Tortuga Bay Water Park Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026020370
Lead Agency
City of Bakersfield
Document Title
Tortuga Bay Water Park Project
Document Type
NOP - Notice of Preparation of a Draft EIR
Received
Present Land Use
LI (Light Industrial), SI (Service Industrial), and HI (Heavy Industrial)/ M-1 (Light Manufacturing), M-2 (General Manufacturing), M-3 (Heavy Manufacturing)
Document Description
Tortuga Bay Water Park, LLC (Property Owner and Applicant) has applied to amend the City of Bakersfield’s Metropolitan Bakersfield General Plan land use designation and the Municipal Code zone classification for a 152 gross acre site located at the southeast corner of the Hageman Road and Mohawk Street intersection, in the northwest portion of Bakersfield, CA (Figure 1-Vicinity Map and Figure 2-Project Location Map).
The proposed Project includes a General Plan Amendment that would change the land use designation on the Project site from the existing LI (Light Industrial), SI (Service Industrial), and HI (Heavy Industrial) to LI, SI, HI, GC (General Commercial), and P (Parks)(Figures 3, Existing General Plan Designations, and Figure /Proposed General Plan Designations). The proposed Zone Change would change the zone classification on the Project site from M-1 (Light Manufacturing), M-2 (General Manufacturing), and M-3 (Heavy Industrial) to M-1, M-2, M-3, C-2 (General Commercial), and OS-P (Open Space – Parks), or more restrictive zones (Figures 5, Existing Zoning Classifications, and 6- Proposed Zoning Classifications).
The proposed Project uses existing land use entitlements, together with proposed land use modifications, to design a Project that would be internally integrated and compatible with surrounding off-site uses, particularly the existing residential areas to the north and west of the Project site. The proposed Project achieves this by downgrading the existing entitled medium and heavy industrial designations along the north, west, and south portions of the Project site to recreational, commercial, light, and service industrial, and by siting a surgery center and medical offices on the northern portion of the Project site near existing elderly care facilities. The proposed water park would be located in the center of the site, giving ample distance from existing residential uses to the north and southwest. The anticipated height of the tallest portion of the proposed Project is 60 feet, with most commercial and industrial buildings ranging from 20 to 35 feet.
The proposed Project consists of the following uses:
Northeast—General commercial uses consisting of a surgery center, medical offices, and one hotel.
Northwest—General commercial uses consisting of a commercial retail village, restaurants, and a gas station.
Central – Water park, state-of-the-art golf range, and parking.
Southwest—Light Industrial uses consist of contractor storage yards, tool rental and equipment, truck repairing and overhauling shops, welding, metal fabricating, blacksmith shops, wholesale businesses, storage buildings and warehouses, and light manufacturing.
Southeast—Heavy Industrial use consisting of alcohol and alcoholic beverages manufacture, automobile and truck parts manufacturer, freighting and trucking yards and terminals, and glass product manufacture (Section 17.31.020 of the Bakersfield Municipal Code).
Currently, the Project site is accessed from Hageman Road and Mohawk Street. However, the proposed Project would also complete the remaining west portion of the newly constructed Landco Drive along the Project’s eastern boundary, as well as the extension of Krebs Road, which bisects the Project from east to west. The proposed Project would also create a series of internal streets to provide access to future parcels. The provision of internal roads and driveways would be required to be engineered and constructed in accordance with design standards set forth by the City of Bakersfield. The City of Bakersfield has established design specifications in order to reduce the potential for conflict between vehicular traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclists crossing driveways and intersections. During Project development and operation, the proposed Project would be required to comply with all City of Bakersfield emergency access requirements. The Bakersfield Municipal Code (BMC) establishes emergency access requirements in the General Provisions for Fire Safety section. BMC Section 15.65.190 (Appendix D, Section D103.5 Fire Apparatus Access Road Gates – Amended) identifies requirements associated with emergency access. These specific requirements will be included in the Project design and would require verification by the City of Bakersfield Fire Chief prior to the approval of any aspect of the overall Project. Additionally, during the construction of the proposed Project, construction contractors would be required to maintain adequate emergency access routes on site. The proposed Project will provide adequate parking spaces to accommodate employees, visitors/customers, and loading/freight vehicles.
Contact Information
Name
Louis Ramirez
Agency Name
City of Bakersfield
Job Title
Associate Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Alex H. Jewell
Agency Name
Kimley-Horn
Job Title
Senior Planner/Project Manager
Contact Types
Consulting Firm
Phone
Name
Tortuga Bay Waterpark LLC
Agency Name
Tortuga Bay Waterpark LLC
Job Title
Project Applicant
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Bakersfield
Counties
Kern
Regions
Citywide
Cross Streets
Southeast corner of Hageman Road and Mohawk Street
Zip
93301
Total Acres
152
Parcel #
365-011-76-00-1, 332-011-45-00-1, 332-012-39-00-1, 365-011-77-00-4, 365-011-74-00-5, 365-011-78-
State Highways
Highway 99
Railways
San Joaquin and Central Californ
Airports
Meadows Field Airport
Schools
San Lauren Elementary, Discovery Elementary School,Beardsley ele
Waterways
Kern River
Township
29S
Range
27E
Section
15
Base
MtDiablo
Other Location Info
APN numbers: 365-011-76-00-1, 332-011-45-00-1, 332-012-39-00-1, 365-011-77-00-4, 365-011-74-00-5, 365-011-78-00-7, 332-012-44-00-5, 332-012-42-00-9, 332-012-40-00-3, 365-011-66-00-2
Other Information
Schools: San Lauren Elementary, Discovery Elementary School, Beardsley elementary School, North Beardsley Primary School
Notice of Completion
State Review Period Start
State Review Period End
State Reviewing Agencies
California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 6 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Fish and Game Commission (CDFGC), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Fresno Region 5 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Central Valley Flood Protection Board, Delta Protection Commission, Delta Stewardship Council, Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 12, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 19, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board, Divison of Financial Assistance, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)
State Reviewing Agency Comments
California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)
Development Types
Office (Sq. Ft. 37000, Acres 5.23, Employees 1000), Commercial (Sq. Ft. 360000, Acres 64.42, Employees 1000), Industrial (Sq. Ft. 100000, Acres 34.63, Employees 1000), Recreational (Includes water park and golf range)
Local Actions
General Plan Amendment, Rezone, Land Division (Subdivision, etc.)
Project Issues
Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire
Public Review Period Start
Public Review Period End
Attachments
Draft Environmental Document [Draft IS, NOI_NOA_Public notices, OPR Summary Form, Appx,]
Notice of Completion [NOC] Transmittal form
State Comment Letters [Comments from State Reviewing Agency(ies)]
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