Ledger-Dispatch

By Jerry Budrick (jbudrick@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

An under-construction Kragen building = at Highway=20 49 and Jackson Gate Road isn't under design standards the county = is=20 considering.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
Last week before the Amador County = Planning=20 Commission, County Planner Nate Lishman's convincing presentation of = attractive=20 buildings in Amador and other counties yielded enthusiastic=20 support.

Warning commissioners that he might say it too often, = Lishman=20 said, "The intent is to not create a homogenized environment." = Commission=20 Chairman Andy Byrne amplified that, saying, "People just don't want to = live in=20 Anywhere, USA."

A couple of local projects refused effusive = praise. "Our=20 hospital," said Lishman, "really captures the county. The site design = was really=20 well done, with nice paths, lots of oak trees, rosemary and drainage=20 swales."

Public comment was generally congratulatory. Amador = Citizens for=20 Smart Growth representative Kathy Allen praised the plan, while = presenting a few=20 additions. "Internal pedestrianism," Allen suggested, "would be really = good for=20 the economy." Attention should be paid to building heights and mixed = use, she=20 added, and no flat roofs allowed.

County grant consultant Renee = Chapman=20 introduced the possible creation of an award for best building project = of the=20 year. Lishman expressed hope that cities in Amador would follow the = county's=20 lead by joining a movement to establish design guidelines. Commissioner = Ray Ryan=20 suggested the county share its design review committee or have one = member from=20 each city on the committee, causing Lishman to answer, "Great=20 idea."

Having seen Lishman's photos of the Placerville Home = Depot, which=20 is aesthetically different from that company's usual boxy design, Byrne = spoke=20 confidently of large company policies. "Big companies have A, B and C = plans,"=20 said Byrne. "If they can, they just build from their standard A plan. = Some=20 resistance will get the B plan. If you get in their face, you can get = them to=20 use the C plan."

"This gives us the teeth, the ability to say to=20 developers that we want their B or C plan," added County Planning = Director Susan=20 Grijalva. "Hopefully, this will give us the foothold to go forward."=20

Commissioners agreed to have Lishman work on suggested additions = and=20 modifications to his draft ordinance and "turn it around" by their next = meeting,=20 June 10.

The other agenda item at the May 20 meeting, amendment = of the=20 county sea-land storage container regulations, elicited more heated=20 disagreement. Ryan lobbied extensively for simplification of the permit=20 application, leaning heavily toward elimination of the requirement of a = permit=20 at all for the first six months' use of a container.

Amador Wine = Grape=20 Growers President Jeff Gibson presented a growers' two-page revision of = the=20 existing ordinance, focusing on various issues, including recommendation = of=20 different regulations in different zoning districts.

A knotty = question=20 arose over what to do about the containers already in place around the = county.=20 County Planner Heather Anderson outlined pertinent regulations. "Old = containers=20 would be required to get permitted," said Anderson. "Semi-trailers must = be=20 licensed."

Regulation of landscaping, roofing and engineering, = and=20 mention of the Freedom of Information Act all contributed to the = complexity of=20 the issues involved.

The commissioners decided to take all the = comments=20 under advisement and have staff work on reasonable and acceptable = amendments to=20 the ordinance. "We have to have an ordinance," concluded = Anderson.

Jerry = Budrick