Highlights: 15 years of Calaveras Planning Coalition

Community Planning by and for the Community!

January 2006

We want a General Plan Update! A coalition of speakers from throughout Calaveras County converged on the BOS meeting to address Planning Department priorities and successfully advocated for a comprehensive update of the general plan.

June 2007

Baseline Report Input. The CPC submitted two volumes of documented input for the GPU Baseline Report identifying critical issues including the conservation of open space. These issues were later acknowledged in the Issues and Opportunities Report. 

August 2007

Trinitas (golf course/shopping development). In support of local residents with serious water/well concerns, the CPC assisted Keep It Rural Calaveras (KIRC) in submitting a 3-inch binder of comments on the Trinitas DEIR. The project was denied in April 2009. 

August 2007

Community Plans. 20 speakers convinced the BOS to include community plans in the GPU. The GPU ultimately included a community planning element. 

October 2007

BOS workshop endorsed town-centered development. The Calaveras Enterprise headline read, “A New vision for Calaveras: No more sprawl.” The GPU map ultimately eliminated 100,000 acres of 5- acre lot sprawl. 

November 2007

BOS adopts an urgency ordinance limiting development applications during the GPU to allow for an effective planning process,  The subsequent policy reduced applications for large projects for the rest of the 13-year GPU process.  

March 2008

The Coalition convinced the Board of Supervisors to post agenda related documents online so the public could be better informed before meetings.

June 2008

Promoted by the CPC and MVS.com, the Planning Commission adopted procedures to allow for open and balanced debate. Somewhere in here Joyce Techel of MVS.com began the Friday Planning News which continues to inform CPC members to this day.

December 2009

The Ponte Ranch project in Valley Springs withdrew its application. 

January 2009

Wallace Citizens Serving Residents (WCSR) convinced the BOS to require an EIR for Wallace Lake Estates II, and the developer withdrew its application. 

March 2009

As a result of a coordinated effort between the CPC member group, the Foothill Conservancy and the communities in Supervisorial District 2, 185 people attended, and 30 spoke at the Town Hall in San Andreas in opposition to the Pardee Dam expansion. Their testimony was key evidence in the lawsuit setting aside approval of the dam plan. The dam plan was revoked by EBMUD in 2012. Some of the same people went on to successfully testify in February 2018 in Mokelumne Hill in support of Wild and Scenic Designation.

Year of 2019: 

MVS “On the Record” Meeting Video Project. MVS.com videotaped, obtained DVDs, converted & posted hundreds of meeting videos to the MVS & CAP/CPC website over a ten-year period. After years of inaction by the Board of Supervisors, the “On the Record” project embarrassed Calaveras County into videotaping & posting all PC & BOS meetings themselves. 

April 2010

By a unanimous vote the BOS supported the general plan preferred alternative map which would support community-centered growth. The GPU map ultimately eliminated 100,000 acres of 5-acre lot sprawl, thereby protecting/ensuring the rural character and grazing/agricultural lands.  The CPC had sent the BOS letters and photos from over 70 people in support of this GPU Alternative B map. 

Jan. – March 2011

Golf Courses on Ag. Land? County Planning Staff recommended an amendment to the zoning code to open up over 100,000 acres in the General Agriculture Zone to golf-course centered development under a generic conditional use permit. Over 20 people, from across the political spectrum, and from every corner of the County, spoke in opposition to the proposal at both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors hearings.  Ultimately, a majority of the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors rejected the zoning code amendment thanks to KIRC and CAP/CPC.

June 2011

Coe Shooting Center on Industrial Land without a Use Permit?  Ultimately the Board of Supervisors agreed with concerned neighbors, and suggested that the shooting Center seek a site- specific use permit with enforceable conditions to protect health and safety.  The project did not move forward.

September 2012

CPC Staff led the Calaveras High School Earth Club on a hike at Big Trees to learn good planning and life lesson from the forest. This led to a year-long effort culminating in 5 groups of students presenting their GPU suggestions at a packed, standing room only night meeting of the BOS.

February 2013

Sawmill development. The BOS denied the project without prejudice by a unanimous vote.

May 2013

The CPC worked with four groups in four counties to submit a wildlife habitat and connectivity map and supporting documentation to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It was ground verified and incorporated into the final report of the Northern Sierra Nevada Foothills Connectivity Project.

