Winter 2007 Newsletter
Calaveras County inches towards an update of its General Plan as pro-development forces claim changes will mean a moratorium
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The picture at right shows John preparing to testify at a key Calaveras County board of supervisor session held in San Andreas. The session focused on whether or not the County should take action to move forward with an update of its General Plan and how to deal with new development applications.
After hours of input from pro-development forces, slow-growth advocates, lawyers, and other interested parties, Calaveras County supervisors approved a plan to set a deadline for accepting new development applications while the General Plan update process moves forward. Developers and realtors criticized the action in the media as a "moratorium" on development.In reality, even if the County does establish a final deadline and actually sticks with it, the County already has a huge backlog of new development applications that are already clogging the planning process and which will already provide lots of new development.
Calaveras County has more than 5,000 vacant lots that have previously been approved. Many of those lots will have new homes or commercial projects built on them in the next few years, adding thousands of new residents (and cars) to the surging growth that has altered many rural areas of the county.
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More than two years ago, CSERC staff testified before Calaveras County officials on various development projects and repeatedly voiced concerns over the out-of-date and incomplete General Plan. Based in part on CSERC's written and verbal comments, County officials began discussing the need for an updated plan. During the past two years, a surge of involvement by concerned citizen groups has significantly increased pressure on the County to stop rampant, sprawling development. The Calaveras Planning Coalition formed last year as one way for homeowner groups and local activists groups to speak in a more unified fashion. Groups in the Copperopolis basin and Valley Springs area have been especially effective and well organized in advocating balanced, carefully-planned growth in their local areas and in the County overall. |
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CSERC has been fortunate to be able to work collaboratively with these citizen groups - especially on issues tied to protecting oaks, open space, and rural qualities.
The need for policy change is great because many projects in Calaveras County now result in intensive grading, the clearing of oaks, and watershed impacts. The project at left near Valley Springs, similar to other projects causing fragmentation of the oak woodlands, adds to the cumulative loss for wildlife and for agricultural and rural values. CSERC intends to keep working to try to ensure that the updated General Plan will give greater protection to such values. |
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CSERC | PO Box 396 | Twain Harte, CA 95383 | (209) 586-7440 | info@cserc.org
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