Jesus Armas
This week, the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was made available by Alameda County for public review and comment. This is a major milestone for this project, putting us one step closer to a new hospital for residents for central Alameda County. The document is about 300 pages of detail, and is available through the Alameda County Planning Commission. We are also planning to make it available on our site as downloadable PDF documents. Please keep checking our Resources page for updates.
The public is able to comment on the DEIR through January 20, 2009 (the end of the 45-day comment period). We’ve posted the County’s announcement that contains information about how to provide comment. We’ve also provided you with a link to their e-mail. Keep in mind that all comments directly related to content of the DEIR must go to the Alameda County Planning Department—we do not receive or review these comments first. Of course, as always, if you just have a general comment about the project or any of the blog posts, you are welcome to comment directly to us in the comment section below each post.
For those of you who are interested in attending a public meeting, the County is holding two hearings during the comment period:
Monday, December 15 at 6 p.m.
Castro Valley Unified School District Office
4400 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley
Tuesday, January 5, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Alameda County Planning Commission
Public Hearing Room
224 West Winton Avenue, Hayward
I encourage you to take the time to review all or a portion of the document, ask us questions if you have them, and let us know what you think.
Jesus Armas
By Jesús Armas, Government Affairs Liaison
In 1970, the State of California adopted landmark legislation known as the California Environmental Quality Act. The Act, often referred to by its four-letter acronym (CEQA), establishes a requirement that the potential environmental impacts associated with a proposed project be analyzed before a decision is made to approve or deny a project. If, as a result of this analysis, it is determined that a project will have significant environmental impacts, CEQA also requires that measures be identified to address the impacts. These are called mitigation measures. CEQA also acknowledges that not all impacts can be fully mitigated, and sets up a mechanism whereby a project can still be approved, provided the final decision makers make certain findings indicating why the benefits of the project outweigh the impacts which cannot be mitigated.
Central to CEQA is the principle that individuals, agencies and other interested parties have the right to review and comment on what is learned through the environmental evaluation process. An obvious question emerges: What is the best way to obtain, assemble and make available the information resulting from this process?
The answer lies in a document called an Environmental Impact Report—or EIR for short. Basically, this document contains relevant information documenting whether a project is expected to impact the environment and how the identified impacts will be lessened. Established procedures determine which issues must be addressed in an EIR, but among the most common are traffic, air quality and noise. Once completed, the document—known as a Draft EIR (DEIR)—is released for public review and comment. Under CEQA, interested parties have 45 days in which to submit written and oral comments.
After the comment period is concluded, responses to these comments must be prepared. The responses to the comments, together with the Draft EIR, constitute what is called the Final EIR. It is this latter document that is presented to and considered by the governmental body with authority to act on a project.
With the foregoing as background, how does this relate to Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley? A number of months ago, with the concurrence and approval of Alameda County, the environmental consulting firm of ESA was retained to conduct an environmental assessment of the project. This assessment has been completed, allowing the County to release the DEIR for public review and comment. Electronic copies will be available on our Resources page within the next few days, with paper copies available as noted at the location listed here. A summary of the document, including a list of project impacts and how they are to be addressed can be obtained by clicking here.
The comment period opened December 4, 2008 and concludes at 5:00 PM on January 20, 2009. Comments on the Draft EIR should not be submitted to Sutter Health or Eden Medical Center. They should be submitted to Alameda County.
In addition to receiving written comments, the County scheduled at least two public hearings to enable interested parties to comment orally, as I mentioned in my previous post on this topic, on October 30th. The first hearing is sponsored by the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council and will be held on December 15th. The Alameda County Planning Commission will be the site of the second public hearing, which will occur on January 5, 2009. Click here for times and locations.
While Sutter Health welcomes your comments on this post, please be aware this will not constitute an official comment on the Draft EIR. If you wish to comment on the Draft EIR, please avail yourself of the opportunities listed above, and keep checking back to download .pdf copies of the Draft EIR on the Resources page.
By Jeff Moore, Co-Owner, Greenwood & Moore, Inc., Engineering Firm
My name is Jeff Moore. I’m the “Moore” of Greenwood & Moore, Inc. We’re a multi-disciplined engineering firm specializing in civil engineering, land surveying, architectural/structural design, and land use planning. We’ve been in business in Castro Valley for over 40 years.
As civil engineers, we are responsible for the entire site design of Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley. With an effective site design, pedestrians and vehicles can safely and efficiently access the hospital. As land surveyors, we’re the people you see in the streets with tripods and surveying equipment measuring the location and elevation of things like curbs, gutters, streets, trees, etc. We are also responsible for locating the property lines around the new hospital.
Greenwood & Moore is honored to have been selected as the prime Civil Engineering and Land Surveying firm for the new Sutter Medical Cente Castro Valley. We have been providing professional design and engineering services for the existing hospital for over 20 years. The previous work that Greenwood & Moore performed for Eden Hospital for so many years allows us to have an out-of-the-ordinary perspective on the new hospital’s requirements.
For the hospital’s new design our firm is responsible for civil engineering tasks that include the grading plan (pipes and storm drains), parking lots, site design and circulation, site utilities (sewer, water, electrical, etc), and coordination for the Environmental Impact Report.
