Grace Marton Memorial Park and Waterfront Trail Improvements Project
Summary
SCH Number
2023060491
Public Agency
City of Eureka
Document Title
Grace Marton Memorial Park and Waterfront Trail Improvements Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/19/2023
Document Description
The City proposes improvements to 3.5-acre, City-owned, Halvorsen Park, including the development of a waterfront-themed playground/recreational facility (Grace Marton Memorial Park), realignment of a portion of the existing Waterfront Trail around the new playground/recreational facility, and maintenance of approximately one-half mile of existing trail extending east of the new playground/recreational facility. The playground/recreational facility project site is surrounded by existing improvements, including the Adorni Center parking lot to the west, the Sacco Amphitheater to the south, and the Bonnie Gool Guest Dock to the north. A large lawn area used for events is located east of the project site. The project site is comprised of lawn, pavement, and a retaining wall associated with (and providing a backdrop to) the Sacco Amphitheater.
Proposed playground/recreational facility improvements include: an ADA-accessible themed playground, lunch and game tables, landscaping, and retrofitting the existing Sacco Amphitheater as a primary seating and watching area, which will also act as the main point of entry to the playground; other entry points to the playground will be from the parking lot, the Waterfront Trail, and the Bonnie Gool Dock. The playground itself is 4,900 square feet in size, and the project would result in 6,630 square feet (0.14 acres) of new impervious surface.
Proposed Waterfront Trail improvements include: new ten-foot-wide pavement, with two-foot decorative concrete shoulders on each side. In addition, an approximately eight-foot-wide landscape buffer strip comprised of rock and native plants will be added to separate the playground from the realigned portion of the trail from the dock to the parking lot.
Contact Information
Name
Caitlin Castellano
Agency Name
City of Eureka
Job Title
Senior Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Eureka
Counties
Humboldt
Regions
Northern California
Cross Streets
: Halvorsen Park, 1101 Waterfront Drive
Zip
95501
Parcel #
001-161-015, and 002-241-006 and 002-241-015
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, and Class 4
Reasons for Exemption
The Waterfront Trail realignment and maintenance portion of the project qualifies for the Class 1 Existing Facilities and the Class 2 Replacement or Reconstruction exemptions because the trail is existing and deteriorated portions will be rehabilitated and widened to increase safety, and the portion of the tail to be re-routed around the new playground is also necessary for safety, which are negligible expansions of the existing trail use, are located on the same site as the existing trail, and will have substantially the same purpose and capacity as the existing trail being replaced and improved. The new playground/recreational facility qualifies for the Class 3 New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures because it is accessory and appurtenant to other improvements in Halvorsen Park (such as the adjoining Sacco Amphitheater); and, the associated landscaping work qualifies for the Class 4 Minor Alterations to Land because grading will not occur within a wetland or on slopes greater than 10%, vegetation removal will not involve the removal of healthy mature trees, and new landscaping will be native, or non-invasive and replace existing non-native grass species.
Further, the Lead Agency has determined that use of the categorical exemption is not barred by one of the exceptions set forth in Section 15300.2 of the CEQA Guidelines because implementation of BMPs and a construction-phase Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, and a post-construction Stormwater Control Plan, will ensure the protection of any environmentally sensitive habitat associated with Humboldt Bay.
County Clerk
Humboldt
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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