CLEARLAKE ? The Planning Commission for the City of Clearlake is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2 for consideration of a recommendation to the city council concerning details involving the Provinsalia project. The public hearing will address four particular details including the certification of the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
The hearing will also address amending the General Plan, rezoning property from Resource Protection to Specific Plan and the draft Provinsalia Specific Plan.
The Provinsalia project, being proposed by Lake County Resort Partners, aims to build high-end golf and country club community east of Dam Road South. The project has been in progress for the past several years. The final EIR was completed and submitted by Pacific Municipal Consultants PMC) in April. A public workshop was held in April to discuss the document.
Sierra Club Lake Group has been following the development closely. The club has issued a letter to the commission regarding its concerns in relation to issues the club feels have not yet been addressed.
“Although public comment was accepted at that workshop, the many agencies, organizations, and individuals who submitted comments on the EIR have not yet been given an opportunity to rebut the detailed PMC responses to those comments now incorporated in the final EIR,” Victoria Brandon, Sierra Club Lake Group chair, states in the correspondence. “Provision of such a response period, appropriately noticed, is required under CEQA, and until it has taken place we believe that formal review by the Commission is inappropriate.”
According to Brandon”s letter, the Sierra Club believes that the consultants neglected to address all the submitted comments during preparation of the final EIR. The club sites Dr. John Parker”s letter in particular, which Brandon alleges was omitted. The letter reportedly detailed major inadequacies in both the method of evaluating cultural resources and the proposed mitigations.
“It our understanding that Supervisor Ed Robey and County Community Development Director Rick Coel also submitted comment letter, neither of which was addressed.” Brandon continues, “Under these circumstances it is inevitable to wonder is additional submissions may also have fallen by the wayside, but whether or not this is true, the final EIR cannot be considered complete until all submitted comments have been incorporated, with responses. Again we assert that consideration by the commission is premature, and contrary to the processes established by CEQA.”
The letter further states that the club believes that certification under the present circumstances would be in violation of CEQA standards and liable to reversal by the courts, with possible penalties accruing to the city. To avoid these consequences, the club recommends the following:
? The EIR be returned to the consultants for revision, in order to incorporate a comprehensive quantitative analysis of its impacts on climate change, and that it be subsequently re-circulated for additional public comments related to this subject.
? A revised final EIR be prepared that responds to all comment letters, including those omitted to date and any additional submissions.
? Commenters be informed of the availability of a comprehensive final EIR as soon as it has been finalized, and given due notice, including a firm timeline, of the process for responding to the consultants” evaluation, and their rebuttals then be appended to the final EIR.
“It is our contention that the Planning Commission should not commence formal consideration of the final EIR until the three steps listed above have been completed,” Brandon states.
Staff is recommending that the commission open the public hearing and receive public testimony and then close the hearing and continue the item to the next meeting, which will be held on Dec. 16. Staff is expected to respond in its staff report to the Sierra Clubs” and other letters of comments at the Dec. 16 meeting as well.
Copies of maps and other information for the agenda items are available for review at the Community Development Department at city hall, 14050 Olympic Drive between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Members of the public are invited to come to the meeting and comment on any item under discussion.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or contact her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
