HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRED25-0002 Meeting Notes 04-02-2025BUTTE COUNTY
PRE-DEVELOPMENT MEETING April 2, 2025 PRED25-0002 (Matthew Trumm) APN: 061-410-034
Any direction or information given is preliminary and may be subject to further refinement or change as the application progresses through the formal application process.
Proposal to establish a Sustainable Retreat Center and “Organized Camp”, designed to foster healing, regeneration, and community connection. This center will host a limited number of events annually, focusing on post-fire restoration, fire-resilient sustainable design,
food production systems, and faith-based gatherings for their Catholic community. The facility will be available as a resource for the County, Fire Departments, Fire Safe Council, and other fire-wise organizations to conduct training, public educational events, and serve as a demonstration site for fire-resilient practices. The facility would operate for a maximum of thirty events per year, with each event having a minimum duration of five days. The
facility will not exceed a total of 200 operational days in a year. The project parcel is zoned Foothill Residential, 20-acre minimum, and is 4.85 acres. APN: 061-410-034. Departments Comments
Planning
Division Land Use, Zoning, and Entitlements
• General Plan Land Use Designation: Foothill Residential (FR)
• Zoning: Foothill Residential (FR-20)
• Required Entitlements: Conditional Use Permit (For Outdoor Commercial Recreation, 5-acre minimum & Special Event
Facility).
Conditional Use Permit
• A Conditional Use Permit is required for the proposed Outdoor Commercial Recreation use & Special Event Facility.
o Conditional Use Permit Approval – Whether this permit is granted is a discretionary decision decided by the
Butte County Planning Commission at a Planning Commission Hearing.
The Planning Division will be required to provide written public notice of this Hearing item. You may
ask neighbors to speak/ write in support of your development for public comment at the Hearing.
• The Outdoor Commercial Recreation use requires a minimum of 5-acres in the Foothill Residential Zone.
o The proposed location is 4.85 acres, which is short of the 5 acres required for a Outdoor Commercial Recreation
use (campground). In this case there is close to 1-acre of County Right-of-way, that is appropriate to include in
the total. Including the adjacent ROW will achieve the required 5-acre amount. .
• This project would also be considered a Special Event Facility and would be subject to the standards in Chapter 24-
175.2 – Special Event Facilities in order to meet certain requirements of the proposal.
o A Minor Use Permit is required for Special Event Facilities. Fulfilling this requirement can instead be included
in the Conditional Use Permit.
o Notable Requirements under Chapter 24-175.2 (refer to code for a list of all requirements)
A parking attendant(s) shall direct traffic into the facility and towards available parking during the
arrival of guests. Attendants shall direct traffic leaving the facility at the conclusion of the event.
No special event facility shall be allowed to exceed an attendance level of five hundred (500) people, or
last longer than two (2) days, not including set-up and take down.
The special event duration shall not exceed twelve (12) hours per day, within an operational period
limited to the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., except on Saturdays and Sundays, which are limited to a
9:00 a.m. start time.
Parking – Chapter 24-94
• One parking space per 4 seats or 4-person capacity per the On-Site Parking Requirements set forth by Table 24-93-1,
under Commercial Recreation, Outdoor (e,g, if maximum capacity is 100 people, 25 spaces are required).
• Standard parking spaces shall be nine (9) feet wide by nineteen (19) feet long.
• Use and Availability
o All on-site parking facilities shall be designed and maintained to be fully usable for the duration of the use.
o Areas required to meet applicable parking requirements may not be used for any other purpose.
• Surfacing
o All parking areas shall be surfaced with a dust-minimizing treatment or paved with asphalt, concrete or other all-
weather surface.
o Permeable paving materials such as porous concrete/asphalt, open-jointed pavers, and turf/gravel grids are a
permitted surface material.
o The use of light-colored materials to help reduce surface temperatures is encouraged.
