Amador County – After reaching a consensus on a designation called the “Special Planning Area-Interim,” the Amador County General Plan Update panel chose a new name for the designation last week. Planning Commission Chairwoman Denise Tober suggested the term “Restricted Planning Area,” and the panel of commissioners and Amador Supervisors chose it as a new, tentative designation, to replace SPA-I. “Restricted Planning Area” is tentative, like the entire General Plan Update, and still needs an EIR, analysis and review, said County Planner Susan Grijalva. Bill Bunce’, owner of Ranch Arroyo Seco requested panel review of the designation criteria to see what was acceptable to the county, what needed more change or what needed to be omitted. Last week’s meeting focused on that request, and Grijalva said the request would “not allow anything to happen without a General Plan amendment.” Besides changing the name from SPA-I to Restricted Planning Area, the board also agreed to change the language in the designation to make the criteria mandatory. Grijalva said the land has no proposed project. The panel discussed parts of the criteria, and Supervisor Richard Forster asked if they could encourage development at Arroyo Seco to “happen near Ione, where infrastructure is in place.” Commissioner Andy Byrne agreed, and he was worried about the Mineral Resource Zone, which the Rancho “wraps around.” Forster said future land development there was clear, and the more control they had, the better. Supervisor Louis Boitano said they could keep the current General Plan designation, and have 400 parcels of 40 acres each, “and you can’t do much mining on those.” Supervisor John Plasse asked if they should add criteria that it be economically viable for mining. Boitano said it would have to be because people are “not going to be mining on a 1-acre parcel.” Supervisor Chairman Ted Novelli said draft criteria that required new plans to “demonstrate” adequate transportation systems or public utilities, seemed loose and vague. Novelli said they “could probably get 100 different definitions for (the word Demonstrate) here tonight.” Grijalva said there is some “prime” farmland on Rancho Arroyo Seco, and prime farmland is defined in the Williamson Act by production and dollar output levels. But she had “never heard of dry-land pasture being referred to as prime (farmland).” Staff will work on minor changes to the criteria for the panel’s later approval. It meets again in a week or 2, to revisit the “Economic Element” and the “Urban Reserve” land designation. No date has been set for the next meeting. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – After reaching a consensus on a designation called the “Special Planning Area-Interim,” the Amador County General Plan Update panel chose a new name for the designation last week. Planning Commission Chairwoman Denise Tober suggested the term “Restricted Planning Area,” and the panel of commissioners and Amador Supervisors chose it as a new, tentative designation, to replace SPA-I. “Restricted Planning Area” is tentative, like the entire General Plan Update, and still needs an EIR, analysis and review, said County Planner Susan Grijalva. Bill Bunce’, owner of Ranch Arroyo Seco requested panel review of the designation criteria to see what was acceptable to the county, what needed more change or what needed to be omitted. Last week’s meeting focused on that request, and Grijalva said the request would “not allow anything to happen without a General Plan amendment.” Besides changing the name from SPA-I to Restricted Planning Area, the board also agreed to change the language in the designation to make the criteria mandatory. Grijalva said the land has no proposed project. The panel discussed parts of the criteria, and Supervisor Richard Forster asked if they could encourage development at Arroyo Seco to “happen near Ione, where infrastructure is in place.” Commissioner Andy Byrne agreed, and he was worried about the Mineral Resource Zone, which the Rancho “wraps around.” Forster said future land development there was clear, and the more control they had, the better. Supervisor Louis Boitano said they could keep the current General Plan designation, and have 400 parcels of 40 acres each, “and you can’t do much mining on those.” Supervisor John Plasse asked if they should add criteria that it be economically viable for mining. Boitano said it would have to be because people are “not going to be mining on a 1-acre parcel.” Supervisor Chairman Ted Novelli said draft criteria that required new plans to “demonstrate” adequate transportation systems or public utilities, seemed loose and vague. Novelli said they “could probably get 100 different definitions for (the word Demonstrate) here tonight.” Grijalva said there is some “prime” farmland on Rancho Arroyo Seco, and prime farmland is defined in the Williamson Act by production and dollar output levels. But she had “never heard of dry-land pasture being referred to as prime (farmland).” Staff will work on minor changes to the criteria for the panel’s later approval. It meets again in a week or 2, to revisit the “Economic Element” and the “Urban Reserve” land designation. No date has been set for the next meeting. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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