Amador County – About 50 people attended the resumed work on the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort by the Sutter Creek Planning Commission Monday night. Consultant Anders Hague brought back a reconditioned project specific plan, while the planners reiterated a few items that they found missing in the plan. Chairman Robin Peters said the meeting should first revisit the consistency of the project with the city’s general plan. Commissioner Frank Cunha said he was not satisfied with oak tree mitigation policy in regard to priority locations as far as oak woodlands preservation. Peters said the mitigation in the project satisfied the city general plan but the general plan itself was not satisfying to the commissioners. He said the commission considers the issue unresolved and they need to revisit the oak tree mitigation policy at a future date with the developers. Cunha also pointed out that an oak tree retention figure listed in the project description said it would save 10 percent of oak trees. Cunha said the commission changed that number to 20 percent in a previous meeting and the project should be changed to reflect that. Commissioner Mike Kirkley questioned verbiage that said the “performance standard that must be met for replaced trees in natural areas shall be 100 percent survival at the end of 4 years and 70 percent survival at the end of 7 years.” He asked if the 70 percent survival could include seedlings and Hague said it would not include them. Kirkley said it would be hard for him to consider “hardship approval for projects that are newly designed,” for instances such as slope hardships, when there is plenty of acreage around that would be within slope guidelines. Peters agreed, saying “when it comes to that, maybe a hardship can’t be made.” Documents for the Gold Rush Ranch project are available at the Sutter Creek website or at City Hall. The commission meets again with Gold Rush developers on January 16 . Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Tuesday, 13 January 2009 22:43
SC Planning Discusses Gold Rush Oak Tree Mitigation
Amador County – About 50 people attended the resumed work on the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort by the Sutter Creek Planning Commission Monday night. Consultant Anders Hague brought back a reconditioned project specific plan, while the planners reiterated a few items that they found missing in the plan. Chairman Robin Peters said the meeting should first revisit the consistency of the project with the city’s general plan. Commissioner Frank Cunha said he was not satisfied with oak tree mitigation policy in regard to priority locations as far as oak woodlands preservation. Peters said the mitigation in the project satisfied the city general plan but the general plan itself was not satisfying to the commissioners. He said the commission considers the issue unresolved and they need to revisit the oak tree mitigation policy at a future date with the developers. Cunha also pointed out that an oak tree retention figure listed in the project description said it would save 10 percent of oak trees. Cunha said the commission changed that number to 20 percent in a previous meeting and the project should be changed to reflect that. Commissioner Mike Kirkley questioned verbiage that said the “performance standard that must be met for replaced trees in natural areas shall be 100 percent survival at the end of 4 years and 70 percent survival at the end of 7 years.” He asked if the 70 percent survival could include seedlings and Hague said it would not include them. Kirkley said it would be hard for him to consider “hardship approval for projects that are newly designed,” for instances such as slope hardships, when there is plenty of acreage around that would be within slope guidelines. Peters agreed, saying “when it comes to that, maybe a hardship can’t be made.” Documents for the Gold Rush Ranch project are available at the Sutter Creek website or at City Hall. The commission meets again with Gold Rush developers on January 16 . Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 
