Ledger-Dispatch

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

The Sutter Creek City Council heard a=20 presentation from City Manager Rob Duke on the ongoing process to = update=20 the city's general plan in a way that will maintain Sutter Creek's = character 20 years later.

Photo by: Kelly Enos

Sean Rabe was introduced as Sutter = Creek's=20 assistant city manager Monday night. He will start in = April.

Photo by: Kelly=20 Enos
Maintaining the atmosphere of historic = Sutter=20 Creek topped the list of what the community wants to see in future = developments=20 during a joint city council and planning commission meeting on = Monday.

In=20 a report that was prepared by the general plan committee, City Manager = Rob Duke=20 introduced the city's first general plan since 1994 for the council to = amend,=20 question or raise concerns about.

"We started this at the top = with=20 everyone until it was whittled down to this committee," Duke said. "They = have=20 done a wonderful job on this report and a set of guidelines in a = regional=20 manner."

The last general plan update that was adopted focused in = large=20 part on maintaining the "bowl," or the historic downtown village area of = Sutter=20 Creek, and its preservation of the creek and "view sheds." This report = followed=20 up on a 1982 general plan but was met with resistance, so a residents = task force=20 was formed and the plan was rewritten with amendments that made certain = policies=20 less stringent. The general plan that was finally adopted in 1994 was = not=20 without detractors. That debate has continued, with questions about = whether it=20 has enough specificity to allow clear interpretation.

"People = like the=20 way the town feels," Duke said. "We want to maintain the essence of what = people=20 want."

During the evaluation, the general plan committee = determined four=20 elements that needed to be updated, including land use, circulation,=20 infrastructure and housing. The idea of an "interlocking villages = concept" was=20 highly favored by residents and the council because of its preservation = of the=20 characteristics of existing areas and keeping the town to a more "human" = scale.=20 The committee identified five potential villages that are set to grow = over the=20 next 20 years and can be developed in a sustainable manner. A transfer = of=20 development rights can be implemented in the case of land purchase and=20 development rights in these urban growth boundaries.

The five = identified=20 villages were:

- The Mill Street/Boitano area that has been = planned for=20 affordable housing, connectivity with bike and pedestrian trails to the = downtown=20 area and visually sensitive areas.

- Old Sutter Hill Road and = Church=20 Street, with its donation by the Eureka Mine and Mill for a city park = and a=20 mixed use zone.

- Sutter Hill Commercial village with plans for a = school=20 site and mixed zoning use with a hotel.

- Gold Rush Village, with = road=20 and trail connectivity along with housing and the future Amador Regional = Sanitation Authority office.

- Allen Ranch with mixed use zoning = along=20 the bypass.

- Sutter-Ione Road village that has plans for city = parks,=20 trails, commercial zoning along the bypass and a community = college.

"As a=20 policy, we think we should have strong support for the Amador County = Unified=20 School District and higher education," Duke said.

Duke said that = the=20 circulation element of the plan needed to consider the roads that were=20 identified in the 1994 general plan, with the east side of the bypass = being=20 retained for reflection of current projects and Cramer Hill Road also = remaining=20 with its intersection at the bypass and an eventual extension of Valley = View=20 Way. Discussion sparked between resident Bob Allen and planning = commission=20 member Mike Kirkley regarding Cramer Hill Road, as Kirkley felt there = was not a=20 way to have a road there and still retain the visually sensitive=20 area.

"There has been a road running there for more than 20 = years," Allen=20 responded. "I am tired of hearing you say that there is = not."

Councilman=20 Pat Crosby listed his disagreements with the plan, starting with the = phrase=20 "supplement and compliment the ACUSD," which he said should be changed = to=20 reflect a more general support of education. Crosby also felt that the = city=20 could not handle the traffic from both casinos.

"We need to force = both=20 casinos to jump into a light rail project," he said. "It's not too hard; = we just=20 buy some rolling type cars."

Council members discussed the = general plan,=20 but no firm decisions were made during the meeting. The matter will be = brought=20 back at a future meeting.

Duke introduced Sean Rabe as Sutter = Creek's new=20 assistant city manager during the public comment period. Sutter Creek is = the=20 first city to have this position. Rabe, who previously was an assistant = planner=20 with the Amador County Transportation Commission, will implement the new = sanitary sewer maintenance plan as well as assist with the management of = Amador=20 Regional Sanitation Authority and the planning department.

On = Wednesday=20 night, transportation commissioners and staff singled Rabe out for his=20 contributions in the past year. Even with applicants from as far away as = Japan,=20 commissioners said he would be difficult to replace.

Kelly = Enos