April was a good month for home sales in Sacramento and its surrounding areas. More homes sold in April than in any month since last July. According to DataQuick Information Systems, a national data repository containing data on more than 87 million properties, 3,163 homes closed in escrow in April. That’s a 26 percent jump from the same time last year. DataQuick’s Andrew LePage says foreclosure sales boosted the market. He calls it “the blue light special effect.” "In Sacramento County, almost 60 percent of the homes that resold had been foreclosed on at some point in the prior 12 months," said LePage. But he also says one month does not make a trend and it’s premature to say whether April’s figures mark a turnaround in the weak housing market. Prices continued to fall sharply last month. April's median home price of 232 thousand was down 32 percent from the same period last year. The number of California homes going into foreclosure jumped last quarter to its highest level in more than 15 years, as the market continued to work its way through declining home values and a pool of at-risk mortgages that were originated in 2005 and 2006.

Tuesday evening, the Amador County Planning Commission held a meeting in which county agencies and the public were given the opportunity to comment on the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Wicklow Way Subdivision. In general, there seemed to be consensus amongst the representatives of local agencies and councils who spoke regarding the project’s environmental analysis process; the Wicklow Way developer, Lemke Development, was said to be a pleasure to work with, demonstrating flexibility and diligence when drafting a thorough EIR. Members of the public, however, sang a different tune. Gene Mancebo, head of engineering and planning for the Amador Water Agency, was the first to comment after a short introduction from the developer’s spokesperson. He talked briefly, stating that that the AWA’s board of directors approved a water supply supplement analysis for the Wicklow development, and that he felt that the project’s EIR correctly summarizes the AWA’s water service capabilities. Charles Field, Executive Director of the Amador County Transportation Commission, also gave a synopsis of the EIR’s proposed traffic mitigation. He noted that the Wicklow Way development is consistent with the county’s general plan, and then discussed the direct traffic mitigations put forth in the EIR, as well as an agreement with Lemke to pay their fair share of other road improvements, such as the Sutter Street extension in Jackson. Fields also stated that the development qualifies for “statements of overriding consideration,” which serve to simplify the EIR process, as the development meets 5 of 9 criteria ranging from provisions for alternative transportation to different housing types. Contrastingly, when it was the public’s turn to speak, there wasn’t much said in favor of the EIR. Kathy Allen, spokesperson for local group Amador Citizens for Smart Growth, summarized a 70+ page document submitted by the group asserting perceived problems with the EIR‘s proposed mitigation. Most notable of speakers was Jackson resident Jill North, who stated that of the 8,578 oak trees on the property, 7,321, or 80%, will be removed for the development. North also said that the subdivision will gravely impact mammal and bird species native to the land. The Amador Planning Commission will hold another public hearing to discuss the merits of the project at a future date.

If you’ve been speculating as to the intended purpose of the dirt mounds and construction activity at the corner of Old 49 and the 49 bypass near Sutter Creek, TSPN now has the answer. The Amador County Transportation Commission is heading up a project to build a walking path and vegetation on a street corner that has long been an eyesore for many passersby. The walking path will run from the intersection uphill to the Trinity Episcopal Church. Dokken Engineering and Donniker Construction are the two construction companies hired for the project. Dokken Engineering is in charge of overseeing the entire project, while Donniker will be constructing the walking paths. The artificial hills will soon be covered with low maintenance vegetation and grass. The hill closest to Sutter Creek will be topped with a welcome sign. There are also plans underway to build another welcome sign further down the 49 bypass that will be lit up at night by power generated through a solar panel. “We should have this finished up in one moth or less,” said Project Inspector Juan with Dokken Engineering.

The Sutter Creek Planning Commission met Monday evening to discuss a full agenda. Three public hearings were scheduled, all specific to General Plan Amendments and Zone Changes or Rezoning. Because the General Plan may only be amended four times per year, it was deemed necessary to group the public hearings together to utilize one of those 4 allowable amendments. The first hearing on the agenda was the Hartwick Project, presented by Sutter Creek Associate Planner Tim Chamberlain. The project is comprised of a .28 acre parcel acquired by Gary Hartwick in exchange for a .06 acre parcel of land needed by the City for improvements to the Spanish Street and Old Highway 49 Intersection. The proposed change is to rezone the parcel from Residential Single Family to Commercial. The commission voted 3-1 in approval with Commissioner Kirkley dissenting and Commissioner Olson absent. The Planning Commission also discussed the Lincoln Mine Center. Proposed future development on the site includes commercial or office development, single family residential units, and 30,544 square feet of the property would be reserved as open space. The project site is currently vacant, and has been used for grazing of cattle and other non commercial agricultural uses in the past. The last hearing on the agenda was for Bryson Cottages, a proposal which involves 24 townhouses to be built on 1.77 acres on Bryson Drive, next to Bryson Park. The project presented at the Planning Commission meeting had been scaled down however, to allow for 12 single family lots with the cottages ranging from 1300-1800 square feet, and so the General Plan Designation would need to be changed to Residential Single Family. It was approved to recommend the project to the City Council.

