We are writing as a concerned citizen group to express our appreciation and support for Buzz Eggleston's editorial (1/31) about the need for updating the Calaveras County General Plan and for a moratorium on general plan amendments and zoning changes.
After spending the last three months learning about land development and planning in Calaveras County, and about building projects in the Valley Springs area, our group MyValleySprings.com recently came to a similar conclusion—we need to put up a temporary wall to stop the "tsunami" of residential development from overwhelming our area.
To-date, we have found over 18 residential housing projects currently being built or pending in the Valley Springs area (see the Developments page and map online at www.MyValleySprings.com), and that doesn't include the Wallace/ Burson/ Hwy. 12 corridor. These projects will add over 1,160 housing units (2,900 people) to our over-burdened roads and infrastructure. In addition, new projects with over 1,100 housing units are being planned by developers.
At the Supervisors Study Session (1/23) about general plan and planning department priorities, we learned that our planners are overwhelmed and understaffed. Processing current applications takes priority. There is no tracking of applications or approved projects, so there is no opportunity to study cumulative impacts of multiple projects. If cumulative impacts are not studied, informed decisions on applications for general plan amendments and zoning changes cannot reasonably be made. Unplanned conversions of agricultural and unclassified lands to single-family residential use have led to unintended traffic congestion and density increases in formerly rural open space areas.
We also learned that the current general plan is woefully inconsistent, out-of-date, and is lacking in critical components like a grading ordinance and an oak protection ordinance.
Our conclusions are: 1) do a comprehensive review and update of our general plan immediately; 2) call for a "timeout" or moratorium on amendments and zoning changes until it is completed (this will have no effect on already approved land uses and will not stop projects consistent with the general plan now); and 3) implement a tracking system so cumulative impacts can be studied before decisions are made.
Signed,
Colleen Platt, Lori Whitney, Seana Hogan, Joyce Techel, Carol Barzee, Pat Brantley Founding Members of MyValleySprings.com
(published 2-17-06 in the Enterprise)