Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Mendocino Group Report Mary Walsh | |
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Best New Year's Wishes to everyone. There have been several significant positive developments in land use issues hereabouts. The Ryder Home proposed development in Ukiah received a tremendous outpouring of community opposition. It was very heartening to see the various factions coalesce around this issue in what seems to be a repudiation of the business as usual mindset of County Planning in response to developers, without adequate considerations for water, infrastructure, and most importantly community reservations about the Ukiah Valley becoming a bedroom community for Santa Rosa employers. In Albion, the County Planning Commission voted to refuse a lot split to Mid Stream Partners. Community members, again very savvy on the issues, encouraged the Commission to consider the whole of the nearly 500 acre property in its deliberations, claiming that the simple lot split of 66 acres from two parcels to three parcels did not appropriately describe the planned development, which was better described by looking at work done in the past several months before any permit was sought. Community members in opposition pointed to timber harvesting, bulldozing and piling up of brush into huge piles for burning, and reseeding with non native grasses. It is suspected that this so called "parking up" operation, is in preparation for a conversion of the Timber Production zoning to Upland or Rural Residential zoning. There has been also an extensive and damaging road building effort. Again development on the scale anticipated could have potentially serious ramifications for neighbors, stressing the modest existing infrastructure of Albion Ridge and limited water. Those in opposition also encouraged the Commission to consider negative impacts to the Pygmy Forest resulting from road building, which had been occurring at a level far exceeding the requirements of the 66 acres of land under scrutiny. Indeed a request was made for a moratorium on development activities that included earth moving until a County Grading Ordinance shall have been enacted. The acreage also serves as the major wild life corridor between the Albion River and Salmon Creek. Development on the level anticipated could seriously attenuate the wildlife corridor. The lot split was denied ostensibly because a previous request from a Planning Commissioner having to do with road placement was disregarded and recommended compromise measures were refused. Mid Stream has appealed this decision to the County Board of Supervisors and the matter will be heard in late January. |
The Appeal by North Coast Action and the Sierra Club, Mendocino Group to the California Coastal Commission of a Coastal Development Permit that the Fort Bragg Planning body had granted to Georgia-Pacific for activities on its former Mill Site acreage was found to have substantial issue, and a de novo hearing will be held before the Coastal Commission in the next few months. The forty page staff report found that the City had done inadequate biologic review, failing to consider other than plant resources. It was also found that the geology review submitted by the City was inadequate and failed to consider the impacts to the singularly undisturbed habitat, that contains especially rich tide pool resources, and the extensive cave complexes existing within the bluffs. These have the potential to be crushed and negatively impacted by the weight of concrete debris piles and/or the weight of the heavy equipment dealing with an as yet unquantified amount of concrete. Under the guidance of Education Committee Chair, Lorrie Legasse, an Environmental Education Grants program has been implemented. Proposals for use of grant funds for environmental education have been solicited from Mendocino County schools. Responses will be considered at the February meeting of the Executive Committee. The February Meeting of the Mendocino Group will be held at the Jughandle Farm House in Caspar on February 9, 6 PM. At this time also there will be a presentation of a report on Toxics in Mendocino County presented by Britt Bailey of the Environmental Commons. Note to Nadine in Laytonville, I have lost your phone number and have been unable to respond to the request for an inland meeting. Please call again, 937-0572. Information is also available at 937-0903. |