General plan’s land use map to debut Tuesday

The long-awaited second draft of Calaveras County’s land use map will be unveiled Tuesday, March 19, at a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission. The meeting is open to the public for discussion and comment.

In addition to the introduction of the new draft of the land use map, comments received regarding the first draft – released Feb. 2012 – will be reviewed and discussed and new data associated with the maps will be presented. The communities of Copperopolis, Valley Springs, San Andreas and District 2, which were not on the first draft because additional time was needed to determine land uses, are now included.

“This is the kick off to proceed with developing general plan goals, policies and the requisite general plan elements. It is also the kick off to the general plan consultant beginning the analysis stage of the general plan EIR,” read the Planning Department’s report released Thursday.

The new draft also provides the county’s overall “carrying capacity,” or how many units and persons could be accommodated by the proposed second draft land use map. According to the staff report, the communities of Copperopolis, Arnold, San Andreas and Mokelumne Hill have the greatest amount of carrying capacity due to a mix of approved development potential – like development agreements already secured in Copperopolis – existing lot configurations and community plan zoning potential.

For the county as a whole, the carrying capacity of the proposed general plan sits at 33,698 units and 80,539 persons by 2035 – the general plan horizon year. The Department of Finance projects that by 2035 the county will experience a “modest population increase” of about 9,963 persons, or 339 additional persons per year.

“… (T)here is more than enough carrying capacity in the proposed general plan to accommodate the project DOF population for Year 2035,” read the report. “While the proposed land use map reduces the amount of potential development allowed by the current plan, it still provides significant capacity above DOF projections. This allows substantial development flexibility in terms of density, intensity and location for future development.”

Moving forward with the general plan update will require solidification of the land use map, which acts as a “foundation upon which the general plan elements and policies are built around.”

Once approved, the general plan’s required seven elements, policies and environmental analysis can begin. The report stated that even after the land use map is adopted there will still be opportunities for minor changes as the plan update process proceeds.

Comments received from the public during the upcoming study session will not be considered as official comments on the general plan update. Public comments for the record can be made at later public hearings. The study session will begin at 10 a.m. in the board chambers, 891 Mountain Ranch Road, San Andreas.

Contact Kristine Williams at kristine@calaverasenterprise.com.