• Road Access – All parking areas shall provide suitable maneuvering room so that all vehicles may enter and exit an
abutting street in a forward direction.
• Maintenance – All parking facilities shall be permanently maintained free of weeds, littler, and debris.
• Lighting – All outdoor lighting used to illuminate parking areas shall comply with the requirements of Section 24-67
(standards) in Article III, Division 4 (Outdoor Lighting).
• Driveways – A residential parcel with vehicular access from a major or secondary arterial shall provide, if space allows, a
circular driveway or turnaround so that vehicles may enter and exit the street in a forward motion.
CEQA / Additional Environmental Studies (the appropriate environmental document will be determined upon deeming
the application complete, usually within 30 days)
• Noise Control
o Generally, noise control testing is only required for activities utilizing amplifiers.
Noise Standards shall be regulated in accordance with Chapter 41.A Noise Control.
The County may conduct field-testing to verify noise levels, or the County may require the operator to
hire an acoustical consultant to conduct field-testing. For evaluating conformance with the standards of
this section, noise levels shall be measured in accordance with Chapter 41.A Noise Control
• Traffic and Circulation
o A traffic management plan may be required and would be included within the Conditional Use Permit. The
traffic management plan shall be approved for traffic safety by the Department of Public Works.
Phasing
• You may decide to build out your development in clearly identified phases. If you choose to phase your development,
you should clearly identify which steps you plan to undertake at each phase. Phased development is meant to improve on
the building blocks of past phases.
o For instance, you may carry out dry camping operations in the first phase. Afterwards you may decide to build
out a cabin at a time in later phases.
• Code Enforcement Violations
o Current Code Enforcement Violation(s) will affect your development’s phased permitting and/or permitting
timeline in general. Ensure consistent communication with your assigned Code Enforcement Officer.
State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD)
• Permit to Operate – This had been further discussed with the Building Division and determined that a permit from the
California Department of Housing and Community Development is not required.
For additional information regarding these requirements, please contact:
Alyssa Mendoza, Assistant Planner at (530) 552-3633 / AMendoza@buttecounty.net
Building Division • ADA Ch.11b224 (Occupancy C) applies to the entire development including parking.
o Cabins
Mobility Requirements
• All four cabin bathrooms must be made bigger to ensure ADA compliance. Having one ADA
compliant bathroom nearby is not enough.
• Two out of four cabins require ramps and turn arounds
• Building permits prepared by a certified design professional are required for future development.
For additional information regarding these requirements, please contact:
Adam Kingsley, Assistant Building Official at (530) 552-3658 / AKingsley@buttecounty.net
Public Works • Traffic Operational Analysis: The pre-application indicates a maximum of 116 people at any given event. Attendees
can be expected to carpool per the applicant. With the project application, please provide more information about the
amount of people carpooling and how many people would be in each vehicle, along with the days of the week traffic is
most likely to occur. A focused traffic operational analysis that evaluates safety impacts from traffic entering and exiting
the site may be needed depending on the responses.
• Road Standards: The project site has direct frontage and access on Oroville-Quincy Highway, a County-maintained
roadway and will be subject to County Standard No. S-3A (Concrete Commercial Driveway Approach). Encroachment
permits from Butte County will be required for all work within the County right of way. Please include the S-3A standard
on the submitted site plan.
• Preliminary grading plan: If the project will disturb over 50 cubic yards of earth, please provide a preliminary grading
showing all cuts and fill lines, limits of grading, borrow and stockpile areas, total volume cut and filled, general location
and character of vegetation covering the site (including trees to be removed), and typical cross sections of all existing
and proposed graded areas taken at intervals not exceeding 200 feet and at locations of maximum cuts and fills. The plan
shall include contour lines not exceeding 2 feet vertically, showing all topographic features and drainage patterns where
proposed grading is to occur. The contour lines shall extend a minimum of 50 feet beyond the affected area and further if
needed to define intercepted drainage.
