The Woodland City Council, at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 6 PM in the Council Chambers, 300 First Street, will hold the following public hearing:

Woodland Research and Technology Park Specific Plan – the City of Woodland will receive and consider the Final Draft of the Woodland Research and Technology Park (WRTP) Specific Plan and related materials, including but not limited to the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), Finance Plan and Nexus Study, Capital Improvement Program, and Development Agreement. 

The WRTP Specific Plan is envisioned as a new technology hub for the City of Woodland, intended to serve an array of research and technology companies interested in locating and growing near UC Davis. The project consists of approximately 350 acres poised for development of 2.2 million square feet of office, commercial and research/technology space, approximately 1,600 residential housing units, and approximately 17 acres of parks and open space, network trails and greenbelts.

Following a public hearing, the City Council will be asked to take the following actions:

1. Certification of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan (MMRP). ­Action to approve and certify the project EIR and Mitigation Monitoring Program for the Specific Plan.
2. Specific Plan Approval and General Plan Amendment. ­Action to approve a new Specific Plan and amend the General Plan to create a new City of Woodland land use designation of SP1A-Woodland Research and Technology Park Specific Plan and amend the Woodland City Limit boundary.
3. Prezoning.­ Action to approve the “pre­zoning” of the land within the specific plan boundary based on the approved land plan in preparation of subsequent annexation of the project site into the Woodland City Limit.
4. Financing Plan/Nexus Study/Capital Improvement Program. Action to approve a project Financing Plan, Nexus Study, and Capital Improvement Program to finance backbone infrastructure and other public facilities required to serve the proposed land uses in the Plan Area.   
5. Development Impact Fees. Action to establish and authorize the project infrastructure fee and approval of the fee amount. 
6. Development Agreements. Action to approve Development Agreements with respective property owners to provide certainty and mutual assurances to the City and the property owners/future development partners regarding plan implementation and build­out.  
7. Annexation. ­Action to authorize and direct staff to pursue annexation of the project area into the city limit, which will go before LAFCo for review and approval.

Applicant: Woodland Research and Technology Group

Staff Contact: Erika Bumgardner, Principal Planner, Erika.Bumgardner@cityofwoodland.org

Project Location: The proposed Woodland Research and Technology Park (WRTP) Specific Plan area is approximately 350 acres in size, located adjacent to and immediately west and south of the Spring Lake Specific Plan area, east of Highway 113 and southwest of the intersection of Farmers Central Road and Harry Lorenzo Avenue. The proposed WRTP Specific Plan is located in one of the three subareas designated within the 2035 General Plan as Specific Plan 1 (SP-1), specifically “SP-1A.”  

Environmental Determination: A Notice of Availability of the Woodland Research and Technology Park Specific Plan Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was published in the Woodland Daily Democrat and on the City’s website and made available for in-person review in May 2021 at the City of Woodland City Hall. The DEIR public review period was for the State mandated 45 days, from May 14, 2021, through July 2, 2021. Analysis presented in the Draft EIR indicated that the proposed project would have certain significant and unavoidable aesthetics and visual, agricultural, air quality, cultural and tribal cultural, and noise and vibration impacts as described in detail in the DEIR. The DEIR also presented mitigation measures, which will reduce project-specific and cumulative impacts. All other environmental effects evaluated in the DEIR are considered less than significant, or can be successfully mitigated below the applicable significance thresholds. The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) responds to the comments and includes text revisions to the DEIR in response to input received on the Draft EIR. Unlike the Draft EIR, comments on the Final EIR are not required to be responded to by the City. If written comments are received, they will be provided to the City Council. The DEIR and FEIR will be submitted to the City Council for requested certification and action on the Project. The FEIR is available on the City of Woodland Community Development Department website: https://www.cityofwoodland.org/585/Documents.

Planning Commission Recommendation: At its August 17 meeting, the Woodland Planning Commission voted unanimously 5-0-0, with two members absent, to recommend City Council approval and adoption of the WRTP Specific Plan, Environmental Impact Report, and associated documents.  

Availability of Documents: The City Council agenda, project staff report, and associated WRTP Specific Plan materials will be available on the City of Woodland website at the following link: https://www.cityofwoodland.org/654/Meetings-Agendas and at the Community Development Department, 300 First Street, by 5 PM on September 1, 2023. Additional materials are or will be  available on the City of Woodland project webpage at the following link:  https://www.cityofwoodland.org/585/Documents on or before September 1, 2023. 

Public Comments: All interested persons are invited to attend the September 5 hearing and express opinions. Forms to express opposition or support of the project are available from the Community Development Department. All comments received will be given to the City Council for their consideration. The City does not transcribe its hearings, however, summary minutes are prepared and are publicly available once approved by the hearing body. Please contact Erika Bumgardner, Principal Planner, at (530) 661-5886, if you have questions about these items or the public hearing.

Members of the public are welcome to submit written comments prior to the meeting. Comments should be submitted by email to citycouncilmeetings@cityofwoodland.org. Written Comments received at least two (2) hours prior to the scheduled start time of the City Council meeting will be provided to the Council and posted to the City website as part of the official record of the meeting but will not be read into the record. Written Comments received within two (2) hours of the scheduled start time of the meeting and during the meeting will be provided to the City Council the day following the City Council meeting.

If submit written comments concerning a specific item on the agenda, please identify the agenda item number and letter. If you submit written comments on an item not listed on the agenda, please identify your e-mail/comment as a "General Public Comment."

Pursuant to section 65009 (b) (2), the State Government Code “If you challenge any of the above projects in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing(s) described in this notice or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or prior to, this public hearing”.