Last night the Jackson City Council considered the controversial Jackson Hills Project. The item before the council was not to make a final decision on the project but rather hear more information surrounding the project. The public hearing for the meeting apparently was not properly posted therefore any comments made regarding the project could not become a matter of record. The Council heard first from City Planner Susan Peters who gave a short description of the project and the process it has gone through for the last 5 years.

The Ione City Council had quite a bit to discuss at their meeting on Tuesday. The first item on the table was on the consent agenda, approval of the metal railing for the Safe Routes to School Pedestrian Bridge, which would be constructed by the Ione Pharmacy. Mayor Jerry Sherman had performed a quick survey asking local residents their thoughts on the railing, and was informed that the public was not very happy with the prospect of the fence, as people had been using that walkway for quite awhile.

The Amador County Transportation Commission conducted a special workshop this week with the Amador County Planning Commission. The workshop was held to analyze traffic issues associated with the proposed Wicklow Way Subdivision. The subdivision is located between the Argonaut High School campus and Wal-Mart and is located in the unincorporated area of the county. ACTC Executive Director Charles Field stated in a memo to the Commission, said, “ACTC staff is concerned that the mitigation measures proposed by the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Wicklow subdivision are not adequate to address the traffic impacts that will be generated.”

Amador County may not be the biggest county concerned about its future in regards to Indian Gaming establishments, but the legal actions taken here are making waves statewide. According to the Contra Costa Times Amador Counties recent victory regarding the invalidation of the Municipal Service Agreement between the Ione Band of Mi-Wok Indians and the City of Plymouth, and the subsequent upholding of that local decision by the Third District Court of Appeals, has stimulated similar legal actions elsewhere- specifically in Contra Costa County.

Before the Jackson Planning Commission this week was a review of the Notices of Intent to Develop submitted by developers interested in building their projects in Jackson.  The City was to distribute 106 HEUs approved by the City Council for allocation this year. The Commission recommends to the City Council which projects should receive the competitive allocation of HEUs. City Planner Susan Peters made it very clear that the Commission is in no way recommending approval of the individual projects, but rather recommending that the developer be allowed to submit an application for their project.

Last night the Jackson City Council discussed Measure E. In 2002 Jackson voters approved the Measure which increased the transient occupancy tax or TOT from 8% to 10%. The City Council directed that the additional funds be utilized to develop programs to enhance tourism and business promotion, economic development of downtown and revitalization programs for Jackson.  The City Council appointed an advisory committee to provide recommendations for the expenditure of the additional transient occupancy tax funds generated by Measure E. The Committee developed a review procedure for funding requests to utilize Measure E funds to implement programs in Jackson that were to be approved by the City Council.

The City of Jackson has announced a special public hearing Monday, May 7th for the Jackson Hills Golf Course project. The project has been extremely controversial among the community. It is proposed to be located south of Hwy. 49, with access to the project from French Bar Road, as Clinton Road will provide secondary access. The project is proposed to be developed in 2 phases. At build out it will include 540 lots on approximately 516 acres, a golf course, recreation and community center. The project land uses would require modification of the existing General Plan land use designations and zoning. The project is listed on the Hazardous Waste and Substances Sites List as set forth in the Government Code. Copies of the Final EIR, Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations, the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program associated with the proposed project are available for review at the City’s Offices. The document is also available on the City’s website, at ci.jackson.ca.us and at the Amador County Library in Jackson. On Monday night the Planning Commission is expected to make their recommendation to the City Council for the project determination. The Meeting will be held at 6pm at the Jackson Civic Center

The city of Ione has established their position with the Buena Vista Band of Miwok Indians. That position has not changed within a year’s time or with another TEIR. The City and its officials say the new Draft Tribal Environmental Impact report is still not sufficient in how it addresses mitigations for impacts that will be caused by the tribe’s Flying Cloud Casino. The city addresses traffic issues and what is termed as “gridlock” in downtown Ione, as patrons and workers of the proposed casino are anticipated to clog local roads. This leads the city to discuss the staffing of the Ione Police department and the need to increase staffing to two fulltime officers on each shift, plus additional supervisory personnel. The costs of this alone are estimated at 100,000 dollars per officer and 115,000 a year for an additional sergeant.

An appeal of the Planning Department’s interpretation of zoning regulations appeared before the Board on Tuesday. Ron Regan a representative of the Martell Investments, Inc. is appealing the Planning Department’s decision of what uses are allowed in a M or Manufacturing District. Regan is currently constructing a 31,500 sq. foot building. 15,750 feet will be used for office space while the other 15,750 feet will be occupied warehouse space. Just what types of businesses can occupy this property has created a dilemma for Regan because of confusion over the meaning of some zoning codes. The Board continued the matter previously and referred it to the Land Use and Community Development Committee for a clarification surrounding what is allowed in an M District, the current zoning of the property. The Committee recommended to the BOS that the uses in Regan’s commercial complex remain consistent with the existing Manufacturing District.

The Buena Vista Band of Me-Wuk Indians released their new draft tribal environmental impact report on Friday. The Flying Cloud Casino, proposed by the tribe in the Jackson Valley, has been scaled back according to the new document, at least in the initial phases. The 448 page draft environmental document states that the tribe’s ultimate goal is a 2,000 slot machine and 80 card table casino project, but that the tribe has elected to look at an alternative phase in plan which will start with a 1,150-slot machine and 40-table casino in an effort to reduce traffic, crime and other impacts on surrounding communities. The Tribe's phased project alternative proposes three phases with initial reductions in the size of the gaming floor.