HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail from Greg Shandel regarding proposed grading ordinanceSweeney Kathleen
From: Greg Shandel [gregshandelconst@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 6:33 AM
To: Crump, Mike; Fossum, Tom
Cc: Ted Bigelow; coxexc@sbcglobal.net; Roger; Paul Shandel; Dale Ulsh; Mark White; Teeter,
Doug; BOS District 4; Wahl, Larry; Kirk, Maureen; Connelly, Bill; bobjackson543@gmail.com
Subject: Fw: Proposed Grading ordinance changes
On Tuesday, April 22, 2014 9:15 PM, "areoshandelconst(oyahoo.com" <creoshandelconst@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi Mike and Tom,
As discussed in our Contractors User Group Meeting on April 10, 2014, at your request, here are
some of the proposed changes that we as California State Licensed General Engineering Contractors
need; so as we can maintain our businesses in Butte County:
1. Probably the most important, raise the minimum volume of 50 cubic yards (cy).(I personally think
it needs to be at least 500 to 1000 bank cubic yards (BCY.), no permit required. At the Contractors
User Group meeting we discussed (with your support) 250 BCY. Here is the reasoning for a larger
BCY. exemption for a grading permit: let's consider a very brushy (can not walk through) rural square
40 acre parcel which is1320 feet by 1320 feet on a slight slope and put a road 1320 feet diagonal
across the slope to Cal Fire Standards, oust for property owner access, to cut fire wood, and the
possibility of a future home, but no permits pulled yet). This access road built 12 feet wide with an
additional 2 feet for ditches and 2 feet for the outside shoulder with a 2 foot cut bank on the high side
could develop around 782 BCY. of soil. This is just a simple example of the fact that for simple work,
the 50 cy. is extremely minuscule.
A. Length of driveway should not be limited to 150 feet, due to the stated example above. Let's
keep in mind that not everyone can afford to buy a piece of land and develop all at once, the process
may take many years, and small portions of development are done as they have the funding
available.
2. Time is of Essence: Keep the permit process VERY simple for the BCY. up to 1000 BCY. For
example this time of year is a great time to do earth moving projects, because the soil compacts well,
the costs for the consumer are down due to the fact that a water truck is probably not necessary, and
it is possible to get vegetation reestablished before the dry summer months hit. A simple 24 hour over
the counter permit is necessary so that contractors can proceed with the work in a timely fashion
while the weather and soil conditions are conducive, so as the contractor and the land owner are not
waiting for an indeterminate amount of time. A pre -construction site visit with recommendations from
the inspector and a post construction visit would be beneficial to everyone involved.
3. ALL fire hazard reduction work to EXEMPT. This is extremely important in the brush and timber
lands of Butte County. There are areas in this County that 200 foot fire clearance is no where near
enough, and the fact that a landowner or homeowner may be restricted by an ordinance from
protecting their land or home seems ridiculous. Would Butte County be responsible for that land or
home loss if a wild land fire were to burn it due to the County rules?
To every one involved in the decisions for the changes in the proposed Butte County grading
ordinance, I Greg Shandel, as a contractor and land owner in Butte County, ask that these changes
be considered.
Please take a moment to put yourselves in the position of a landowner who has just bought a larger
parcel of land and wishes to develop it into your dream property and home, and how much every
aspect of this grading ordinance would affect your time and development costs.
Thank you in advance for your concern,
Greg Shandel
Greg Shandel Construction
Sent from Greg's iPad