Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area General Plan Update

Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) is located within unincorporated Alameda and San Joaquin Counties, approximately 15 miles east of Livermore and 12 miles west of Tracy. The Diablo Range District of State Parks operates this 1,533-acre off-highway vehicle (OHV) park.

It has operated as an SVRA since 1980, when State Parks acquired the site. The original 1,533-acre property had been used by OHVs since the 1940s and was operated as a private motorcycle park from 1970 to 1979 before being purchased by the Department.

The first General Plan was approved for Carnegie SVRA in 1981. Since that time, conditions at the park and regulations have changed substantially. State Parks is now preparing a General Plan Update for Carnegie SVRA and an associated Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Notice of Preparation of a Partially Recirculated Draft EIR

The OHMVR Commission certified a Final EIR and adopted a General Plan Update for Carnegie SVRA on October 24, 2024. The certification and approval were subsequently challenged in Connolly Ranch, Inc., et al. v. State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, et al. (Sacramento Superior Court Case No. 24WM000175). On March 10, 2026, the Court granted the petition for writ of mandate on the single ground that the EIR did not evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives as required by CEQA and denied the petition on all other grounds. In response to the Court’s ruling and the peremptory writ of mandate, the OHMVR Commission rescinded its certification of the Final EIR and adoption of the General Plan Update on June 17, 2026.

The OHMVR Division has prepared a Notice of Preparation (NOP) pursuant to Sections 15082 and 15088.5 of the CEQA Guidelines, due to this lawsuit and to comply with the Court decision. This NOP informs agencies and the public that a Partially Recirculated EIR is being prepared to analyze additional alternatives to the proposed project, the Carnegie SVRA General Plan Update. The alternatives will focus on reduction of significant and unavoidable air quality impacts resulting from implementation of the General Plan Update. Agencies should comment on the elements of potential environmental effects that are relevant to their statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed project’s additional alternatives.

Please note that this is the scoping period only for a Partially Recirculated EIR that will analyze additional alternatives to the proposed project. Comments were already previously accepted on the original NOP and on the Draft EIR during the prior public comment period and responded to as part of the 2024 Final EIR. The Partially Recirculated EIR that is being prepared will be focused exclusively on revisions to the Alternatives chapter. Therefore, consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15088.5(f)(2), please submit your comments only on the scope of alternatives to the General Plan Update that may be capable of lessening the General Plan Update’s significant impacts on air quality, to be analyzed under CEQA as part of the Partially Recirculated EIR.

Notice of Preparation of a Partially Recirculated Environmental Impact Report

SCOPING PERIOD

Comments on the scope on the additional alternatives to be analyzed in the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR will be accepted until October 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Please include “Carnegie SVRA General Plan Update” in the title and submit comments to:

By email: planning@parks.ca.gov

By mail:

C/O Katie Metraux, OHMVR Division, California State Parks
P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001

SCOPING MEETING

A virtual Partially Recirculated EIR scoping meeting will be held on September 30, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

The link to the meeting will be posted here on September 20, 2026, 10 days in advance of the meeting.

Notice of Preparation Scoping Meeting Registration

Please check your spam folder for the meeting link if it doesn't appear after you register.

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Previous Planning and Environmental Documents

The following documents are available for public viewing. The General Plan and FEIR Chapters and Appendices have been separated into smaller-sized files for easier download. Please note that the public comment period for these previously circulated documents has closed. All future public comments should be focused on the revised alternatives chapter that is the subject of the Partially Recirculated Draft EIR, as described above. 

• 01_Carnegie SVRA General Plan Update Pt 1 Chapters 1 and 2_ada
• 02_Carnegie SVRA General Plan Update Pt 2 Chapters 3 through 5_ada
• 03_Carnegie SVRA FEIR Pt 1_ada
• 04_Carnegie SVRA FEIR Pt 2_ada
• 05_Carnegie SVRA FEIR Pt 3_ada
• 06_Carnegie SVRA FEIR Pt 4_ada
• 08_Appendix A2 Connolly Ranch Inc. & Connolly Garamendi LLC Comment Letter Attachments_ada
• Carnegie SVRA GP and EIR Overview
• Findings And Statement of Overriding Considerations
• Mitigation, Monitoring, and Reporting Plan
• Carnegie SVRA FEIR Resolution
• Carnegie SVRA General Plan Resolution

Please note that the documents listed below are not ADA-compliant and are only available via request. You will be taken to a separate page with instructions on downloading the file.

