At Monday night’s Jackson Planning Commission meeting, Amador Citizens for Smart Growth, or ACSG, provided recommendations to the commission on possible additions to Jackson’s draft Land Use Element. Some of these recommendations include preserving historic buildings, requiring a certain design for new downtown projects, managing growth, and allowing for small ancillary dwellings in rear yards. One recommendation that drew some discussion was providing for mixed-use structures downtown, which would allow a second story on a commercial building to be used as residential. 

Some members of the commission suggested that having mixed-use structures might cut down on gas consumption, and therefore pollution. Other recommendations drew intense opposition from several members of the community.  One subject of debate was a proposed 150 foot-wide urban agricultural transition area that would be required for developments that were on the edge of the city limits.  Jim Laughton, a city of Jackson landowner, asked that the commission not put restrictions on his property.

Laughton has been involved in the development of the Land Use Element for the past ten years, and questioned why Amador Citizens for Smart Growth were getting involved “at the eleventh hour.” Laughton added that he thought that the city had “a pretty good land use element.” On the other side of the fence, Joani Bailey, who owns land just outside the city limits, adjacent to the proposed Jackson Hills parcel, said that the 150 foot buffer “looks good” to her, referring to the  possible close proximity of residential homes to her property. All suggestions agreed upon by the Planning Commission will be incorporated into the draft General Plan, which will eventually go before the Jackson City Council.  The Planning Commission will continue their review until the next scheduled meeting on April 21st.