Ledger-Dispatch

By Kelly Scott (kenos@ledger-dispatch.com) =

Sutter Creek city officials confer in = the=20 background Tuesday during a well-attended public workshop on the = release=20 of the draft environmental impact report for a 1,300-home golf = course=20 community planned to the southwest of the city.

Photo by: Kelly=20 Scott
It's been a long wait, but Sutter = Creek city=20 officials and the backers of a 1,300-home subdivision are ready to put = the=20 "rush" in "Gold Rush."

Specifically, it's the project officially = known as=20 the Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort that has spent the past decade = gestating. On=20 Tuesday, the release of a long-awaited draft environmental impact report = was=20 presented at a well-attended public workshop at the Sutter Creek City=20 Hall.

"It's been a long and difficult process, but the community = will=20 benefit in the end," said project manager Jim Harnish.

A crowd of = Sutter=20 Creek residents, city council members and planning commissioners were on = hand to=20 discuss the project. Feedback from more than 50 similar workshops had = been=20 integrated into the amended application submitted to the city. =

"This is=20 a kick-off of the EIR that was released yesterday," said Assistant City = Manager=20 Sean Rabe at the beginning of the meeting. Rabe informed attendees that = a hard=20 copy of the document was available for review at city hall or on the = city's Web=20 site.

Gold Rush is a 19-parcel golf course community planned to = the=20 southwest of the city. The project consists of an 18-hole golf course, a = combined golf and community clubhouse, 1,334 single-family homes, 300 = "time=20 share" units, a hotel, new police and fire departments, as well as = commercial=20 development.

"There will also be 300 acres of preserved open = space and=20 200 acres of recreational land," Harnish said.

The project will = require=20 the city to adopt a specific plan and make amendments to zoning = ordinances in=20 its general plan.

The annexation of unincorporated land lying = within the=20 project site will also be necessary, transferring responsibility for = public=20 safety from the Amador Fire Protection District to the Sutter Creek Fire = Protection District. Before that can happen, though, the county's Local = Agency=20 Formation Commission must approve the annexation.

Beginning July = 16,=20 public forums will be held to gather comments on the draft EIR. After = the=20 comment period ends Aug. 29, the city will prepare the final EIR before = adopting=20 the mitigation program.

"After nearly 10 years in the planning = stage we=20 have moved beyond a way to address wastewater issues and looked at this = project=20 as more," said Bill Bunce, one of three owners of the development. "This = is a=20 community-based effort and we are very proud of the extraordinary effort = of not=20 only Sutter Creek but the whole county."

Kelly = Scott