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County holds public hearing on Mill Creek recirculated draft EIR; staff outlines mitigation and PCCP coordination
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Summary
Planning staff presented the Mill Creek recirculated draft EIR and outlined mitigation measures across biology, hydrology, air quality, paleontology, noise and farmland; the public provided comments on native plant landscaping, farmland loss and VMT concerns.
Placer County staff on April 3 held a public meeting to solicit comments on the recirculated draft environmental impact report (RDEIR) for the proposed Mill Creek residential project in the Dry Creek/West Placer community.
Kara Conklin, senior planner, said the project site (about 65.2 acres) is proposed for up to 322 single‑family homes and 33 accessory dwelling units, with three gated entries, three parks and a paseo. The plan would rezone portions of the site from low‑density residential and industrial to medium‑ and high‑density residential; staff said a portion of the western site lies inside the Placer County Conservation Program (PCCP) while the eastern portion is outside the PCCP boundary and therefore requires separate aquatic and species permitting paths.
Conklin summarized resource areas identified in the RDEIR. Several impacts were identified as mitigable to less than significant with specific measures, including: - Aesthetics: require a Dark‑Sky‑compliant lighting plan. - Air quality/GHGs: meet Placer County Air Pollution Control District standards and a project fleet NOx/DPM reduction requirement for heavy off‑road construction vehicles. - Biological resources: implement PCCP/County Aquatic Resources Program (CARP) requirements where applicable, secure permits (401/404/1600) if jurisdictional waters are impacted, conduct preconstruction surveys for Swainson’s hawk, burrowing owl, tricolored blackbird and special‑status plants, purchase off‑site mitigation for Swainson’s hawk foraging habitat, and apply PCCP conservation fees and conditions for the PCCP portion of the site. - Cultural and tribal resources: stop work and retain qualified archaeologist for finds; tribal resource discovery and notification protocols required. - Geology/paleontology: paleontological monitoring and stop‑work procedures if finds occur. - Hydrology/stormwater: final drainage reports, stormwater quality plans, low‑impact development controls and payment of watershed drainage fees as required by the Dry Creek CSA participation. - Noise and traffic: construction‑hour limits, equipment muffling, and construction noise walls/sound barriers in prescribed locations; traffic control plans and striping/signage to be shown on improvement plans.
Conklin said two impacts—conversion of prime/unique farmland and the project’s cumulative contribution to farmland loss—were identified as significant and unavoidable. Staff said the applicant is exploring measures such as farmland replacement/mitigation or conservation‑bank purchases to address the farmland loss.
Public comment focused on landscaping and habitat: Sierra Club and local commenters urged extensive use of native plant palettes to support pollinators and wildlife and to offset habitat conversion. Other commenters raised concerns about farmland loss, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and the zoning change from industrial to residential. The project consultant and applicant representatives were present and staff encouraged written comments by April 7 for formal responses in the final EIR.
Ending: The county will accept written comments through April 7; staff plans further outreach and will return to the planning commission with a recommendation after the review period and responses to comments are compiled.
