Amador County – Plymouth City Council canceled its regular meeting this week and will hold a special meeting next week for a public hearing on two Development Agreements with Reeder Sutherland Incorporated for its long-sought residential developments.
Thursday’s meeting was postponed to a special meeting 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, and the next regular Council meeting is March 22.
Plymouth City Manager Jeff Gardner said the Development Agreements will be the sole topic of discussion at the public hearing. The agreements are for Reeder Sutherland’s Zinfandel and Shenandoah Ridge residential developments, which were approved for annexation by the Amador County Local Agency Formation Commission, in a unanimous 5-0 vote last month.
Gardner said the attorneys and Mayor Sandy Kyles are working on final wording and the agreements were expected to be made public by noon Thursday, March 8.
The two projects, first brought to the Plymouth City Council in 2004, include about 147 acres in Shenandoah Ridge, with one residential neighborhood park, a natural trail network and large open spaces. The land is located immediately north of city limits, and west of Highway 49.
The Zinfandel project site, on the southwest border of Plymouth, includes 365 acres, and another 3.7 acres that are part of the neighboring Greilich parcel. Zinfandel consists of one residential neighborhood, passive and active parks, a natural trail network and large open spaces.
Additional properties approved by LAFCO for a Sphere of Influence expansion and annexation would extend the city’s boundaries in a complete and un-segmented manner. The parcels to be annexed – currently in the Plymouth Sphere of Influence – are the Plymouth Port LLC, and the Crain, Gansberg, and Greilich parcels.
During a LAFCO hearing, Jennifer Mason said her parents’ property is 198 acres, and they were worried about traffic ingress and egress on Old Sacramento Road, due to the development. She also worried that a 15-year estimated build-out of Zinfandel could cause the land across the road to be a fire hazard if not managed properly.
A 1,109-acre property owned by Jack T. Sweigart’s JTS Properties never completed an agreement on impacts, when the Sphere of Influence and annexation were approved. The JTS property is north of the Zinfandel property.
Bill Greer of the Greilich property was concerned about residents throwing harmful vegetation over the fence, into a 50-foot wide buffer zone between the residential development and the Greilich property. The 50-foot buffer zone is the default buffer built into the project by Reeder Sutherland. Greer also worried about dogs chasing livestock, or kids shooting the animals with BB guns.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