An accident occured early Wednesday morning involving two trucks and a car on Hwy 49 near Electra Road. Around 6:15AM, a car traveling North on Hwy 49 near Electra Road collided with two trucks traveling in the same direction. According to witnesses, the two trucks were traveling up the hill around 20 miles per hour as the car was passing from behind. The last truck decided to pull into the normal travel lane and failed to notice the car passing. The car struck the front wheel of the truck then lost control and spun into the other vehicle, a PG&E truck. The impact caused the car to overturn in the pullout lane and the driver was trapped inside until Jackson Fire Arrived. The driver of the car was treated in an arriving ambulance before being transported to the hospital.

The Ione Planning Commission held their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday evening. Four public hearings were scheduled, with the first being a proposed amendment to the existing Development Agreement between the City and JTS Communities for the Castle Oaks subdivision. The changes, which were minor and specific to the payment of fees for public safety, were approved by the planning commission to recommend to the city council 3-0. Traffic Study Guidelines were also discussed at the meeting Tuesday evening. The guidelines, which are city owned and not written in association with the Amador County Planning Commission, have been reviewed previously by the Ione Planning Commission. The city’s draft guidelines are based upon similar guidelines currently being developed by ACTC and the language has been modified from studies done. Although ACTC does reserve the power to comment on the aforementioned guidelines, they have no authority to enforce or modify them. The Commission approved the recommendation 3-0.

The spring season of the Amador Junior Tennis League is coming to an end this Saturday May 17th. Following the final matches, an awards banquet will be held at Round Table in Martell. The League, now in its 3rd season, is divided into three ranks: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced, and is open to any player between the ages of 8-14. Parents are also encouraged to participate by becoming coaches or team parents. The way the matches are set up allows for each player to establish equal playing time, and maximizes the ability to learn the basics of the game while having fun. The matches are held on Saturdays, at the Argonaut High School tennis counts, beginning at approximately 4pm. The league is currently directed by Jackson City Mayor Rosalie Pryor-Escamilla. So look out for sign ups this fall for the 4th season of the Amador Junior Tennis League.

The City of Plymouth held a special joint meeting with the Plymouth City Council and Planning Commission in attendance, on top of the regularly scheduled city council meeting Thursday evening. The main topics of the joint meeting were two informational presentations, one regarding the proposed Shenandoah Valley Commercial Center, and the other specific to the Putnam Ranch. Bill Hanna from Commercial Development Solutions LLC, or CDS, was at the meeting to present the conceptual design intent for the proposed Shenandoah Valley Center. According to Hanna, “This project has been in development for over 2 years,” and is being presented to governmental entities for “feedback and to answer any questions which may arise”. After giving a brief history and background on CDS, Hanna discussed the design brief, which included such aspects as 1930’s style architecture, the use of “indigenous” materials to portray character and style, and building a recognizable gateway to the Shenandoah Valley. The proposed location is approximately 17 acres, and sits at 9702 Main Street. The property is currently zoned for commercial and light industrial use. The proposed project components include: 6 retail spots, 3 restaurants, 4 office buildings, 3 wineries, 11 wine tasting rooms, 1 micro brewery, a 3 story 83 room Hotel/Conference Center, a public restroom in the proposed park area, a parking garage outfitted for 143 cars, and 640 on site parking stalls. According to Hanna, the center is estimated to create between 250-300 new jobs, increase tax revenue stream, generate a means to fill voids in current community services and retail, and establish an economic stimulus for future planned growth. After the presentation, council and commission limited their input to a few questions about water usage and waste water. The matter will be discussed further at the upcoming Plymouth City Council meeting.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is instructing state fire officials to begin fining rural homeowners who fail to clear their properties of brush, trees and dry grass. Schwarzenegger says clearing around homes is particularly important because of this year's dry conditions throughout the state. A 2005 law required that homeowners who live near forests or grasslands increase the so-called "defensible space" around their houses from 30 feet to 100 feet. State Fire Marshal Kate Dargan says inspectors have issued few citations to homeowners who ignore the law. Instead, firefighters have focused on educating them about the dangers of overgrown properties. During a Capitol news conference on Friday, Schwarzenegger said he is ordering inspectors to be stricter about citing homeowners who don't act. Fines can range from 100 to 500 dollars. If homeowners still refuse, public officials are authorized to clean up the property and send them the bill.

Time is running out to beat the latest postage hike. The cost of mailing a letter went up a penny to 42 cents on Monday. The boost is part of what's expected to be an annual price adjustment by the Postal Service. A new law regulating the post office makes it easier to raise rates as long as the agency doesn't exceed the rate of inflation. Rates are to be adjusted each May. Customers, however, can buy Forever stamps, which remain valid regardless of any postal rate increase. However, when the rate goes up, so does the price of Forever stamps. Postal officials say they have printed an additional 1.5 billion 1-cent stamps in anticipation of the demand from people trying to get rid of their 41-cent stamps.