December, 2008 (Please see updates below): The Alameda County Planning Department has released the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) of the Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley hospital rebuilding project for public review and comment. The DEIR, a requirement under the California Environmental Quality Act, analyzes potentially significant environmental impacts in 14 different categories.

The entire document, with attachments, has been made available for review by clicking on the links below. Hard copies of the DEIR are available for review or distribution to interested parties at no charge at the Alameda County Planning Department, 224 West Winton Avenue, Room 111, Hayward CA 94544, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Members of the public are invited to comment on the DEIR. There is no fee for commenting, and all comments received will be considered by Alameda County prior to finalizing the EIR and making a decision on the project. Comments on the DEIR should focus on the sufficiency of the EIR in discussing possible impacts on the physical environment, ways in which potential adverse effects might be minimized and alternatives to the Project in light of the EIR’s purpose to provide useful and accurate information about such factors.

Comments may be made at the public hearings described in the County’s notice or in writing, to:

Jana Beatty Weldon
Senior Planner
Alameda County Planning Department
224 W. Winton Avenue, room 111
Hayward CA 94544
or by fax to (510) 785-8793

You may also e-mail your comments to jana.beatty@acgov.org. Please note that all official comments pertaining to the DEIR must be directed to the Planning Department, and not to Eden Medical Center or Sutter Health. Please use the county address, fax or e-mail as listed here.

Comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2008.

Update, July, 2009:

The comment period is now over, and the FEIR (Final Environmental Impact Report) has been approved. A copy of the FEIR is available on the Eden Medical Center web site, at http://www.edenmedcenter.org/images/smccv_feir.pdf

To get there, you can also go to the home page at http://www.EdenMedCenter.org and click on the tab that says “The New Hospital,” and then, the link that says “View the Final Environmental Impact Report.”  You’ll be able to download the DEIR and FEIR there.

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