LAKE COUNTY — Property owner Mark Mitchell will not be able to subdivide his land following a 3 ? 2 vote by the Lake County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The decision to grant an appeal of Mitchell”s request to rezone and subdivide approximately 90 acres of agricultural land along Hill Road in North Lakeport followed more than two hours of public input and discussion.
The Lake County Farm Bureau and the Sierra Club Lake Group spoke against Mitchell”s proposed rezone, citing prime agricultural soil types on the land, environmental concerns and the precedent that allowing the rezone would set for future growth. Mitchell and some of his neighbors also spoke of the precedent the board”s decision would set, citing property owners” rights.
“Landowners need to have a reasonable expectation of what they can do with their property,” Mitchell said. He told the board that his proposed rezone from agricultural to suburban reserve zoning would make his property consistent with the Lakeport Area Plan. “If this is not acceptable, then you need to explain to every property owner west of Highway 29 that you”re going to down-zone their properties,” Mitchell said.
Lakeport residents Brad Peters, Johnnie Lee and Harry Whitlock appealed the county planning commission”s 3 ? 2 approval of Mitchell”s application in September 2007. Mitchell proposed to divide approximately 90 acres into four residential parcels between 2.13 and three acres with buffers between the parcels and a 76.15-acre agricultural parcel also proposed in the project.
The appeal cited inconsistency with the goals of the county”s general plan update, which guides land use and development county-wide. Area plans for each community are being developed, with the Rivieras Area Plan being adopted in January, 2007.
“It would be nice to be able to say that all of the properties out there would remain nice, large chunks. Growth is going to happen ? we all know that,” appellant John Lee said. Lee told the board if the project would be more acceptable if it proposed parcels that were at least five acres.
“It”s going to be a domino effect. Lots more people are going to propose projects based on the precedent which you might set today that, well heck, somebody else was able to split off parcels get zoned residential, why shouldn”t I be able to,” Steve Devoto, a member of the Lake County Farm Bureau board of directors, said.
The vote was decided by Dist. 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington, who is the supervisor for the district in which Mitchell”s property lies. Farrington cited lack of water and sewer to the site as reasons for his vote for the appeal and against the project. Supervisors Jeff Smith and Rob Brown voted against the appeal.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