• Preliminary drainage plan/Site improvement plan: Please provide a preliminary drainage plan and calculations to
identify the existing and proposed drainage patterns on the site and where drainage will flow, whether it will be detained
onsite prior to offsite runoff, whether proposed detention basins are adequately sized, etc. At a minimum, the drainage
plan should specify how stormwater runoff will be attenuated on site by detention facilities and/or conveyed to the
nearest natural or publicly maintained drainage channel and demonstrate no net increase in peak runoff from the 100-
year storm event. As part of the project conditions of approval, a more detailed drainage analysis will be required with
project improvement plans.
• Construction SWPPP: A Construction SWPPP will be required prior to improvement permit issuance if the project will
disturb over an acre. This will be a condition of approval of the project. If a SWPPP does not apply, please provide an
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan for temporary and permanent erosion control measures.
• Site Plan: Ensure that the site includes the following with the official planning submittal:
o Show all easements of record on and adjacent to the site
o Show all adjoining County right of way
o Show topographic contours
o Show all proposed entrances/exits to the site
o Show all surface materials for the site and include a table of various surfacing areas in square feet, including
impervious asphalt or concrete, impervious dirt and gravel compacted areas, landscaped areas, open space areas,
and impervious building/rooftop areas
o Show proposed traffic circulation within the site and truck turning templates
• Traffic control: Note that traffic control will be required for larger events, and this will be a condition of approval of the
project. Traffic control may include managing vehicles entering and exiting the site during events, obtaining an
Encroachment Permit for sign placement in the County’s right of way for any required advance warning signs, notifying
California Highway Patrol, placing fee attendants/parking kiosks a minimum of 100 feet from the County road, and
professional traffic control attendants or trained volunteers.
For additional information regarding these requirements, please contact:
Jessica Hankins, Department of Public Works (530) 277-1783 / jhankins@yubaplanninggroup.com
Environmental Health • Facility has one wastewater system sized for 240 GPD flow. Should loading capacity increase, applicant must apply for a
new septic or expansion permit with Butte County Environmental Health or provide portable toilets to accommodate
increased capacity. No other system is permitted for use by event attendees.
• If portable toilets to be used, provide information regarding portable toilet facilities and related hand washing stations.
Applicant shall provide information regarding the number of portable toilet facilities and related hand washing stations.
You will need to provide us with contact information for the portable toilet supplier you contract with. Your site map
should show the location of all portable toilets and hand-washing stations. Two portable toilets up to first 100 people is
suggested with one portable toilet for each additional 100 individuals after that.
• Apply for an Organized Camp Application.
• For Organized Camps, the facility will need to prove potable water. At minimum sampling primary inorganics once,
secondary inorganics once, total and fecal coliform quarterly, nitrate annually and nitrite triennially.
• The office will need to determine whether or not the system qualifies as public small water system. The following
requirement will apply: applicant shall provide documentation of the proposed source of potable water. If human
consumption (the use of water for drinking, bathing or showering, hand washing, oral hygiene, or cooking, including, but
not limited to, preparing food and washing dishes) is conducted for 25 or more people per day (including any guests,
occupants and employees) sixty (60) days out of the year the water system is considered a Public Water System. Operator
must submit a Public Water Systems Survey to this office for determination. Within 30 days, the facility will need to start
a preliminary technical report with State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking (DDW) that follows
SB1263. After the approval process with DDW, the water system will be required to apply for a Domestic Water Supply
Permit with Butte County Environmental Health. If the facility will continue to operate while completing the SB1263
process, the following will be required:
o Source sampling for Inorganics and Secondaries, conducted at a Certified Lab.
o Bacteriological sampling, E.coli and Total coliform, also conducted at a Certified Lab. Bacteriological sampling
frequency is determined by the average population per quarter.
o Provide a schematic of the water system, including but not limited to source, water lines, valves, backflow,
hosebibs, service connections. In addition, provide verification of availability of adequate quantity of potable
water.
o Provide information regarding handling of potable water, i.e. will portable containers be used for transportation
of water, how containers will be cleaned and sanitized, etc.
o Schedule an inspection with Butte County Environmental Health by calling (530)552-3880.
