West Richland staff outline water and mitigation plans in Lewis and Clark Ranch FEIS review

West Richland held a joint planning commission and city council workshop where staff and consultants presented the final environmental impact statement (FEIS), a draft sub area plan and a planned-action ordinance for the Lewis and Clark Ranch sub area.

Consultant Casey, who led the presentation, said the FEIS documents the city’s preferred alternative under the State Environmental Policy Act and includes a new chapter summarizing public comments and the city’s responses, plus seven appendices. "The final environmental impact statement or FEIS ... provides review under the state environmental policy act," Casey said, noting the final document also describes the preferred alternative and Phase 1 boundary the city selected after public review.

City staff emphasized the planned-action ordinance’s role as an implementation tool that would allow the city to streamline project-level SEPA…