Amador County – Rob Aragon of JTS Communities fielded questions about a new phase proposed Wednesday for Castle Oaks, for 153 new single-family homes, 63 multi-family units, and 70,000 square feet of retail and medical offices. Mayor Lee Ard asked if he had spoken with Kaiser Permanente, which had become a local presence, when “HMOs left town 4 or 5 years ago.” Aragon said a “first step is getting with the Kaisers of the world,” and Mule Creek might need medical office space. The multi-family units might be condominiums or townhomes, and Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel said he would prefer that location, to the right of Castle Oaks Drive, might be better used if they swap a hotel with the multi-family units. Schaufel said “personally, I feel many people are looking forward to a motel coming here in Ione.” Aragon said he has met with developers, who have rejected the hotel concept. He said to invest millions for a motel, the amount of traffic needed for it to be viable was not going to happen. If it was going to happen, he said it would have happened already. Ard and City Manager Kim Kerr said CDF was planning to build dormitories to house its trainees, cutting traffic from Ione to Sutter Creek’s motel. Aragon said the economic climate had “gotten worse” since 2005, and selling retail space, “even 10,000 square feet of this is going to be a very long discussion.” Commissioner Mike McDermed said the medical offices are “very viable.” Dominic Atlan of Castle Oaks, said he would like to see townhouses other than rentals. On the hotel, he was “pretty much waiting for it to be eliminated from the project.” He would rather they look for a new location for a hotel. Atlan said anyone going forward with building now is “very brave,” and he agreed retail dollars would be good for the city, adding that “there will be other retail. It doesn’t all have to be at Castle Oaks.” Jack Brotherton said he did not want a gas station there, but Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said a gas station there might draw Mule Creek workers to buy gas before leaving the county. Aragon said Ione has a “very viable, very well-managed company that is presenting a concept. And the only thing set is stone is the ability to move forward.” He said the next step is to “make the decision internally to proceed with an entitlement application.” Story by Jim Reece.
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Amador County – Rob Aragon of JTS Communities fielded questions about a new phase proposed Wednesday for Castle Oaks, for 153 new single-family homes, 63 multi-family units, and 70,000 square feet of retail and medical offices. Mayor Lee Ard asked if he had spoken with Kaiser Permanente, which had become a local presence, when “HMOs left town 4 or 5 years ago.” Aragon said a “first step is getting with the Kaisers of the world,” and Mule Creek might need medical office space. The multi-family units might be condominiums or townhomes, and Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel said he would prefer that location, to the right of Castle Oaks Drive, might be better used if they swap a hotel with the multi-family units. Schaufel said “personally, I feel many people are looking forward to a motel coming here in Ione.” Aragon said he has met with developers, who have rejected the hotel concept. He said to invest millions for a motel, the amount of traffic needed for it to be viable was not going to happen. If it was going to happen, he said it would have happened already. Ard and City Manager Kim Kerr said CDF was planning to build dormitories to house its trainees, cutting traffic from Ione to Sutter Creek’s motel. Aragon said the economic climate had “gotten worse” since 2005, and selling retail space, “even 10,000 square feet of this is going to be a very long discussion.” Commissioner Mike McDermed said the medical offices are “very viable.” Dominic Atlan of Castle Oaks, said he would like to see townhouses other than rentals. On the hotel, he was “pretty much waiting for it to be eliminated from the project.” He would rather they look for a new location for a hotel. Atlan said anyone going forward with building now is “very brave,” and he agreed retail dollars would be good for the city, adding that “there will be other retail. It doesn’t all have to be at Castle Oaks.” Jack Brotherton said he did not want a gas station there, but Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said a gas station there might draw Mule Creek workers to buy gas before leaving the county. Aragon said Ione has a “very viable, very well-managed company that is presenting a concept. And the only thing set is stone is the ability to move forward.” He said the next step is to “make the decision internally to proceed with an entitlement application.” Story by Jim Reece.
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