Sutter Creek – Developer Bill Bunce said Monday that Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort was designed to make it feasible, and he was standing by the 1,334 units it would build in 20 years in Sutter Creek. The Sutter Creek City Council heard form Bunce Monday. Critic Ed Arata suggested discussing a smaller number in a committee. Planning Commissioner Mike Kirkley said he found that since Bunce and development partner John Telischak, were “not willing to change the golf course or the number of units, my only choice was to vote no.” Commissioner Frank Cunha said they “never discussed a smaller project.” He said the 924 acres and 1,334 homes in Gold Rush were the same as there are in the city right now, effectively doubling its size. But Cunha said he thought if the 330-acre portion was sold, the new owner would seek to develop it as well. The bottom line for him was, “we don’t need another lot in Sutter Creek if we don’t get a golf course.” Cunha said the project includes “300 acres that will go into a conservation easement for our children or our children’s children.” He said “that 945 acres is pretty well contained, and we know what it will be forever.” Bunce said the project was designed to be feasible from the start and “there has always been a significant material infrastructure burden” involved. He said traffic impacts “will not go away if you cut the project size by half,” and the “project’s roads, parks and trails are linked, so it is not a reality to say you can cut the number of units in half and still have those.” He said “shrinking the project is not going to make it more feasible, it’s going to do the opposite.” Bunce said he was prepared to talk a long time about the need to keep the number of units the same, and he offered to prepare a formal presentation to answer questions raised by the council and public who spoke. Councilwoman Sandy Anderson sided with Mayor Gary Wooten and Councilwoman Linda Rianda in saying the number of units should remain as recommended by the Planning Commission, in its 3-2 vote. Wooten then tabled and continued discussion on the project’s size until the city council receives an updated fiscal impact analysis. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.