Tiffany Revelle — Staff reporter
LAKE COUNTY — Despite late objections from the Lake County Air Quality Management District and Sierra Club Lake Group, and continued concerns expressed by the public, the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the large Cristallago golf course, resort and housing subdivision will move on to the final stages of review and approval.
The decision came after a three-hour hearing held Thursday before the Lake County Planning Commission. Concerns about the EIR expressed in writing and at public hearings that began in mid-December will be addressed in the final document, which will now be prepared for final approval.
Sierra Club Lake Group Chair Victoria Brandon urged the commission to continue the public hearing on the draft EIR rather than sending it to its next phase.
“In the current economic climate, it”s kind of hard to believe this project is going ahead under any circumstances. Taking the time to evaluate more thoroughly something which of such extreme moment for this particular region and for the county as a whole seems to be only wise and prudent,” Brandon said.
Cristallago is planned for approximately 860 acres west of Highway 29 in the unincorporated area north of the Lakeport city border. The project proposes 650 homes and 325 resort units around an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-signature golf course, along with 587 acres of open space that do not include the golf course.
Brandon also referred to a letter from the Lake County Air Quality Management District, which had been written the same day of the hearing. In it, Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart wrote that the draft EIR was incomplete because it did not contain an adequate evaluation of the project”s greenhouse gas impacts or reasonable mitigation measures.
“The updated GHG (greenhouse gas) section references ? states that because this project does not exceed the reporting level of 25,000 tons of CO2 (carbon dioxide) per year, the project (impacts) can be considered insignificant. This is inaccurate,” Gearhart wrote.
In his letter, Gearhart goes on to state that the determination was made using the wrong standard.
Project developer Jim Burns told the commission that portion of the EIR was “in a fluid stage,” and still being worked out.
Commissioner Cliff Swetnam asked where the water for the residences and for the irrigation of the golf course would come from.
Project Engineer Sami Kader of the Redding firm Water Works Engineers answered on behalf of the project”s developers. He said irrigation for the golf course would initially be provided by the area”s county-run water plant, then eventually transitioned to irrigation from highly treated water from the Northwest Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant.
As for drinking water, Kader said the developers planned to upgrade the county”s water system to accommodate 500 new hookup equivalents before construction begins. He said an existing agreement with Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District provides 2,800 acre-feet of Clear Lake surface water to the area annually.
Concerns expressed throughout the course of the public hearings will be addressed in the final EIR, which will go before the Lake County Planning Commission for certification.
At that time, anyone who believes their comments were not adequately addressed will have an opportunity to ask the commission to address specific concerns.
Lake County Senior Planner Emily Minton said that process is expected to happen in two or three months, when the commission will also recommend that the Lake County Board of Supervisors either approve or deny the project.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
