Amador County – Amador County Planning Department staff adjourned the General Plan Update serial meeting last Thursday to gather more information on various items. The meeting will resume April 8th and possibly the 9th. Amador County’s Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission still must go through 44 separate requests that have come in since the General Plan update and land use classifications were announced last year. The panel also will get further information on the “Urban Reserve” land use designation, after stalling out the stream of information. County Planner Susan Grijalva said “we have to go back and meet with the cities, and (the Local Agency Formation Commission) possibly, then bring back more information for discussion.” She said it could work to help dispel some misinformation and misconceptions about “Urban Reserve.” She said discussion by the panel brought up some good questions that planning staff had discussed before but not resolved. The “Urban Reserve” designation would limit properties to 40 acres, if they are within the “Sphere of Influence” of a city. Commissioner Andy Byrne said the property could still subdivide, but “they would just have to go through the city,” and annex into the city. Supervisor John Plasse was worried that “ranchette style zoning” would be phased out in counties and cities. He urged using an “Urban-Agriculture” interface area as a buffer between cities and ag lands. Grijalva said when Spheres of Influence are proposed, the county gets with the city and LAFCO; and General Plans in cities can allow for buffers. She said properties inside of Spheres of Influence “have the reasonable expectation that they can annex that land, and plan for it.” Plasse said as a county resident, you have no “say-so” over spheres. Grijalva said “in most cases, people who don’t want to be in a sphere are left out. But if the majority around them wants to be in,” they are out of luck. She said LAFCO law will not allow an “island” inside a Sphere of Influence. The meeting resumes 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 8th in the Supervisors’ chambers. If needed, the panel will meet again, from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 9th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - New Jackson Ford and Mercury in Martell closed its doors on Wednesday, making it the latest casualty of the economic downturn. What once was a bustling dealership with a lot full of vehicles now stands empty. “Sadly, the only thing moving now are flags in the wind,” said one Jackson resident who described himself as a long-time and loyal customer. At its peak over a decade ago, New Jackson Ford was a multi- million dollar business with over 350 vehicles on the lot and 50 employees. The dealership was one of the major dealerships in Martell across from the vacant lot that once was Prospect Motors, which closed its doors last December. Negotiations for the eight acres of land on which the dealership stands fell through, and so did small business department loans to improve capitol and infrastructure. In recent months, the business was forced to cut 20 staff members. In a pre-recorded voice message that now answers when you call the dealership, Co-owner Charles Smith said “I’m sorry to say that due to the downturn in the economy we have been forced to close our doors. We wish to thank all of our many guests for…the privilege of being your dealer in Martell.” Smith says he had made every effort to adapt to a changing economy. He said he is developing a new business model based around the federal economic recovery plan. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador County’s General Plan Update meeting this week touched on the Spheres Of Influence of the five municipalities in the county, with discussion Tuesday and Wednesday highlighting the importance of the issue. Amador County Planner Susan Grijalva said all five cities are expected to submit requests for Sphere Of Influence amendments, and all five are working on revising or implementing their General Plan. Amador County Transportation Commission’s Charles Field said “we don’t control those spheres, the city doesn’t control those spheres, LAFCO does.” Supervisor John Plasse said the county does “control the land.” Grijalva said cities will “General Plan” the land use in areas not in their spheres, but cities do not control sphere land. But “it does give indication for annexation of those areas.” Drawing-board housing and commercial developments abound throughout Amador County, with all pending those individual General Plan Updates, as well as the county General Plan Update. Barbara Sinnott of the School Facilities Task Force said “it’s always complicated when you add layers” to government. She said ACTC’s U-Plan looks like an urban planning model. Sinnott said “it looks like there is never going to be a junior high or high school built in the Upcountry.” She said sewer is now the driving force in everything. She said “elementary school enrollment Upcountry is plummeting,” and with septic system constraints, she did “not see a sewer system being built up there.” Sinnott said it was believed to be practical to build west of Highway 49, but she thought it would be “impractical to think the county will grow that way.” Supervisor Ted Novelli said “25 years ago, Pine Grove and Pioneer primary schools shared a principal, and I think they are doing it again.” Tim Smith, researcher for Howard Properties, said he thought since the Spheres Of Influence were used as a negative, to deny development, it should also be used as a positive, to help approve projects. Field said ACTC’s U-Plan software predicted that Amador County’s total population would be 51,000 people by the year 2025. