Buhach Colony High School Stadium Project

Buhach Colony High School Stadium Project

The proposed project is located on the existing Buhach Colony High School campus, addressed at 1800 Buhach Road in the City of Atwater, California. The stadium site is located within the interior of the existing campus in an area that is currently occupied by existing campus athletic facilities (a football field, running track, and baseball/softball fields). The area surrounding the project site consists of other existing school facilities at the Buhach Colony campus, single-family residential development, a fire station, a drainage basin, and agricultural fields and orchards. The project does not entail an expansion of the existing campus boundaries. The project includes construction and operation of a 3,000-seat athletic stadium which would serve Buhach Colony High School’s athletic programs. Facilities planned as part of the project include bleacher seating, monument entry, a ticket booth, an announcer’s booth, two concession/team room/restroom buildings, a natural turf competition field, a rubberized running track, and a scoreboard. The stadium would be lighted using state-of-the-art LED light fixtures mounted on four 90-foot-tall poles. The lighting would be designed and oriented to light the field and project areas adjacent to the field that need to be lighted with little or no light trespass on non-project areas. Additionally, the project includes landscaping features and new concrete-paved areas within the campus. Transportation access for the project will be provided via existing access points at the Buhach Colony campus, which are located on Avenue Two and on Buhach Road. For parking, the project will use existing surface parking lots at the campus. The project would operate year-round, with most activity occurring during the fall sports season. Games and practices would be scheduled on weekdays and weekends, and events would be scheduled during daytime and evening hours (not to exceed 10:00 p.m.). The project may also be utilized for hosting occasional non athletic special events, such as pep rallies and graduation ceremonies. If approved, the project is anticipated to begin construction in September 2023 and begin operation in September 2024.

Atwater

Merced

Citywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Education, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, District 10 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Fresno Region 5 (RWQCB), Central Valley Flood Protection Board, Department of General Services (DGS), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, Department of Toxic Substances Control

Department of Toxic Substances Control

Educational (High School Stadium)

Use Permit

Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Drainage/Absorption, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Hydrology/Water Quality, Noise, Transportation