• 07_Appendix A1 Save the Frogs Comment Letter Attachments
• 09_Appendix A3 Noise Specialist Resume
• Appendix A2

Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Proposed Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area General Plan Update 

State Clearinghouse # 2022030810 
Public Comment Period: January 16 to March 1, 2024  

Copies of the Preliminary General Plan and Draft EIR may be reviewed online here: 

• Carnegie SVRA Preliminary General Plan Update_Jan_2024
• Carnegie SVRA General Plan Update Draft Environmental Impact Report
• Carnegie SVRA General Plan Update Draft Environmental Impact Report Appendices
• Carnegie SVRA General Plan Update Notice of Availability

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) has directed the preparation of an environmental impact report (EIR) consistent with requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and State CEQA Guidelines. State Parks is the lead agency under CEQA.

PROJECT LOCATION:
Carnegie SVRA is a 1,533-acre off-highway vehicle (OHV) park overseen by the OHMVR Division and operated by the Diablo Range District of State Parks. Carnegie SVRA is located within unincorporated Alameda and San Joaquin Counties, approximately 15 miles east of Livermore and 12 miles west of Tracy.

The OHMVR Division previously prepared a General Plan Revision and associated Program EIR for the original Carnegie SVRA and the adjacent 3,100-acre Alameda and Tesla Expansion Area. While the General Plan Revision was approved and the EIR certified by the OHMVR Commission in 2016, the Commission rescinded these decisions in 2021 as the result of several lawsuits. The lawsuits and subsequent legislation requiring that the Alameda and Tesla Expansion Area not be designated as an SVRA resulted in the Department and the Division electing to prepare a standalone General Plan Update for the Carnegie SVRA. The Department is conducting a separate planning effort for the Alameda and Tesla Expansion Area to determine a suitable classification and future use of these properties. Therefore, this proposed General Plan Update and EIR are limited to the 1,533-acre original Carnegie SVRA and specifically exclude the Expansion Area.

PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD:
The Preliminary General Plan and Draft EIR were circulated for public review and comment for a period of 45 days, beginning January 16, 2024. Written comments germane to the environmental review were considered and responded to in the Final EIR, as shown above.

Previous Notice of Preparation and Public Meeting

• Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (NOP)

The Department’s Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) Division is the lead agency for the preparation of a General Plan Update and associated environmental impact report (EIR) for Carnegie State SVRA. The decision-making body for the General Plan Update and EIR is the OHMVR Commission, a body of appointees that advises the OHMVR Division and has final authority of approval of General Plans and certification of associated EIRs for SVRAs.

The OHMVR Division has prepared a Notice of Preparation (NOP) pursuant to Section 15082 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. This NOP informs agencies and the public that an EIR is being prepared to address potential impacts resulting from approval and implementation of the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area General Plan Update. Agencies should comment on the elements of potential environmental effects that are relevant to their statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed project.

SCOPING PERIOD

Comments on the scope of the General Plan Update and EIR closed on April 30, 2022. 

SCOPING MEETING

A virtual EIR scoping meeting was held on April 19, 2022, from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. The meeting was recorded and can be viewed on the Cal-Span website. The presentation slides can be viewed here.

Project Background

A General Plan is the primary management document for each park unit within the State Park System, including SVRAs. The General Plan establishes the park unit's primary purpose and management direction. An approved General Plan is generally required before State Parks can move forward with site-specific improvements beyond minor capital outlay projects in general. The Department's Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVR Division) is preparing a General Plan Update and associated EIR for Carnegie SVRA to update the long-term management framework set in the 1981 General Plan and establish the foundation for future park improvements. As part of this framework, the General Plan Update will describe appropriate recreational opportunities and management strategies for the Carnegie SVRA.

The General Plan Update preparation will be based on extensive resource and user information developed during the prior planning effort and through ongoing management and operations. The General Plan Update will document existing conditions and include a proposed land use plan, including specific use areas. Use areas will be based on geographic relationships, resource values, management issues, goals, and desired visitor uses and experiences while recognizing this is an existing OHV park with existing uses. The General Plan Update will also contain goals and guidelines that guide Carnegie SVRA management and provide long-term direction for the development of future facilities. Given that a previous General Plan/EIR is in place, adopted in 1981, this General Plan Update may be more specific than other similar SVRAs.

The Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVR, the Division) previously prepared a General Plan Revision and associated Program EIR for the original Carnegie SVRA and the adjacent 3,100-acre Alameda and Tesla Expansion Area in 2016. While the General Plan Revision was approved and the EIR certified by the OHMVR Commission in 2016, the Commission rescinded these decisions in 2021 due to several lawsuits. The lawsuits and subsequent legislation requiring that the Alameda and Tesla Expansion Area not be designated as an SVRA has resulted in the Department and the Division electing to prepare a standalone General Plan Update for the Carnegie SVRA. The Department will conduct a separate planning effort for the Alameda and Tesla Expansion Area to determine a suitable classification and future use of these properties.

This proposed General Plan Update and EIR are limited to the 1,575-acre original Carnegie SVRA and specifically excludes the Expansion Area. The classification of and planning for the Expansion Area will be addressed in the future under a separate planning effort.