On May 18, 2010, UltraSystems representatives are scheduled to present the San Clemente City Council with their Final Environmental Impact Report in response to plans for a 142,000-square-foot Target store in the city.
The report, prepared by a six-person technical team, assesses potential impacts of the store related to: traffic and parking, aesthetics, air quality, noise, soils and geology, traffic, and parking.
The Final EIR follows a Draft EIR the team submitted earlier this year. That document evolved through field research and meetings with city officials and others involved in the project. The team studied previously prepared technical studies on the Target project, including a biological resources assessment, geological and soils report, and project traffic study. A six-person technical team submitted the document for public comment before being considered by the City Planning Commission and the City Council. Copies of the draft were circulated to state and local agencies and the public library for review and comment.
The report has assisted City leaders to clarify the environmental impacts that a new Target retail store could create. Among the impacts listed in the report was: an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads surroundings the proposed store site, near the intersection of Avenida La Pata and Avenida Vista Hermosa.
The project site is on vacant land, with the nearest major housing development being the residential communities of Talega to the east and Marblehead to the west. The project site is across the street from the future La Pata/Vista Hermosa Sports Park and Aquatic Center.
Plans for the Target store include Spanish Colonial style architecture and be situated a lot that is 37 percent landscaped.