The purpose of the meeting was to review and discuss the next steps for the Gold Rush Ranch Subdivision and Golf Resort, and to summarize the Environmental Impact Report. The meeting began with a presentation concerning the next steps which include: a Draft EIR which will become available in late October, early November. From there a General Plan Specific hearing will take place, the zoning ordinance and subdivision map will be released, a Development agreement hearing and a CEQA mandated hearing for the Draft EIR is currently scheduled for December. The final EIR circulation, which will be based on comments made on the DEIR with responses and modification is scheduled to be released in February 2008. The city will then make its decision on all applications in March of the same year.

The application for the Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort was received by the city last Friday. In it was: a General Plan amendment for the Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort specific plan, a Zoning Ordinance amendment which creates 5 new zoning districts, the Gold Rush subdivision Map the annexation of 333 acres (which will not be handled at the city level it will be handled by LAFCO), and the annexation into the Sutter Creek Fire Protection District. The map that was included in the application was specifically a large lot subdivision map, and a smaller lot subdivision map will be coming in and reviewed at a later date. The map included 1300 residential units, a 60 unit hotel, vacation units are included as is a golf course, a clubhouse, 1/3 of the project being open space for open mitigation and trails, and at the northeast portion of the project there will be mix use commercial space allotted. There was some concern at the meeting, that the comments from a previous scoping hearing that took place were not represented in the current proposal. The developer stated that in fact the application before the council Monday night was based partly on the comments from that hearing. It was also stated that the EIR will address school systems, a traffic study, and all bylaws of CEQA. It was voiced by members of the city council to have Amador County Transportation Commission and the applicants traffic consultant work together early in the process of the development to avoid a situation such as what is being played out with the Jackson Hills development. More hearings and information will begin in October of this year.