The Commission continued on to a sometimes heated debate regarding the annexation of 39.99 acres around the Eureka Mine in Sutter Hill. Senior Planner Darcy Goulart discussed the project with the Commission. She stressed time limitations involved, with the goal of project approval from LAFCO by the end of the year. Numerous residents and property owners from Sutter Hill also attended the meeting, eager to weigh in on the issues. Goulart presented a chart that showed changes in the project from the time when it was originally brought before the Planning Commission in January.  She stated that the industrial component of the project had since been dropped, and therefore would not be included in environmental studies, although it is still likely that another developer will acquire the surrounding property for industrial use.

Commissioner Mike Kirkley expressed major concerns regarding “piece meal” development, where there is no investigation conducted prior to construction that examines how projects may collectively impact the community. He stated that he felt that the traffic analysis done on the project was insufficient for this reason. Members of the public also expressed their concerns, including how the project is being funded, how it will impact traffic and roads in the area, and how some parcels seem to be zoned inconsistently.  Another major objection from the public was to regulations requiring houses built on the site to be in the style of “pre-1925” architecture. After a three hour discussion, amid much regret that they did not have more time to review the project, the Commission decided that they had too many concerns and declined to make recommendations to the Sutter Creek City Council to adopt the proposed mitigated negative reclamation and MND Addendum, and to approve the annexation. The Sutter Creek City Council will review the project at their meeting on Monday, October 15th.