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The City of Fremont received an application today from the Oakland Athletics Baseball Company regarding the proposed Cisco Field & Ballpark Village Project to be located near the intersection of Interstate 880 and Auto Mall Parkway.
Specifically, an application has been filed for a Community Specific Plan (and related General Plan and rezoning amendments) which will allow City staff to initiate an Environmental Impact Report analysis on this Project. The Community Specific Plan is a long-range planning document that describes a combination of land uses for the proposed Ballpark Village, including approximately 540,000 square feet of retail, 3,150 units of housing, and a 32,000 seat Major League Baseball ballpark.
The City Council is tentatively scheduled on Nov. 27, 2007 to consider authorizing a contract for a consultant to prepare an Environmental Impact Report on the proposed Cisco Field & Ballpark Village Project. The EIR will assess all potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed Project and propose mitigations to address those impacts.
During the first several months of their work, the EIR consultant will collect background data and analysis, hold a public scoping session, and issue a Notice of Preparation on the EIR. It is anticipated the EIR will take
12 months to complete at which time a Draft EIR will be circulated for public comment. A response to comments and a Final EIR will then be prepared. This is likely to take an additional six months to complete. There will be opportunities for public input during this process.
The submission of a Community Specific Plan represents the beginning of the City's formal review process. Besides conducting a comprehensive review of the environmental impacts associated with this Project, the City will also be conducting a comprehensive review of the costs and benefits of the Project. The City has not issued any approvals related to the Project. The City expects to now move forward with negotiations with the A's consistent with the General Guidelines previously approved by the City Council.
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