risks associated with wildfire to the habitable structures in the nearby cities of Irvine and Lake Forest, as well as open space owned by the County of Orange. This project will provide much needed training and fuels reduction in an area of high fire frequency to reduce fire intensity and fire occurrence. By conducting prescribed fire and reducing hazardous fuels during a planned burn window, the health and social wellbeing of nearby residents and adjacent communities will improve during a wildfire, as the project will reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses and carbon emitted into the environment and atmosphere during a wildfire in the area.
Contact Information
Name
Dave Erickson
Agency Name
Orange County Fire Authority
Job Title
Wildland Resource Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Irvine
Counties
Orange
Regions
Southern California
Cross Streets
Alton and Irvine Blvd
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Sections 15304
Reasons for Exemption
This project meets the requirements of a Class 4 Categorical Exemption “15304 Minor Alterations to Land” -“Class 4 consists of minor public or private alterations in the conditions of land, water and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature and scenic trees except for forestry and agricultural purposes”. The project will increase ingress/egress safety zones, aesthetic, has minimal ground disturbance and will not result in significant effects on biological and archaeological resources nor the environment. Field reviews conducted by OCFA staff have confirmed that no impacts will occur, which justifies the use of a Notice of Exemption for this project. OCFA has concluded that no significant environmental impact would occur to aesthetics, agriculture and forestland/timberland, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use planning, mineral resources, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation/traffic, or to utilities and service systems. OCFA has determined this project would not impact the environment.
County Clerk
Orange
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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