It is very exciting to work on this project because of the complexity involved in constructing a new hospital while the existing hospital remains in place. And personally, I find it professionally stimulating to work with such an experienced, top-notch management team.
I am proud to have served as a Trustee for the Eden Medical Foundation for last 4+ years. My wife, Beth, and I co-chaired the Eden Medical Foundation’s Spring Gala 2006-2007.
We live in Castro Valley with our children, Ellie, who is five years old and Sean, who is three years old. Both kids were born at Eden Medical Center. Beth and I are active in the community through the Castro Valley Rotary Club and the Castro Valley Chamber of Commerce. Because we live and work in Castro Valley, our association with Sutter Health and the new hospital is more than “just a job;” it impacts our lives personally.
Please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post or ask questions about the engineering aspects of the new medical center, and I’ll be glad to respond within a day or two.
Neighbors and Community Members at October 22, 2008 Launch Event
By Cassandra Clark, Project Communications Director
On October 22, 2008, we invited the community—and particularly the neighbors—around Eden Medical Center to come to the hospital to learn about the new Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley project. We had representatives from the hospital, Devenney Group (the architectural team), Sutter Health, the social media team, and others available to meet our neighbors, hear their feedback and answer their questions. We’ll be posting video clips from the event in the next few days, so keep an eye on our Video Gallery and the featured video box in the right sidebar.
The good news was that the project was well-received, with high praise for the design and sensitivity to the community. We had great questions asked of us, and excellent comments for us to consider as we move ahead (regarding traffic patterns, noise abatement and other important concerns). While we had a very active and interested audience, we hope even more people in the community will join us at future events we plan to host in the coming year. Keep reading this blog, because we’ll announce upcoming community events here.
We realize that people are very busy, and going to the hospital isn’t something most people like to do even when they are healthy! So, we plan to take our presentation on the road, attending events and meetings to hear what folks have to say. We’ll post any future meeting dates and times in our News Room. And, of course, we will use this new blog site to reach a much wider audience, particularly those who live in our community who may not otherwise get involved.
There is a misperception that the people in Castro Valley, San Leandro, Hayward and beyond are not too familiar with social networks, blogs and all the new ways to communicate with each other over the Internet. I hope to change that perception by grabbing new readers and subscribers in our area and far beyond.
So, think of this site as our community meeting. Stay informed. Subscribe to this blog to get regular updates by email or RSS feed. Tell us what you think by commenting on individual posts. Together, we have a great opportunity to shape the future of our medical center.
Jesus Armas
By Jesús Armas, Government Affairs Liaison
Hello, my name is Jesus Armas. My role with this project is to work with numerous governmental agencies to get the green light to enable Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley to be constructed.
This is an exciting and new experience for me. For three decades, I worked for a number of California cities and was involved in reviewing various projects as they were presented to those cities for approval. In this case, though, my role is reversed, and I’m on the side trying to get a project approved. Definitely a new experience… and quite an eye-opener.
As you learn more about the project, I’m sure you will agree that not only is this project critically important to the community, but is also beautiful. In a nutshell, the project consists of a new hospital and medical office building, and related aesthetic and landscape improvements on the campus. Clearly, it represents a substantial commitment by the Sutter Health organization to Castro Valley, Hayward, San Leandro and adjoining communities that comprise the Eden Campus area.
A project of this scope and complexity only gets approved after it is thoroughly evaluated by various agencies. Typically, approvals are granted by local government bodies, such as a City Council or County Board of Supervisors. In this instance, however, because a hospital is involved, approvals must also be obtained from the State of California. Each level of government has jurisdiction over different aspects of the project—the State for the hospital, the County for the medical office building.
As part of the evaluation process, it is necessary to identify any potential impacts, such as traffic, noise, etc., associated with the project and to indicate how those impacts will be addressed…or “mitigated.” This assessment is documented through the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Once the DEIR is prepared, it is available for public review and comment for a period of 45 days. After the comment periods ends, a second or Final EIR is prepared that responds to all the comments submitted by interested individuals, organizations or agencies. The information contained in the FEIR is intended to help the decision makers, ultimately your elected officials (Board of Supervisors), decide whether or not to approve the project.
Before it even gets to the Board, however, Sutter will be presenting the project to both the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) and the County Planning Commission to gain their input and comments. In fact, Sutter has already attended two meetings of the MAC to obtain feedback and guidance on the project. Sutter is committed to working cooperatively with affected agencies to ensure that the project in its final form is one that we can all take pride in, and reflects positively on the community.
Here are some important dates for you to keep in mind:
- The Draft EIR is expected to be released and available for public review around mid-November, with the comment period lasting until approximately the end of the year.
- The Final EIR will be prepared thereafter.
- It is our goal to have the MAC and County Planning Commission formally consider the project during the first quarter of 2009.
- Assuming we meet this timeframe, the project, including the FEIR, will be considered by the Board of Supervisors next Spring.
I certainly want to hear from you about this project. I invite you to keep returning to this site to get the most current information about the project, and dates for various public meetings. But most of all, I invite you to send me your thoughts, comments and questions about this important community asset.
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