LAKEPORT >> Despite the state’s recommendation for further examination, The Lake County Planning Commission approved reconstruction of a dock at the Bell Haven Resort.
Lauri Dohring, President of the Bell Haven Resort Homeowners Association and property owner in the Resort said she is rebuilding the dock, as well as remolding the homes, because her family has been coming up here for 25 years.
Dohring added that the current dock has had issues with an insurance lawsuit of a woman falling through it, as well as the fiberglass coming off and making it unusable.
“The impact to the shore is nothing. There is no danger and no environmental impact on this,” Dohring said.
The reconstruction was passed and approved by multiple departments last year before reaching the Planning Commission, however, an appeal was sent out by Diana Chien-LeValley, a homeowner in the Bell Haven Resort.
She believes the new construction would have an environmental impact because the dock extends over 250 feet into the lake, well passed the county’s ordinance. This states that no dock can exceed 100 feet past the zero point on the Rumsey Gauge unless a variance is in place on the Lakebed Encroachment Permit.
“The new dock is going to be almost three times the size of the current dock and the cover will block the neighbor’s view of the Lake,” Chien-LeValley said. “I feel this (new dock) will have no commercial value, it will only be used for personal use.”
The total cost for permits, the tearing down of the current dock and the placement of the new extended dock will be over $700,000. This is to be paid by those who live in the Bell Haven Resort area, including Chien-LeValley, who will owe $14,000.
In 2001, a 182-foot dock was put in place a variance. The commissioners determined a new variance was not needed for the work. However with the extension and the 21 steel pilings being put into the Lake, Chien-LeValley said there would be an impact. She also said the project did not deserve an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it was not a “Replacement of a commercial structure with a new structure of substantially the same size, purpose and capacity” as it states in the CEQA Article 19 Section 15302 Part B.
In November 2016, the dock project was approved under the Public Works Director for the Water Resource Department in the County, Scott DeLeon. With new Water Resource Director Phil Moy, additional information has been brought to the table for this project , including concerns from the state Fish and Wildlife department.
“If we ignore what Fish and Wildlife have to say about the project, it could cause issues for other projects that come up,” Moy said. “I do not view this as a simple reconstruction. Not only with the size of the structure, but also with the height.”
Fish and Wildlife appear not have been notified of the project when it was first approved.
“Because of the major changes through the course of the project, I feel that an initial investigation would take into consideration impacts to the wildlife and other mitigated issues that might be deemed by the Fish and Wildlife,” Moy said.
Bob Malley on the County Planning Commission said a full CEQA is not called for in this situation because they are not doing more construction than needed. If that were the case, a CEQA would be required.
The Associate planner of the County Keith Gronendyke added that the dock would be serving the same purpose as it has before, only with the ability to hold a higher capacity of people. This, he said, din not represent a significant enough change that it would violate CEQA.
Planning Commission member John Hess said he likes the project and the idea of improving the area with a new dock. He added he would not be losing sleep if the project was approved while disregarding what the Fish and Wildlife had said.
Commissioner Daniel Suenram stated that many of the shoreline structures are in dire need of repairs around the Lake.
“I do feel that any upgrades will benefit not only the fisherman around the Lake but also the visitors,” Suenram said.
The project will now be taken up to the Board of Supervisors.
