CENAO-WR-R
2011-02474 (Dawkins Branch tributaries)
FEDERAL PUBLIC NOTICE
The District Commander has received a joint application for Federal and State permits as described below:
APPLICANT
Manassas Premier, LLC.
Attn: Mr. Grant Chalmers
12150 Monument Drive, Suite 865
Fairfax, Virginia 22033
WATERWAY AND LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED WORK: The project is located on an unnamed tributary to Dawkins Branch. The approximately 36.3 acre project site is located north of Balls Ford Road, south of US. Interstate I-66, it is bisected by Groveton Road and is border by the intersection of Groveton Road and Balls Ford Road in Prince William County, Virginia.
PROPOSED WORK AND PURPOSE: The applicant proposes to permanently impact 1.99 acre of open waters, 0.75 acre of palustrine emergent wetland, and 265 linear feet of ephemeral stream channel. The impacts are associated with the construction of 3 warehouses, including associated infrastructure, within the Norfolk and Southern Industrial Park.
As part of their avoidance and minimization that applicant has provide an onsite and off-site alternative analysis. They have also reviewed alternative site designs for the property however given constraints with both topography and bedrock the applicant has chosen the proposed development plan.
For those impacts that cannot be avoided the applicant is proposing to purchase 1.75 wetland credits and 108 stream credits. The credits will purchased from a COE approved wetland and/stream mitigation bank.
In addition to the required Department of the Army permit, the applicant must obtain a Virginia Water Protection Permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) assuring that applicable laws and regulations pertaining to water quality are not violated and a permit from the WHAT Wetlands Board. Project drawings are attached.
AUTHORITY: Permits are required pursuant to Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act (Public Law 95-217) and Title 62.1 of the Code of Virginia.
FEDERAL EVALUATION OF APPLICATION: The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest. The decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefits which reasonably may be expected from the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All of the proposal's relevant factors will be considered, including conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, cultural values, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain values, land use classification, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, consideration of property ownership and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people. The Environmental Protection Agency's "Guidelines for Specification of Disposal Sites for Dredged or Fill Material" will also be applied (Section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act).
The Corps of Engineers is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, state, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps of Engineers to determine whether to issue, modify, condition or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above. Comments are used in the preparation of an Environmental Assessment and/or an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity. Anyone may request a public hearing to consider this permit application by writing to the District Commander within 30 days of the date of this notice, stating specific reasons for holding the public hearing. The District Commander will then decide if a hearing should be held.
Preliminary review indicates that: (l) no environmental impact statement will be required; (2) no species of fish, wildlife, or plant (or their critical habitat) listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (PL 93-205) will be affected; and (3) no known properties eligible for inclusion or included in the National Register of Historic Places are in or near the permit area, or would likely be affected by the proposal. Additional information might change any of these findings. For compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, the applicant must certify that federally licensed or permitted activities affecting Virginia's coastal zone (Tidewater) will be conducted in a manner consistent with the Virginia Coastal Resources Management Program (VCP). For more information or to obtain a list of the enforceable programs of the VCP, contact the Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Impact Review at (804) 698-4330 or e-mail: elirons@deq.virginia.gov.
COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on this project should be made in writing, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers, Warrenton Field Office (ATTN: Anna Lawston), PO Box 578, Amissville, Virginia 20106, and should be received by the close of business on Monday, September 10, 2012.
PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY: Comments and information, including the identity of the submitter, submitted in response to this Public Notice may be disclosed, reproduced, and distributed at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Information that is submitted in connection with this Public Notice cannot be maintained as confidential by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Submissions should not include any information that the submitter seeks to preserve as confidential.
If you have any questions about this project or the permit process, contact Ms. Anna Lawston at 540-937-4197 or anna.r.lawston@usace.army.mil.
FOR THE DISTRICT COMMANDER:
Nicholas L. Konchuba
Chief, Northern Virginia
Regulatory Section