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Aesthetics came to the forefront Monday in Sutter Creek Planning Commission’s latest meeting to look at the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort Specific Plan. Noise also played a part as areas of the plan covered sound walls and ridgelines. Chairman Robin Peters said sound walls can be built on hills to minimize visual impacts and to allow them to go unnoticed. He said “there are sound walls in town and people do not know they are there because they are 3 feet tall.” He said he thought “there are certain types of sound walls that Sutter Creek will tolerate.” Resident Sharyn Brown in public comment said in the Bay Area, where she is from, they did not allow solid walls and she encouraged the commission to try that. She also encouraged the use of “story poles,” which tell a “story” of the visual impact of proposed housing in a neighborhood by being constructed in the footprint of the project. She said “story poles” and tenacity helped reduce the size of a project in the Bay Area. Peters said no one on the commission was opposed to “story pole,” but how does the city enforce the revelations of the “story pole,” and what does it enforce? Gold Rush Project Manager Jim Harnish said “story poles are connected with a discretionary act, most often with a design review process.” He said the design standards help say what does or does not work. Commissioner Frank Cunha asked about preservation of visual ridges, and a staffer for Anders Hauge said the language on the plan’s “scenic ridgelines” is in the section on “implementation measures.” The commission and Hauge agreed to look at changes for the visual ridgeline section, in part, which said that “structures that rise above the crest of a visible ridge shall be partially obscured by surrounding vegetation, meaning that the mass of the vegetation shall be more prominent than the mass of the structure.” Resident Toni Linde said they should “be extremely careful with” ridgelines, and she noted that a Visions Committee workshop a few years ago found that attendees wanted “no houses on ridgelines.” And she said an 8-foot sound wall “screams gated community.” Peters agreed, saying short walls on berms are OK, but 8-foot walls are not good. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County General Plan Update panel discuss the economic and governance elements of the draft this week, looking at ways to minimize liability, while promoting the economy and also the communications of political entities. Jeff Henderson, consultant for the company EDAW, presented both elements, saying the economic element was the most common one allowed under state general plan law. He said some noted that it may have policies that conflict with other elements of the draft general plan. Supervisor Richard Forster warned not to get too specific on details, and Supervisor John Plasse echoed that. Plasse said “we can’t call out specific industries.” He said in recent court cases, “policies have been ruled on as being enforceable and litigate-able.” Plasse said the county needs to “keep policies general enough so that they are not litigate-able.” Supervisor Brian Oneto said he like the idea of “streamlining the permitting process,” through policy changes, so that county department staffs can serve the public more speedily. Oneto also said he would like to see some agricultural areas get infrastructure for potable water. Commissioner Ray Ryan agreed, saying if the county was going to promote agri-business, it needed water services. Commissioner Andy Byrne said he would like to see a balance of tertiary water service extensions, with language to protect natural beauty. Henderson noted the comments and said he thought direction would be to have wording that supports improvement of infrastructure to support economic development and agri-business. The draft economic element’s support included “communications infrastructure, in areas designated for commercial or industrial development.” Kathy Allen of Citizens For Smart Growth recommended the panel look at comments gathered by the county 2 years ago. She said the comments would likely impact all elements of the General Plan. She said Wednesday she “reread those comments, and I am concerned that some of the things that the public put down are not being addressed.” On the economic element, Allen said removing the work “protect” was against the nature of those comments, which commonly used the word. She recommended the panel “look at those comments again. Many people can’t be here because they are working.” Allen said: “Tourism has a huge impact on peoples’ businesses that can’t be here today, but their desires expressed in those meetings should be considered.” Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amador County and District 3 Congressman Dan Lungren was recognized for support of key business issues by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday, winning the Chamber’s annual “Spirit of Enterprise Award.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce spokesman J.P. Fielder announced the award yesterday and said Lungren was recognized “for his support of pro-growth legislation during the second session of the 110th Congress.” Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber said that last year, Congress had to make some tough choices, and “Lungren clearly demonstrated his commitment to the economy and keeping America competitive in an ever-changing global market.” Fielder said eligibility for the award is based on how members of Congress vote on the U.S. Chamber’s “priority” business issues. Congressman Lungren will be in Amador County to meet constituents, 7 p.m. Wednesday April 8th, at the county Republican headquarters in Martell. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – After a few months’ break, the serial meeting of the Amador County General Plan Update resumed Tuesday with scores of people in attendance. Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field gave a presentation on the “U-Plan” computer program that will eventually read traffic in the county. Katherine Evatt, of the Foothill Conservancy, asked about omission of smaller roads in U-Plan modeling, and several members of the panel of Amador County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission agreed. Planner Andy Byrne asked about the constraints, the so-called “minor road.” County Planner Susan Grijalva said “minor roads are construction standards. If they do not meet minor roads standards, they are not in (the U-Plan).” In the panel’s concern, Field said he saw the need to add small local roads to U-Plan. Upcountry Community Council Traffic Safety Committee Chair Sherry Curtis asked if there is “any modeling available for mountainous communities and regions.” She said the Upcountry could be a model community for such a plan. Field said “there are a lot of models out there, but U-Plan is the best one. It’s the easiest to use.” He said there is a “good set of examples or guidelines” for mountainous area development of roads, but the U-Plan system is “more transparent.” Curtis said she has been in land-use planning for over 30 years, and has seen the designs drawn up, but they don’t apply to the terrain in the Sierras, and “planners only have what they can use.” Field said the “constraints can be defined by land use type,” and U-Plan models can “notch up the slopes by 5-degree increments.” He said taking a 40-acrea area, there must be an area technically flat enough to build on, if there is enough money and allowable zoning to do so. