The Sacramento Railyards has been honored with a Merit Award by the Association of Environmental Professionals during the 2018 AEP State Conference held in Coachella Valley the last week of March.
The Association of Environmental Professional (AEP) Professional Award Program provides statewide recognition of environmental professionals’ best works which contributes to the “enhancement, maintenance and protection of the quality of the natural and human environment.”
Each year AEP conducts an awards competition celebrating the best-of-the-best environmental documents, professional achievements, and services to environmental professions. Award winners continually advance state-of-the-art environmental analysis and the presentation of this analysis to the public.
The Railyards Earns AEP Award
The Sacramento Railyards Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report prepared by Environmental Science Associates earned a merit award at the EAP 2018 State Conference.
The Sacramento Railyards project transforms a 244-acre former industrial railyard complex that will double the size of downtown Sacramento and bring in major anchor tenants that will serve as a catalyst for the largest infill development in the U.S.
The Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) built upon the previously approved 2007 Railyards Specific Plan EIR (2007 RSP EIR), but expanded its environmental analysis by evaluating four separate, but interrelated projects:
- The Railyards Specific Plan Update
- Kaiser Permanente Medical Center
- Major League Soccer Stadium
- A new Stormwater Outfall that collects runoff from the entire plan area and discharges it to the Sacramento River
The SEIR environmental setting carefully wove relevant portions of the 2007 RSP EIR with updated information to provide a comparative analysis of changed conditions and severity of impacts. The SEIR combined programmatic and project-specific assessments for the various aspects of the proposal, resulting in a comprehensive analysis of a large plan area and focused environmental analysis of detailed project elements.
The impact analysis addressed unique characteristics including modeling anticipated noise propagation resulting from amplified sound speakers and crowd noise at the MLS Stadium; preservation, restoration, and activation of the historically significant Central Shops; and development of a regional medical center in an urban setting.
“This recognition by the Association of Environmental Professionals is a testament to the hard work that’s been going on for years to make this project a reality,” said Christina Erwin, Senior Managing Associate, Environmental Science Associates.
Sacramento Railyards Awarded Urban Greening Grant
The Sacramento Railyards ‘Green Streets’ project has been awarded a grant through the California Natural Resources Agency Urban Greening Program.
About the Association of Environmental Professionals
The California Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) was founded in 1974 as non-profit association of public and private sector professionals with a common interest in serving the principles underlying the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The specific and primary purposes of the association are to establish and operate a professional association of persons involved in and committed to improving the processing and implementation of environmental assessment, analysis, public disclosure, and reporting.
A primary objective of California AEP is to educate the public and concerned professionals in all fields related to environmental planning and analysis and dedication to the continued improvement of the environmental profession.
AEP has over 1,700 members statewide with expertise in environmental sciences, archeology and paleontology, land use planning, transportation, engineering, environmental law, and other disciplines integral to the environmental review process; as well as expertise in the implementation of California’s most important environmental protection laws, including CEQA, the California Endangered Species Act, the Natural Communities Conservation Planning Act, the Planning and Zoning Law, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Global Warming, and others.
About Environmental Science Associates
Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is an environmental science and planning firm of more than 500 professionals in 19 offices across the Western United States and Southeast specializing in all aspects of project planning, environmental analysis and assessment, and regulatory compliance.
ESA has worked on other notable Sacramento-based projects, including the $1.1 billion-dollar Sacramento International Airport “Big Build” Terminal Expansion and Modernization. ESA acted as the on-call resource consultant to ensure environmental compliance throughout completion of Sacramento county’s largest largest construction project to date.
ESA prepared the Railyards Specific Plan Update, KP Medical Center, MLS Stadium & Stormwater Outfall Final Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the City of Sacramento in October, 2016.
Water Tower image courtesy of Coruscating Images.