September 2013 

Crazy Horse development was denied 5-0 by the BOS as inconsistent with the 1996 General Plan. 

February 2014 

Calaveras County BOS unanimously supported Wild & Scenic Designation for the Mokelumne River to forever preserve it into the future for the use and enjoyment of residents and public. 

Spring 2015

Moke WISE. In order to get water agencies to address Wild and Scenic Designation for the Mokelumne River before moving forward with projects, to get upcountry water agencies to address long-term financial planning, and transparent government processes, and to include accountability in groundwater banking projects.  The CPC, Foothill Conservancy, and MVS.com were invited to participate in this process to ensure projects are designed to be economically, socially, and environmentally acceptable,  

November 2015 

Request for Mintier General Plan. The CPC sent the Planning Director a 17-page Public Record Act Request for the Mintier General Plan, the plan that cost Calaveras County taxpayers nearly a million dollars. The request included a detailed legal analysis explaining the County’s duty to release the document. The County’s denials of this and subsequent requests are the basis for cause of action TWO in the GPU litigation.

July 2016

Valley Springs Community Plan. MVS.com completed merging the two community plan texts for Valley Springs. This became the basis for the community plan ultimately adopted in 2020. 

August 2016

Valley Springs Asphalt Plant. The year-long application and appeals process concluded with denial of the application for lack of an EIR. The applicant moved to another site near Angels Camp already approved for such a use. 

September 2016

Site Specific Requests. Ultimately 13,000 of the 18,000 acres of requests to increase the development capacity of lands beyond what was allowed under the draft GPU were denied. 

February 2017

GPU DEIR Scoping Comment. The 80-page document included a 20-page guide to CEQA compliance, along with specific direction for the analysis of impacts to agricultural lands, land use planning, greenhouse gas emissions, circulation, recreation, noise, and growth inducement.  The comment also included 15 folders of documents demonstrating how other counties have evaluated and mitigated impacts to agricultural lands, air quality, biological resources, child care, open space, fire safety, climate change, economic development, historic resources, and watersheds. The County’s failure to follow the suggestions in this document are the basis for most of cause of action THREE in the GPU litigation.

February 2018

Wild and Scenic Hearing in Mokelumne Hill. It was a river lovefest. We collected written comments on the backs of scenic photos of the river from 45 of the people in attendance in support of the designation.  We recruited speakers and comment writers who had been supporting designation for over a decade.  Two people recited poetry inspired by the river.  We even led the crowd in singing “Mother River” The designation was secured that July. 

August 2018

Comments on GPU DEIR.  Most of the comments on the DEIR were by people we recruited through years of working with and within the communities – people grateful for the opportunity to participate in the planning future of their county. Over 400 pages of comments were submitted. The County’s failure to properly respond to these comments is a major component of cause of action THREE in the GPU litigation. 

December 2018

Airola Conservation Easement. Oak Canyon Ranch was rezoned back into a ranch and protected by a conservation easement.

July 2019

Traffic Level of Service Waivers Rejected by BOS.  In order to ensure smooth flowing traffic in their districts, the Supervisors from the affected districts removed most of the streets from the GPU’s traffic level of service waiver. 

July 2019

Eloquent Advocacy for Community Plans. CPC spokespersons gave moving speeches in support of community plans, and read aloud the dozens of  names of people representing each Supervisorial District who signed the petition supporting community plans. 

December 2019

Writ of Mandate Filed. Filed the petition for writ of mandate against the County for failing to follow general plan law, the California Public Records Act, and CEQA. 

September 2020

Valley Springs Community Plan approved. 

March 2021

Updated zoning map approved. 

May 2021

CCWD’s Urban Water Management Plan. Submitted comments to encourage fiscally sound water infrastructure planning to protect ratepayers. . 

LEGEND:

GPU: General Plan Update CPC: Calaveras Planning Coalition MVS.com: My Valley Springs.com

PC: Planning Commission BOS: Board of Supervisors GPU: General Plan Update

KIRC: Keep It Rural Calaveras  CCWD: Calaveras County Water District

DEIR: Draft Environmental Impact Report         EIR: Environmental Impact Report      

WCSR: Wallace Citizens Serving Residents         CEQA: California Environmental Quality Act