12/1/2007: SECOND URGENT
COMMUNITY ALERT: HILLS UNDER THREAT OF OVERDEVELOPMENT
Canyon Oaks II as
is paves the way for destructive overdevelopment
in the Richmond/El Sobrante Hills. Our basic goal
is to condition the Canyon Oaks II Tentative Tract
Map (conditional use permit) so that it achieves
adequate compliance with the Hillside Ordinance and
the Richmond General Plan. The Hillside Ordinance
calls for minimal grading and tree removal. The Tentative
Tract Map imposes a typical suburban subdivision
layout on a large mild slope and some steep hills and riparian corridors. The
result is excessive grading and tree removal, contradicting
the intent of the Hillside Ordinance. Whole groves
of significant trees (about 200-400) are proposed
to be removed although the Ordinance calls for careful
consideration of tree-by-tree removal when "reasonably" necessary,
implying only when other options are unavailable.
The
public and officials have been led to believe the proposed
Land Bank is virtually guaranteed and part of "the
deal" as a mitigation to offset the significant
habitat destruction of this project, when in fact it
would be for sale to mitigate habitat destruction for
other projects in the region, not this project.
Prior to this proposal the Land Bank was zoned "Exclusively
Agricultural" (i.e., virtually protected already). Since the planning staff's rationale for violations of
the Hillside Ordinance and General Plan is that they're
diluted by the acreage of the proposed Conservation
Land Bank (CLB), tree removal or grading should be
allowed only after the CLB is formally established
and irreversible. Credible oversight should be put
in place to prevent unethical abuses of selling credits.
A prior, widely accepted working model needs to be
presented for all to see, and then followed.
Parts
of the unusually large 32 lower lots could be left
in their natural state (ungraded with no trees removed).
Homes could be placed flexibly. This could preserve
significant wildlife habitat and make the project
more appealing to both residents and neighbors.
The
large oval indications for the custom home upper lot
pads should be very carefully conditioned. The upper
lots are extraordinary habitats, laterally steep and
tremendously scenic (it's essentially a narrow ridge
spur). These homes should not be towering mansions.
The pads should have been precisely defined in the
EIR ahead of time, so let's condition them appropriately.
There's no reason why state of the art environmentally-conceived
homes would not attract equivalent investment return.
We
want to condition Canyon Oaks II so that it adequately
conforms to the Hillside Ordinance, a win-win solution,
a compromise. Two suggested solutions follow:
1. Stack,
and step and pole foundations should be explored
where appropriate to reduce grading and spare as
many trees as possible. Minimize front setbacks for
minimal rear terracing height. There is no substitute
for walking the entire site to assess both the challenges
and possible solutions.
2. Establish
covenants and by-laws to protect the upper lots and
undisturbed (not degraded) parts of lower lots: no
pesticides, herbicides, extra clearings or disturbance
of the pristine and fragile natural assets---positive
incentives to mandate responsible "extra-low
impact husbandry".
Please consider
these guidelines from the Hillside Ordinance:
3a.(1) "site
analysis...which examines a site's physical properties,
natural features and
special
problems...". Options for creative and
flexible solutions have not been revealed and explored.
3a.(2) "...density
can be transferred to portions of the site that would
require less grading or are more buildable,..."---implying
that this is a desirable option.
3a.(3)
General Site Design criteria: a. Preserve trees and
ridgelines, b. avoid the hazardous or unstable portions
of the site.
What
concerned citizens can do:
The Council
has formerly accepted bad and misleading advice from
staff, city attorneys, and Planning. The public
has been lulled, bamboozled, and indifferent to the
input process which has itself been stealthy and
skewed. Let's influence council members to acknowledge
that this is an emergency that needs to be corrected!
Wake up and
save the hills. Call (510) 223 8707 ASAP; alert
others!
