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Authority advances Fresno and Hanford as reasonable alternatives for heavy maintenance facility environmental study
Summary
After screening 11 candidate locations, Authority staff recommended advancing Fresno and Hanford for environmental study as potential sites for a heavy maintenance facility, citing technical criteria (acreage, length, two access points) and elimination of Merced options because of 100‑year floodplain and constructability concerns.
Authority planning staff recommended Fresno and Hanford be carried forward as reasonable alternatives for environmental study of a heavy maintenance facility, a facility that would house heavy train maintenance for projected Phase 1 operations.
LaDonna DiCamillo, interim director of planning, told the board the team screened 11 candidate sites using technical and environmental criteria that included at least 150 acres, an approximately 8,000-foot length, proximity to the early operating segment to avoid extensive new track, and two points of access to minimize reverse moves and improve operations. Sites in Merced were eliminated because the recommended parcels fall in a 100‑year floodplain, which created significant constructability and operations issues, staff said.
"The site's proximity to a floodplain and what happens during flooding" was cited as a driver for eliminating Merced options; staff recommended evaluating Fresno and Hanford in further detail through public scoping and a draft environmental document expected early next year. DiCamillo said the Authority would conduct virtual and in-person scoping in Fresno and Hanford in summer 2026 and anticipates a draft environmental document in the first quarter of 2027 and a final document mid‑2027.
Board members asked why two alternatives were advanced rather than selecting a single preferred site; staff said CEQA/NEPA require a reasonable range of alternatives and more detailed layout, cost and environmental analysis is needed before selecting a preferred alternative for the board.
Next steps: staff will hold scoping meetings, produce a draft environmental document for public comment early next year and return to the board with a recommended preferred alternative following environmental review and additional cost, layout and constructability analysis.
