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Wednesday, 27 May 2009 |
 Amador County – The Ione City Council and Planning Commission made several land use designations last week to plan for the city’s future. The joint panel worked on the General Plan Update and designated 3 properties in the land use map as “Future Growth Areas.” That included about 100 acres of the Silva property, west of 5 Mile Drive. Another was a smaller portion of the Rancho Arroyo Seco, located north of Mule Creek State Prison. The third “Future Growth Area” designation was placed on the “Mule Town” area. All 3 properties lie outside of the city limits and also outside of the city “Sphere of Influence,” but are within the “Planning Area” used by city staff to create the land use map. City Planner Christopher Jordan said that the Future Growth Area designations would help plan for 20 years in the future. Planning staffer Daniel Hamilton said the Future Growth Area will “give guidance for the next general plan update.” Several residents spoke against some of the FGA designations, including Lynn Winter, who said 5 Mile Road historically has been designated by LAFCO as the “boundary between city and agriculture.” Jordan said “this is going to be one of the last times to make some substantive changes to the meat of the General Plan,” before the Environmental Impact Report is released, in early June. After that, the Planning Commission will review and make recommendations to the council on both the General Plan Update and its EIR. The council and commission also designated Q Ranch as a Special Planning Area. One man spoke against the designation, and said agriculture across the road from Q Ranch typically sends dust clouds all across the ranch. Jordan said making the SPA designations is “not approving any project,” but the council is “designing a yard stick to measure these projects.” Jordan said property owners were involved in selecting designations for their properties. Several spoke, including Bill Bunce of Rancho Arroyo Seco and Amador Ranch Associates, who said: “I concur with all staff recommendations as they relate to our lands.” Virginia Silva said “Bob and I requested Special Planning” or Future Growth Area designation west of 5 Mile Drive. They plan to develop part of the property in about 10 years. Tim Smith of Howard Properties urged the panel to keep in mind “the potential for phasing infrastructure” and “phased development” as the city shifts to larger uses. Story by Jim Reece
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