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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.9.24 Public Comment - FW_ BOS meeting comments.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying.. From:Clerk of the Board To:BOS Cc:Daneluk, Paula; Nuzum, Danielle Subject:Public Comment - FW: BOS meeting comments Date:Monday, December 9, 2024 5:01:59 PM Attachments:Signature.png Proposed Tuscan Ridge Development.pdf Please see public comment for item 5.2. From: Allen Harthorn <allen@buttecreek.org> Sent: Monday, December 9, 2024 4:58 PM To: Clerk of the Board <clerkoftheboard@buttecounty.net> Subject: BOS meeting comments Comments on the Tuscan Ridge (Windy/Fiery Ridge) proposed development. -- Proposed Tuscan Ridge Development Comments submitted to the Butte County Supervisors by Allen Harthorn, resident of Butte Creek Canyon 12/09/2024 Public Notice Although the County has utilized the required noticing of neighbors as to the progress of this plan, it appears that there is a serious lack of “early and frequent communication with affected citizens and stakeholders”. The entire communities of Paradise, Magalia and the rest of the communities above this project have not been involved in this planning process. The fact that there was no Public Comments submitted prior to the Planning Commission meeting is a clear indication that the County and the Sponsors of the project have failed to communicate the issues with affected citizens and stakeholders. From the Land Use Element of the General Plan: Scenic Highway The Skyway is a Scenic Highway as designated by the General Plan. Much of this project is in the 350 foot zone of the SH designation. It would seem that building a mini city next to the Scenic Highway is inconsistent with the General Plan. The topography of the land is such that any attempted to hide this project would be futile. Water The current well on the site is not considered to be adequate for the project as there is no backup system. The suggestion that Paradise Irrigation District may bring a pipeline of potable water many miles down the Skyway to this site is simply a pipe dream. Creating a Water District to drill a second well as a backup in an area where wells average well over 500 feet is a potential conflict with the existing wells supplying the Rocky Bluffs and Spanish Garden subdivision and other residents uphill along the Skyway. Declining groundwater levels are a major concern in Butte County and this project will exacerbate the problem for many other residents dependent on the deep aquifer. Sewer The same argument holds true for the sewer plan for this proposed development. There is no sewer connection from Paradise and if in fact something is built it will be many years if not decades before this happens. Creating a sewer district with onsite treatment and leach fields in this soil on top of the bedrock will be highly suspect. The Town of Paradise is just learning how incredibly infeasible the sewer connection project is and it will likely be dead in short order. Fire General Plan LU-P1.10 The County shall limit development in foothill and mountain areas that are constrained by fire hazards, water supply, migratory deer habitat, or infrastructure. Although the conditions of approval, #33-#38, from the Butte County Fire Department are designed to ensure adequate water supply for fire protection, the best case scenario for Fire Department vehicles to arrive at the site is in most cases 10-15 minutes. As we have seen repeatedly recently, fires running on high wind conditions can overtake an area such that fire protection is not possible. Evacuation has been the main focus in many recent fires and in the case of the Camp Fire, evacuations from this proposed development will only exacerbate the problems with the Skyway as an escape route. Provided are maps of the recent fire in Ventura County, the Mountain Fire, which raced over five miles in a matter of minutes, and then jumped 2.5 miles over well maintained farmland and a major highway to leap into residential neighbors destroying over 200 homes in a few short hours. Closer to home, the 2008 Humboldt Fire started near Humboldt Road in Chico and again, in a matter of minutes, racing on a hot, dry north wind, swept across southeast Chico, crossed Honey Run Road and Butte Creek and leapt up the cliffs below the Skyway and ran right through the project site. Although no homes were lost in Rocky Bluffs or Spanish Gardens, the fire just missed those homes and burned right through the Tuscan Ridge Golf Course. Defending this project would have been nearly impossible. Of course, we all remember the Camp Fire. Within 2 hours of ignition, the fire crossed the three mile wide West Branch Feather River Canyon, and exploded in all direction through Paradise. There was no defending structures or controlling the fire, the first responders focused on evacuations to save lives. The fire proceeded down Little Butte Creek Canyon and the Skyway and into the Rocky Bluffs and Spanish Gardens neighborhoods within several hours, destroying dozens of homes in those neighboring subdivisions, before raging on to the city limits of Chico. There was no stopping this fire. Most recently, we witnessed the rapid growth of the Park Fire from Chico all the way to Highway 36 in Tehama County at approximately 5000 acres per hour according to CalFire. Although the winds were not as strong as the other fires, the tinder dry conditions of the grass and shrubs and 100 degree plus temperatures, enhanced the spread of that fire and virtually overtook any possible fire protection on a large scale. Once again, the first responders were making rapid decisions to save lives, not protect homes or infrastructure. This location, on a windy ridge, is a firefighter’s nightmare. It would be foolish to put anymore homes in this fire corridor. It is simply too risky and dangerous. Counties across California are rejecting similar development plans in the Wildlands Urban Interface. Butte County needs to do likewise. This fire moved “faster than anything we have seen in years,” Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff told residents at a community meeting Sunday night. Mountain Fire in Ventura County jumps 2.5 miles of farm lands and a major highway to destroy over 200 homes. Fire History of Project Location on the Skyway Both the Humboldt Fire in 2008 and the Camp Fire in 2018 roared through the project location completely unchecked. The was no structure protection, no flanking efforts, no air drops due to wind conditions and the best anyone could do was get out of the way. Many other smaller fires have ignited and burned close to the project area. It is simply not a good area to defend from fire and it would seem this is an unmitigable issue with this project.