Amador County – The Ione City Council Tuesday approved a transitional land use designation that would help keep commercial enterprises operating around town. The council was considering the Land Use Element of the new city general plan and approved the full slate of designations, setting in motion environmental reporting on the paperwork. Many spoke about their commercial use on property around town that was earmarked for being designated residential property. After hearing the disputes, consultant Daniel Hamilton and City Planner Christopher Jordan suggested a transitional residential/commercial designation. Jordan said it would allow rebuilding of homes or commercial uses. The suggestion passed 3-1 with Councilman Jim Ulm voting no. Mayor Lee Ard, presiding over his first meeting, voted yes, with Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel and Councilman David Plank, while Councilwoman Andrea Bonham was recused due to her business interest in downtown. Ron Smylie of Smylie’s Trophies told the council his 30-year-old business depended on commercial zoning, because his suppliers will not deliver to non-commercially zoned businesses. City Manager Kim Kerr said the designation would have to be tailored for Smylie’s requirement. Other owners asked to be left commercially zoned. The council voted to make transitional residential/commercial areas, based on historic and current uses and zoning. Ione Planning Commissioner Joe Wylie said the commission passed the Land Use Element on to the city council without resolving the commercial zoning issue. He said it was sent to the council only after Jordan and city staff agreed to notify property owners of potential affects on their properties. Wylie agreed with the Land Use efforts of Jordan and consultants and said it would work in a newly designed city, but the existing zoning and history of Ione needed to be preserved. Wylie said he was “very uncomfortable” with the issue and the city has its problems, but it’s the people’s right to have commercial interest “and they have a right to keep it.” Ard said he personally did not believe on “infringing on people’s property rights.” Ard said he “would rather see it left the way it is now and handled on an individual basis, if necessary.” Story by Jim Reece