Elizabeth Wilson — Record-Bee Staff
LAKEPORT — The view of the lake at the Natural High location in Lakeport could disappear if the Lakeport City Council presses on with its initiated general plan change that would strip the site of its open-space designation, and change it to a residential/resort classification at the request of a property developer.
The general plan, discussed by the council at its meeting Tuesday evening, would also expand the city boundaries, a move Lakeport resident and former county supervisor Karan Mackey says would make the Lakeport School District property all the more valuable to the community.
“We have something very special with our lake access, our visual access and our use of the property as park,” said Mackey as she delivered a letter she wrote to the city council. According to Mackey, the property is the sole downtown visual connection from Main Street in Lakeport. The area is a popular site for small bazaars, community events, and various recreations, including the location for the past several years of the Clear Lake Scullers, a community-based rowing club and Clear Lake”s first aquatic program.
“As the city proceeds with development discussions for the new additions to the city, it can require Quimby Act funds be set aside to acquire the property from the School District as long as it is designated as an Open Space park. Without question, the magnitude of our new areas of development can support such an acquisition,” said Mackey in her request that the council safeguard the open space designation of the Natural High property.
Mike Sullivan, director and founder of the Clear Lake Scullers, says negotiations with the open-space designation in relation to the aquatics program is nothing new, and that the general plan move to develop the property into a resort comes up every two years. “I think that the direction the city will go is to move forward with allowing a Hilton-type resort, and that would be of great value to the school district,” said Sullivan, adding that it would not be a slam dunk win for the school board, “They”ll make a lot of money but then they”ll have to deal with the teacher”s union and use that money to increase teacher”s salaries and such, which they of course deserve.”
Sullivan says that for years the plan for an aquatic center has been stalled because of the uncertainty of the fate of the open-space designation. Despite having boat-house blue prints and being all set to break ground, Sullivan”s attempts requesting that the Lakeport City Council add an aquatic center to the general plan, although acknowledged by the council, did not come to fruition.
“I would argue that the city and school district stand to profit from a recreational center, and I think that while many people oppose the change, they can insist that the developers include an aquatic center or marina in the plans, and that could be a big positive,” said Sullivan. If the plans go through, Sullivan says it should not be the end of an aquatic center on Clear Lake, and that it will likely move elsewhere on the lake, but that someone will need to take up the ball on that fight.
After listening to Mackey, the council unanimously decided to go ahead with passing the general plan, citing reasons that it was necessary to do so in order to proceed with plans, but assured Mackey that it was not the end of the process and that there would be time in the future for possible amendments to the plan and opportunities for discussion with the community.
