Sun Mesa Self-Storage Facility
UltraSystems Environmental (UltraSystems) was selected to prepare CEQA compliance documentation for a proposed self-storage facility, consisting of 16 detached storage structures, totaling approximately 89,700 square feet, and a 400 square foot manager’s office. Public infrastructure improvements would require paving 60 feet of public roadway at a 26-foot half width, local road along Newton Lane with curb, gutter, and sidewalk, from the proposed project site south to Buena Vista Drive. The Town required that a comprehensive Initial Study (IS) be prepared, and that based on the results of the IS, either an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) or a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) would be prepared. Public infrastructure improvements included the 60 feet of public roadway at a 26-foot half width. The project site is located at the southeast corner of Sun Mesa Road and Newton Road (APN 0597-111-67) and identified as a “Moderate” paleontological resource area. The site contains numerous Western Joshua Trees along Lomita Lane and in the 4.34-acre vacant parcel and was within an area identified by the Town’s General Plan as a Wildlife Corridor Evaluation Area. The project proposed to remove multiple western Joshua trees, which were under consideration at the time by the California Fish & Game Commission as a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The project required environmental review pursuant to applicable provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970.
Based on preliminary review of the project, UltraSystems determined that an IS/MND will likely be the appropriate CEQA compliance document. UltraSystems’ Major Task includes the collection of all requisite information for those issues for which no stand-alone technical reports are being prepared and the peer review of all technical studies/technical analyses that were provided by the project applicant, including Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Analysis, Biological Resources Assessment, Rare Plant Survey, Western Joshua Tree Census, Cultural Resources Assessment, Noise and Vibration Impact Analysis, Trip Generation and VMT Screening Memo, Geotechnical Report, Percolation Report, Drainage Study, and Phase I Environmental Site Assessment. For those issues in the Initial Study requiring it, UltraSystems conducted literature research to document existing conditions at the project site and surrounding area. Sources of data used in this analysis include the Town of Yucca Valley General Plan and its Program EIR, or other adopted CEQA documents prepared for other projects in the immediate area, and applicable regional policy plans, among others. UltraSystems visited the project site and surroundings to observe and photo document environmental and land use conditions, reviewed the details of the proposed project, reviewed the regulatory setting for the project, and reviewed existing technical studies and information.
