The Al Johnson Wildlife Area parcel (APN 017-101-002-000) is adjacent to the Phillip Road Site aka Reason Farms Panhandle parcel (APN 017-101-008-000).
- Both parcels are hydrologically significant.
- Water flows through both of these parcels via the Pleasant Grove Creek.
- Both parcels include a significant amount of land within FEMA’s designated 100-year floodplain.
- Both parcels are within Supervisorial District 2 within the County of Placer.
Consistent with its hydrology, the Al Johnson Wildlife Area parcel has “Rice Crop” as its current designated land use. However, the City of Roseville has been storing asphalt grindings on the Al Johnson Wildlife Area parcel. The Phillip Road Site is currently vacant farmland.
City of Roseville risks a shameful wildlife legacy
According to an August 17, 2004 report by the Sacramento Business Journal, environmentalists and the town of Loomis settled a lawsuit that alleged the City of Roseville’s approval of a proposed 8,390-home development west of the city violated California environmental law. The Sacramento Bee – articles about Roseville development, lawsuit, settlement circa 2002-2005
“I commend the city for its willingness to address the impacts of growth,” Terry Davis, a representative for the Sierra Club’s Mother Lode Chapter, said in the press release. “In many ways the agreement is a model for the region.”
“Western Placer County is one of the finest examples of harmony between wildlife and working farms,” Ed Pandolfino, conservation chair for Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, said in the press release. “In winter grasslands attract hundreds of hawks and the flooded rice fields support thousands of ducks and geese. With this agreement as a model we can have growth in west Placer and still preserve our important wildlife legacy.”
A settlement with the environmental groups requires fees on homebuilding and home sales in the West Roseville Specific Plan area to generate revenue for open space land purchases, according to a city of Roseville press release. It was projected that the fees could raise up to $85 million over a 20-year period.
“The agreement will benefit all present and future Roseville residents as well as the greater Placer County region,” said Roseville mayor F.C. “Rocky” Rockholm. “The environmental legacy of West Roseville will be felt for generations to come as more open space is purchased and set aside for all to enjoy.”
According to the Amoruso Ranch Specific Plan dated June 2016, the Al Johnson Wildlife Area is an approximately 1,700 acre property. It is currently undeveloped and planned for a regional flood control project, as well as compatible recreation and environmental restoration features.
In August 2000, the City and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) entered into a MOU to prepare a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) or equivalent to minimize incidental take of vernal pool species from future City growth. Consistent with this agreement, the City of Roseville, the ARSP landowner, the USFWS, US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Regional Water Quality Control Board conducted an extensive early consultation process for this project starting in 2010 when the development application was submitted to the City. The group met and conducted field visits to review onsite resources and offsite mitigation properties with the following objective: to reach basic agreement on a land use plan and mitigation strategy which could be permitted under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act utilizing a Section 7 Consultation process for Endangered Species Act compliance. Key feedback received through this process influenced the land use plan and resulted in additional avoidance area. Also key, was determining the corridor for Placer Parkway that appears to have the least impacts to wetlands.
Reference: https://www.roseville.ca.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=8839209
As reported in The Sacramento Bee on March 24, 2002:
“The City Council, in a 4-1 vote Wednesday, agreed to work with developers who propose residential, commercial and industrial projects on 3,100 acres west of Fiddyment Road. Councilman Richard Roccucci opposed the project, saying the development would reduce the quality of life in Roseville.”
City of Roseville (LOMR 20–09–0505P), effective Nov. 23, 2020
- Placer (FEMA Docket No.: B–2056)
- The Honorable John B. Allard II, Mayor, City of Roseville, 311 Vernon Street, Roseville, CA 95678
- Engineering Department, 316 Vernon Street, Roseville, CA 95678
Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)
A Letter of Map Revision is FEMA’s modification to an effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM), or both. Letter of Map Revisions are generally based on the implementation of physical measures that affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The LOMR officially revises the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM), and sometimes the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report, and when appropriate, includes a description of the modifications. The LOMR is generally accompanied by an annotated copy of the affected portions of the FIRM, FBFM, or FIS report.
All requests for changes to effective maps, other than those initiated by FEMA, must be made in writing by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the community or an official designated by the CEO. Because a LOMR officially revises the effective NFIP map, it is a public record that the community must maintain. Any LOMR should be noted on the community’s master flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location.
Base Flood Elevation (BFE)
The elevation of surface water resulting from a flood that has a 1% chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year. The BFE is shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
Floods occur naturally and can happen almost anywhere. They may not even be near a body of water, although river and coastal flooding are two of the most common types. Heavy rains, poor drainage, and even nearby construction projects can put you at risk for flood damage.
Flood maps show how likely it is for an area to flood. Any place with a 1% chance or higher chance of experiencing a flood each year is considered to have a high risk. Those areas have at least a one-in-four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. Floods don’t follow city limits or property lines.
The FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC) is the official online location to find all flood hazard mapping products created under the National Flood Insurance Program, including your community’s flood map.
