California: Will 600 homes and a golf course destroy rare Cache Creek Oak woodlands ?

Economic forces put into play long ago spelled certain doom for these
parcels below that are marked in red. These pieces of real estate
might not appear to be very forested due to so much logging and
grazing in the past. But the remaining oak forests that survive on the
parcels have some impressive size trees. And the stretch of road these
parcels are near, in my opinion, have some of the most impressive
stands of rare regenerating oak woodland in California. You can see
some of these sites in my slide show of region-wide project I did for
Trees Foundation last spring here: . Point is with
a nation imploding because of an over-leveraged housing market, with 2
million vacant houses in the US today, isn’t it an appropriate time
for a housing moratorium? http://forestpolicyresearch.com

CLEARLAKE – The proposed Provinsalia subdivision along Cache Creek
will be a topic of discussion at the Clearlake City Council’s Thursday
meeting. The council will meet at 6 p.m. at Clearlake City Hall, 14050
Olympic Drive. Meetings also are televised on TV Channel 8. As it’s
proposed by Lake County Resort Partners Inc., Provinsalia would
include 665 housing units – 565 single-family homes and 100
condominiums – and a nine-hole golf course on 292 acres along Cache
Creek at 17012, 17055 and 17065 Dam Road. The plan has been in the
works for several years under the auspices of development companies of
various names. Last month, following two lengthy hearings, the
Clearlake Planning Commission unanimously passed a resolution
encouraging the council to certify Provinsalia’s final environmental
impact report, and to approve its general plan amendment and rezone
the land from resource protection zoning to specific plan designation.
On Thursday, the council will consider a 78-page report from City
Administrator Dale Neiman on the project’s status and staff responses
to letters on the environmental impact report. Council members also
will consider authorizing a public notice to hold public hearings on
the planning commission’s recommendation. Neiman is recommending the
council move forward with the hearings. If approved, the public
hearing would be held Feb. 12. That’s because a court ruling last year
changed the normal proceedings for advertising public hearings on
rezoning property and amending general plans, according to Neiman. As
a result of the ruling, the council must receive the recommendation
then authorize the public hearing notice, which Neiman said adds a
month to the process. The public hearing’s purpose, according to
Neiman, is to give the public a chance for rebuttal on the draft and
final environmental impact reports and staff reports.
http://lakeconews.com/content/view/6890/764/

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