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County General Plan Update panel met Tuesday and discussed a computerized traffic modeling program, along with Spheres Of Influence. Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field presented the U-Plan traffic planning system, and said much data remains to be gathered. Art Marinaccio of Citizens For Responsible Government asked how U-Plan will help traffic if it does not take into consideration traffic congestion. He said it also does not include information from proposed new city General Plans. Marinaccio said the General Plan indicates 47 percent of Amador construction will be residential high-density housing, for apartments and townhomes. He said annexation was “one of the really important questions,” and asked “when are actual decision-makers going to see that information.” Field said Marinaccio “came in here hoping to have all of this done, but there is more work to do before we get to that point.” That includes new city Spheres Of Influence, and work with the state on air quality in Amador to satisfy greenhouse gas requirements. He said 2 high-density categories exist: Residential High Density and Residential Very High Density, with the latter the only one allowing apartment-density zoning. Supervisor John Plasse asked about the timeline for approval of Spheres Of Influence by the Amador County Local Agency Formation Commission. County Planner Susan Grijalva said “current Spheres Of Influence will remain in place until cities apply for amendments.” LAFCO and the county, she said, are “expecting requests for Sphere amendments from all 5 cities in the next 4 or 5 months.” Ione City Planner Christopher Jordan said those requests were expected by September. Grijalva said “until the Spheres are amended, what is in place is all we have to go with.” Commissioner Andy Byrne asked if it was “possible to use preliminary data.” Grijalva said “cities come in aggressive. And what comes out of LAFCO may not always be as far-reaching as they would have liked”. A public comment asked about most growth seeming to occur around designated “Town Centers.” Grijalva said “we are hoping that the modeling will bear that out. We don’t have control over land use development, because the county doesn’t own that land…. We have land that has been marked for development for umpteen years and still not been developed.” She said the Wicklow Way project has been designated since the 1970s and still has yet to break ground. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The US Forest Service is seeking nominees for a 15-member Resource Advisory Committee, or RAC, that will evaluate and recommend projects and funding to improve Eldorado National Forest watersheds and facilities. The advisory committee will be appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and will represent a wide variety of interests. “I am looking forward to working with a Resource Advisory Committee,” said Eldorado National Forest Supervisor Ramiro Villalvazo, who is delegated to approve projects for the Secretary of Agriculture. “Bringing together 15 people who represent wide ranging interests in the National Forest will be good for everyone involved and will improve management of the National Forest Lands,” he added. RAC committee members are officially appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture for a term of four years. “The committee will have approximately $47,000 available each year for the next four years to use on projects it recommends to the Forest Supervisor for approval,” said Ted Novelli, chairman of the Amador County Board of Supervisors, adding: “Project funds were authorized by the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, and became available for use on Eldorado National Forest projects when the county elected to form a RAC under Title II of the Act.” The funds may be used for projects that improve maintenance of existing infrastructure, implement stewardship objectives to enhance forest ecosystems, and restore and improve land health and water quality. These projects are likely to create additional employment opportunities in the local economy. Applications for the RAC can be obtained on the Eldorado National Forest website and need to be submitted by April 20, 2009. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Developers of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort last Friday released newly updated portions of its Draft Environmental Impact Report, opening a new comment period for those specific categories. Consultant for Gold Rush, Bob Delk, of Fehr & Peers told the Sutter Creek Planning Commission on Monday that the revised portions of the Draft EIR were the Traffic Impact Study and “the changes refer to traffic operations analysis.” Delk said consultants plan to “take the new sections and fold them into the EIR.” Planning Commission Chairman Robin Peters asked if the commission would be asked to comment on the updated DEIR. Delk said they would probably take comment at a public hearing, April 27th, close the hearing and then take commission input. The revised Draft EIR section documents are available online at the city of Sutter Creek’s website. Paper copies of the documents are available for the public to read at Sutter Creek City Hall and at the Amador County Library’s main branch in Jackson. A 45-daycomment period, strictly on the revised portions of the Draft EIR, opened with on Friday when the document was published. Written comments can be submitted by mail or e-mail. A public hearing on the new traffic study will be held Monday, April 27th at Sutter Creek’s community building, at 33 Church Street. Those comments on the new documents, and also comments received in the previous, 60-day comment period for the EIR, will all be included in, and addressed, as Gold Rush consultants write the Final Environmental Impact Report. The Final EIR, however, will not address comments submitted during the revised Draft EIR sections review period that do not address the revised Draft EIR sections. Comments on the revised Draft EIR sections must be submitted to the city by no later than 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 5th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.