Sutter Creek – Members of the Sutter Creek Planning Commission last week the City Council to take time on the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort EIR and plans, which they begin to look at in a series of meetings that starts today. All 5 planning commissioners attended a special meeting last Friday. 4 during public comment urged the council not to rush. The meetings will include Planning Commission Chairman Robin Peters discussing land usage. Peters was the only commissioner not to speak Friday. The commission concluded the 27th official city meeting on Gold Rush August 25th, recommending approval of the EIR and related documents. The council hosts a public hearing on Gold Rush today, and the meeting could be carried over to tomorrow. Last Friday, Commissioner Cort Strandberg urged them not to have back-to-back meetings, due to the quantity of time it takes to digest the amount of information. Commissioner Mike Kirkley said there’s “no need to meet 2 days in a row.” Commissioner Robert Olson said the commission “got a lot of good input from the audience,” from people “for”, “against” or “neutral” on Gold Rush. The reason was that the “meeting was scheduled a week in advance, and people were able to read” related documents. Olson said: “This (project) is doubling the size of our city – this is not a 2-plex or a 4-plex,’ and “with at least a week in between, people can read and respond.” Olson said: “We want to encourage the public to come, and” people “are discouraged by short notice meetings.” Commissioner Frank Cunha said “even if we were have meetings a week apart, staff was having trouble keeping up.” Mayor Gary Wooten said: “We are not trying to discourage public attendance.” He said “it looks like I’m the only one to stand up for” successive night meetings. Sutter Creek olive farmer Susan Bragstad asked if Mello Roos was included in the documents. Consultant Anders Hauge said Mello Roos was a very important element of the project application, and was in the conditions of approval, the development agreement and the specific plan. Councilman Pat Crosby said he will “have to stay awake and listen for that because a Mello Roos will go through over my dead body.” Crosby said the city has discussed the Mello Roos, the law that guides formation of a “Community Facilities District,” which funds infrastructure through issuance of public bonds. He said “Mello Roos is a bad deal for the city,” because the developer “does not pay its fair share of property tax.” Urged to not “throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Crosby said “the Mellow Roos I’ve seen, I’m ready to throw out with anything.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.