Caltrans will maintain the property for 5 more years in order to fully comply with their mitigation contract, after which time the city will take control and will be responsible for maintaining it in perpetuity. The property will be designated as an “open space,” used for wetland development, elderberry shrub mitigation, riparian plant establishment, and oak woodland establishment. Once the city takes the land over, it will essentially become closed to the public, and will no longer be eligible for future mitigation projects. Public access to the property will remain limited due to the presence of Native American archaeological findings. The conditions of the property also include consultation with Native Americans before any construction on the property or disturbing of the land or plant life can take place, and “Native Americans shall be given access to the property to visit and manage cultural resources.”  A major issue with the annexation of the discussed at length at the meeting was fire protection.

Several Commissioners said that they had spoken with members of Sutter Creek Fire Department, who expressed that they did not wish to be responsible for servicing the area without any financial incentive. Commissioner Mike Kirkley, who also works for CDF, said that the State is currently responsible for the area, but would no longer be responsible if the land is annexed into the city. Adjacent property owners Jim and Carolyn Plomondon were present at the meeting, and voiced their concerns about wild land fire protection for the area. At the end of the discussion, the planning commission decided not to make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the annexation, but to continue discussing topic at their January meeting. At the end of the meeting, there was also a brief update on the Gold Rush Ranch project. The administrative draft of the project’s EIR should be out towards the end of this month, and the city will take a couple of weeks to review it. In March the draft will become available to the public, with an updated traffic study, which is currently about 2 and a half months behind schedule.