Wednesday, 12 May 2010 02:57

Ione’s Howard Business Park Would Be Hub of Ione Bypass

slide5-iones_howard_business_park_would_be_hub_of_ione_bypass.pngAmador County – The Howard Business Park would be part of a swath of land that includes a new Ione Bypass, and the city worked last week to lower some of its costs for the development. City Planner Christopher Jordan said discussions with Tim Smith of Howard Properties and the Kreth Family (and plans for development of the lands south of Ione, west of Highway 124) led to city planning commission and council adoption of a General Plan that designates 348 acres as the Industrial Park Policy Area. With a Special Planning Area designation, Jordan said the land has a maximum development potential of more than 2 million square feet of commercial space; 1.4 million square feet of offices; and 6.1 million square feet of light-warehousing to heavy manufacturing. Under the General Plan, development of the Industrial Park Policy Area “is to be created and refined through the adoption of a Specific Plan or Planned Development Master Plan,” Jordan said, “which is to say the entire area must be planned together as a cohesive unit.” The site is “the future realignment of Highway 104 as detailed in the West Ione Roadway Improvement Strategy and the General Plan,” which runs through the 107 acres of the Howard Business Park. Executive Director Charles Field said ACTC is concerned that the project design shows intersections “on the proposed Ione bypass that are spaced too close together to meet Caltrans’ expressway standard,” and should be redesigned to meet those standards, if state funding is wanted for the project. Field said Howard Business Park should help coordinate the bypass alignment, seek access to it, and design it to qualify for STIP funding and Caltrans approval. Amador Transportation and Public Works Department’s Roger Stuart listed several potential impacts on county roads. He said “projects to keep in mind are the Casino off Coal Mine Road, the proposed expansion of the Jackson Valley Quarry from 500,000 tons a year to 2 million tons a year, and the most recent application submittal of the RV park at the Goose Hill Quarry site.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.