• Facility plans on using a neighboring well under an existing Water Well Users Agreement (DOC #2024-0026233). This
well may need to be investigated for depth, production and well seal depth to ensure adequate construction and
production.
• Applicant shall satisfy all Environmental Health Requirements for Community Event Organizer and Vendor permits.
Applicant is encouraged to consult with Environmental Health Consumer Protection staff as early in the event planning
process as possible to ensure compliance with permit requirements. Applications must be submitted at least two weeks
prior to an event to ensure adequate time to contact and permit food vendors. Any vendors who have not been
contacted/permitted may not operate at an event. Please work with Environmental Health by calling (530)552-3880 to
ensure that your vendors are properly permitted.
• If on-site food prep is being conducted (i.e. barbecuing, cooking, etc.) or kitchen facilities are being used for washing,
prepping food, you must contact Butte County Environmental Health to obtain a permit to operate a food facility.
• Applicant shall provide information regarding proposed handling of wastewater generated from temporary food facilities
and other activities to the satisfaction of the Environmental Health Division. Please outline how food vendors will
dispose of any waste and/or wastewater generated from food preparation.
• Applicant shall provide details regarding proposed management of solid waste, i.e. will a permitted solid waste hauler
provide and remove dumpsters? Which vendor, how many dumpsters, etc. You will need to provide us with contact
information for the waste hauler you contract with. Your site map should show the location of waste/recycling
receptacles.
For additional information regarding these requirements, please contact:
Nikolay Ostrovskiy, Environmental Health Program Manager (530) 552-3869 / NOstrovskiy@buttecounty.net
Butte County Fire/Cal Fire • Construction, installation, or development of buildings and/or roads, driveways, gates, and bridges on parcels/lots shall
comply with the current adopted California Building Standard Codes, Butte County Improvement Standards, and all
other applicable State and County Codes, ordinances and regulations, in effect at the time of application.
• Addressing: All buildings shall be issued an address by the local jurisdiction which conforms to that jurisdiction’s
overall address system. Accessory buildings will not be required to have a separate address; however, each dwelling unit
within a building shall be separately identified. The size of letters, numbers and symbols for addresses shall be a
minimum 4-inch letter height, ½-inch stroke, and reflectorized, contrasting with the background color of the sign. All
buildings shall have a permanently posted address on the structure. If the address is not visible from the public way,
additional signage must be placed at each driveway entrance and be visible from both directions of travel along the road.
In all cases, the address shall be posted at the beginning of construction and shall be maintained thereafter, and the
address shall be visible and legible from the road on which the address is located. Address signs along one-way roads
shall be visible from both the intended direction of travel and the opposite direction. Where multiple addresses are
required at a single driveway, they shall be mounted on a single post.
• The application shall create and maintain a Vegetation Management Plan aimed at reducing wildfire intensity by
minimizing the volume and density of flammable vegetation within the site. The plan must comply with Butte County
Municipal Code Chapter 38A and be submitted to the Butte County Fire Marshal’s Office for review and approval prior
to the commencement of construction.
For additional information regarding these requirements, please contact:
Chris Boyd, Fire and Life Safety Captain (530) 538-6320 / chris.boyd@fire.ca.gov
Butte County Code Enforcement
• Code Enforcement Violations
o Current Code Enforcement Violation(s) will affect your development’s phased permitting and/or permitting
timeline in general. Ensure consistent communication with your assigned Code Enforcement Officer Benjamin
Sandoval.
For additional information regarding these requirements, please contact:
Benjamin Sandoval, Code Enforcement Supervisor (530) 712-1385 / bsandoval@buttecounty.net