Yosemite Village Lost Arrow Temporary Employee Housing

This project proposes to temporarily locate 6 units of portable housing for park concessionaire (DNC) employees from Curry Village to the existing 40 units of Lost Arrow temporary employee housing area at Yosemite Village, which was created subsequent to the 1997 Flood that destroyed existing employee housing at other valley locations. Rockfall events at Curry Village in October 2008 resulted in the permanent closure of the Terrace tent cabin employee housing area and other hard sided structures located in the geohazard zone at Curry Village, as revised and expanded based on analysis conducted after the October rock fall. Prior to the October 2008 rock fall, Yosemite Institute had use of tent cabins and hard-sided structures at Curry Village for student and teacher lodging. Subsequent to the closure of tent cabins and other hard sided structures within the revised geohazard zone, the former Boys Town tent cabin employee housing was converted to student and teacher lodging for Yosemite Institute, leaving a deficit of DNC employee housing. Of the 293 Curry Village employee beds lost to closure or conversion as a result of the October 2008 rock fall, relocation of housing for DNC employees is essential to support visitor use. DNC needs to replace approximately 243 to 273 employee beds. This proposed temporary solution was developed in consultation with Friends of Yosemite as part of a litigation settlement that also includes preparation of the Revised Merced Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This action would provide temporary lodging for 12 employees, and is needed to help meet immediate short-term housing needs for NPS's concessioner (DNC) until permanent employee housing is available. The temporary employee housing planned at the subject location will be consistent with the existing temporary structures and compatible to the extent practicable with the character defining features of the Yosemite Village Historic District and the Yosemite Valley Historic District, portable and fully removable. Permanent employee housing requirements will be studied and analyzed in the Revised Merced River Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). All temporary employee housing will be removed upon implementation of the CMP as stated in the final Record of Decision (ROD) for the CMP/EIS, unless such housing is determined to be needed in the new CMP. In such case, the CMP/EIS would address all NEPA and NHPA compliance for any necessary future employee housing. The No-Action alternative to be evaluated in that EIS will acknowledge the existence of temporary employee housing, but will not include any temporary housing as part of the environmental baseline in the assessment of the No Action alternative. Should the CMP/EIS/ROD determine that the temporary housing units will be retained, that decision could result in an adverse effect, which would be resolved in accordance with Stipulation VIII of the 1999 PA.