TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received an application for a Department of the Army permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1344) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. §403) as described below:
APPLICANT: Joseph Cordero
4748 Golden Gate Blvd E
Naples, FL 34120
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with freshwater forested wetlands. The project site is located at 4748 Golden Gate Blvd E in Section 34, Township 48 South, Range 28 East, in Naples, Collier County, Florida.
Directions to the site are as follows: From Fort Myers take Interstate 75 South to Immokalee Rd exit. Turn left at end of ramp and proceed east for approximately 3.5 miles and then turn right on Collier Blvd. Take Collier Blvd for approximately 3.5 miles and make a left on Golden Gate Blvd. Proceed on Golden Gate Blvd for approximately 11.5 miles to subject property.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude 26.23036°
Longitude -81.51164°
PROJECT PURPOSE:
Basic: Housing
Overall: To construct a single family residence with driveway and associated infrastructure in Naples, Collier County, Florida.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The wetland system consists of a palustrine forested freshwater system. The onsite vegetation consists of Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), Slash Pine (Pinus elliotti), Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia), and Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius). The existing area surrounding the project area consists of undeveloped properties to the East, West, South, and North across the street from the subject property.
PROPOSED WORK: The applicant seeks authorization to clear, grade, and fill approximately 0.07 acres of freshwater forested wetland for a house pad to build a single family residence. The placement of approximately 262 cubic yards of fill will be placed in the wetland area.
AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION INFORMATION – The applicant has proposed to impact the property mostly in the upland area and only impact the wetland portion of the property with the rear of the home and part of the driveway.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION – The applicant has provided no plan for compensatory mitigation at this time.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: A "no potential to cause effect" determination has been made for the project area based upon no previously recorded sites within the footprint, the low probability environment for significant archaeological resources, and the limited
footprint of the project area.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: The US Fish, and Wildlife Service has reviewed the information provided and finds that the proposed action is not likely to adversely affect any federally listed species or designated critical habitat protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq.). A record of this consultation is on file at the South Florida Ecological Service Office.
This fulfills the requirements of section 7 of the Act and further action is not required. If modifications are made to the project, if additional information involving potential effects to listed species becomes available, or if a new species is listed, reinitiation of consultation may be necessary.
NOTE: This public notice is being issued based on information furnished by the applicant. This information has not been verified or evaluated to ensure compliance with laws and regulation governing the regulatory program. The jurisdictional line has been verified by Corps personnel.
AUTHORIZATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES: Water Quality Certification may be required from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and/or one of the state Water Management Districts.
COMMENTS regarding the potential authorization of the work proposed should be submitted in writing to the attention of the District Engineer through the Fort Myers Permits Section, 1520 Royal Palm Square Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33919 within 21 days from the date of this notice.
The decision whether to issue or deny this permit application will be based on the information received from this public notice and the evaluation of the probable impact to the associated wetlands. This is based on an analysis of the applicant's avoidance and minimization efforts for the project, as well as the compensatory mitigation proposed.
QUESTIONS concerning this application should be directed to the project manager, Steven Rabney, in writing at the Fort Myers Permits Section, 1520 Royal Palm Square Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33919; by electronic mail at steven.j.rabney@usace.army.mil; or, by telephone at (239)334-1975.
IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES: Coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Services, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, and concerned citizens generally yields pertinent environmental information that is instrumental in determining the impact the proposed action will have on the natural resources of the area.
EVALUATION: 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. That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefits, which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered including cumulative impacts thereof; among these are conservation, economics, esthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historical properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food, and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and in general, the needs and welfare of the people. Evaluation of the impact of the activity on the public interest will also include application of the guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, EPA, under authority of Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act or the criteria established under authority of Section 102(a) of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. A permit will be granted unless its issuance is found to be contrary to the public interest.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) 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 impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps to determine whether to issue, modify, condition, or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this determination, comments are used to assess impacts to endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity.
COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT CONSISTENCY: In Florida, the State approval constitutes compliance with the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan.
REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Any person may request a public hearing. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the designated comment period of the notice and must state the specific reasons for requesting the public hearing.