Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report
Purpose of this Notice: The City of Tulare (City) is the lead agency responsible for preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Enterprise Street Annexation and Subdivision Project (proposed project). Pursuant to provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the City has prepared this Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the proposed project. Once a decision is made to prepare an EIR, the lead agency must prepare a NOP to inform all responsible and trustee agencies that an EIR will be prepared (CEQA Guidelines Section 15082). The purpose of this NOP is to provide agencies, interested parties, and organizations with sufficient information describing the proposed project and its potential environmental effects to enable meaningful input related to the scope and content of information to be included in the EIR.
Public Review Period. As required by Section 15082 of the CEQA Guidelines, this NOP has been prepared and distributed to solicit comments from interested parties and potential responsible and trustee agencies and other public agencies so that project-related concerns relevant to each agency's statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed project can be addressed in the EIR, as well as any related issues from interested parties other than potential responsible and trustee agencies, including other agencies and affected members of the public. The EIR will be the environmental document of reference for Responsible and Trustee Agencies when considering subsequent discretionary approvals.
This NOP is being circulated for public review and comment for a period of 30 days beginning March 9, 2026. The City requests that any potential responsible or trustee agencies responding to this NOP reply in a manner consistent with Section 15082(b) of the CEQA Guidelines, which requires submittal of any comments in response to this notice no later than 30 days after receipt of the NOP. Comments in response to this NOP will be accepted through 5:00 p.m., April 10, 2026.
Copies of the Notice of Preparation may be reviewed at the following location:
City of Tulare, Community Development Department, 411 East Kern Avenue, Tulare, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Submitting Comments: Comments and suggestions as to the appropriate scope of analysis of the EIR are invited from all interested parties. Written comments or questions concerning the EIR for the proposed project should be directed to the City's Project Planner, Steven Sopp, at the following address, or via email, by 5:00 PM on April 10, 2026. Please include the commenter's full name, address, phone number and/or email so that we may contact you for clarification, if necessary. Please submit comments to:
Steven Sopp
Principal Planner
City of Tulare – Community Development Department, Planning Division
411 East Kern Avenue
Tulare, CA 93274
(559) 684-4216
ssopp@tulare.ca.gov
Project Description: The proposed project would consist of the annexation of nine parcels, totaling 128.1 acres, from the County of Tulare jurisdiction to the City of Tulare. The proposed project would include the development of three of the nine parcels proposed for annexation, totaling 116.53 acres. No development is proposed within the remaining six parcels proposed for annexation, totaling 11.57 acres. Any future development occurring within these six parcels would require a separate project-specific analysis.
The proposed project would construct a total of 566 single-family homes across three residential developments, identified as Wallace Estates, Pioneer Estates, and Pistachio Village. Figure 1 identifies the location of the nine parcels proposed for annexation and the location of the three parcels proposed for development. Wallace Estates would develop 286 single-family homes, a 3.06-acre neighborhood park, and supporting landscaping, lighting, parking, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, and utility infrastructure. Figure 2a shows the site plan for Wallace Estates. Pioneer Estates would develop 131 single-family homes, a 1.40-acre neighborhood park, and supporting landscaping, lighting, parking, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, and utility infrastructure. Figure 2b shows the site plan for Pioneer Estates. Pistachio Village would develop 149 single-family homes, a 3.20-acre neighborhood park, and supporting landscaping, lighting, parking, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, and utility infrastructure. Figure 2c shows the site plan for Pistachio Village. It is anticipated that each residential development would be developed individually over the next 5 years.
In addition, the proposed project would construct curbing along the project frontages on North Enterprise Street and West Prosperity Avenue. The proposed project would construct a 12-foot-wide Class I bike path along the North Enterprise Street project frontage. The proposed project would also construct a 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk along the project frontages on West Prosperity Avenue and West Pleasant Avenue.
Areas of Potential Environmental Effects: Potentially significant environmental impacts of the proposed project include, but may not be limited to, the following: Air Quality, Agriculture Resources, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Transportation. An Initial Study will be prepared following the public review period to refine the environmental topics that require detailed analysis in the EIR.
Public Scoping Meeting: The CEQA process encourages comments and questions from the public throughout the planning process. Pursuant to Section 15083 of the CEQA Guidelines, a Public Scoping Meeting will be held to solicit public comments on the scope and content of the EIR. The meeting time and location is as follows:
Tulare Public Library, Olympic Room
475 North M Street
Tulare, CA 93274
Date: March 19, 2026
Time: 4 p.m.
Publication Dates
LYRK0470880