DEVIL’S PUNCHBOWL NATURE CENTER REPLACEMENT PLANNING PROJECT – NOTICE OF COMPLETION AND AVAILABILITY OF DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, acting in the capacity of “Lead Agency” under the County Environmental Guidelines, Chapter III, Section 304, has filed a “Notice of Completion and Availability” of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) for the Project. This document has been prepared in accordance with, and pursuant to, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as amended; Public Resources Code, Section 21000 et seq.; and the “Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (State CEQA Guidelines), California Code of Regulation, Title 14, Chapter 15000 et seq., (including Section 15160).
PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD
The formal public review period for the Draft ElR is from January 22, 2024 to March 6, 2024. All comments received by the closing of the public review period will be considered in the Final EIR.
SITE LOCATION
The Project Site encompasses the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area, located at 28000 Devil’s Punchbowl Road, in the unincorporated community of Pearblossom, Los Angeles County, California. The Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area is approximately 1,310-acres large, mostly encompassing a rugged wilderness landscape with striking rock formations along the San Andreas Fault on the northern slope of the San Gabriel Mountains. The Natural Area is managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). The proposed Nature Center and project improvements would be contained within Assessor’s ID Number (AIN) 3061-013-903 and 3061-013-300. Full vehicular access to the site is currently available via a single entrance at the terminus of Devils Punchbowl Road / County Sign Road N6.
PROPOSED PROJECT
DPR is proposing various improvements at the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area. The Proposed Project entails planning for the replacement of the Nature Center that was destroyed by the Bobcat Fire in 2020 with a new building while also making improvements to the surrounding support site elements including trail heads, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access to buildings and trails, picnic areas, and shade structures. Specifically, the Proposed Project includes:
• A new 3,245-square-foot Nature Center, including administrative offices and a gift shop, with the following features:
o Reinforced masonry structure
o Green roof
o Sand colored and fire rated board-form concrete panel exterior
o Use of local materials in the architectural design, such as rocks on façade
o Natural ventilation
o Natural lighting and skylights
o Storm water collection and reuse
• Protection of all remaining healthy trees onsite
• Native landscaping and revegetation
• Solar canopy over parking lot
• Native seed collection and germination (including local manzanita seeds for future use)
• Shade structures
• Planting of additional native trees to provide shade in the future
• Demolition of the existing Ranger’s Residence
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
The EIR evaluated the proposed demolition of the existing historic-age Ranger’s Residence on the Project Site per the eligibility criteria set forth in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and the Los Angeles County Historic Preservation Ordinance’s criteria for landmarks and historic districts. Additionally, the EIR evaluated the Project’s potential to cause substantial adverse changes to this potentially significant historic-age resource. The evaluation concluded that the demolition of the Ranger’s Residence would result in a substantial adverse change to a historical resource pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5. This demolition will cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § 15064.5 resulting in a significant and unavoidable impact. According to CEQA Guidelines § 15126.4(b)(2), documentation in the form of photographs and historic narrative will not mitigate the effects of demolition to a point where no significant effect would occur. However, CEQA generally requires all feasible mitigation be undertaken even if it does not mitigate below a level of significance. As such, Mitigation Measures HIS-1 and HIS-2 will be implemented to be proportionate with the level of significance of the resource prior to its demolition.
All other potential impacts identified, including those on biological resources, cultural resources, geologic resources, and tribal cultural resources, would be reduced to a less-than-significant level with the incorporation of Mitigation Measures BIO-1 through BIO-9, CUL-1, CUL-2, GEO-1, TCR-1, and TCR-2.
REVIEW MATERIALS
The Draft EIR is available for public review below and at the following locations:
Notice of Completion and Availability; and Location Map
Draft Environmental Impact Report
Appendix A – IS-NOP and Scoping Comments
Appendix B – Biological Technical Report
Appendix C – Archaeology and Built Environment Report
Appendix D – Draft Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
Littlerock Library
35119 80th Street E
Littlerock, California 93543
Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area
28000 Devil’s Punchbowl Road
Pearblossom, California 93553
(Please call (661) 944-2743 to make an appointment)
County of Los Angeles
Department of Parks and Recreation
1000 S. Fremont Ave.
Unit #40 A-9 West, 3rd Floor
Alhambra, California 91083
(Please call (626) 588-5317 to make an appointment)
COMMENTS
A period of 45 days has been established for public review of the Draft EIR for the Proposed Project, starting January 22, 2024 through March 6, 2024. Please submit written comments on the Draft EIR by March 6, 2024 to Ms. Jui Ing Chien, Park Planner, Department of Parks and Recreation at the above address. You may also email your comments to jchien@parks.lacounty.gov. Should you have any questions, please call (626) 588-5317.