Amador County – An appeal to readdress traffic and water concerns in the Wicklow Way Subdivision Project brought comments from both sides in a public hearing Tuesday in Supervisors’ Chambers, with the applicant, Lemke Construction winning out. The Amador County Board of Supervisors denied the appeal by Ken Berry of Jackson, referring to a December 1st letter from the Amador Water Agency and getting direct testimony from the Amador County Transportation Commission and Wicklow Subdivision Planning Manager Susan Larson. ACTC Executive Director Charles Field said that Berry pointed out that the Final Environmental Impact Report “fully discloses impacts” on traffic and notes that “impacts would remain significant and unavoidable.” Field said “yes, we think that is full disclosure. The EIR does its job: These are all potential impacts.” He said it gives the Planning Commission reason to reject the EIR, but the EIR in turn offers mitigations to be put in place and paid for by Lemke Construction. In approving the EIR, the commission approves statements of overriding consideration. Field said its fair share program is not in place, but EIR mitigations would not rely on its being in place or even rely on all of the member agencies participating.

Larson said Lemke Construction met with the Amador Transportation Department, ACTC and “even went to the CALTRANS office in Stockton and got their clearance” in addressing the traffic element of the EIR. Larson said “this is a model traffic study,” and whether or not ACTC’s fair-share program is in place, the applicant must mitigate traffic. She said Lemke did not shirk responsibility but went above and beyond that, agreeing to pay for 4 deputies and their equipment and vehicles. She said the Amador Water Agency, the county and consultants have told them that the water supply is adequate. And with woodland, the project extensively covers carbon dioxide emissions. County Planner Susan Grijalva said the EIR came out in March and new guidelines based on Assembly Bill 32 for carbon emissions came out in June, but the subject remains a legally changing landscape. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).