LAKEPORT – Water, land use issues, traffic and the environmental were among the chief issues residents from around the county said should be considered in the proposed Cristallago development's environmental study, which is getting under way.
Geoff Reilly of the consulting firm Christopher A. Joseph & Associate led an hour-and-a-half-long scoping meeting on the Cristallago environmental impact report Wednesday evening at the Board of Supervisor chambers.
The meeting drew representatives from the county Air Quality Management District, the Sierra Club and Lakeport Fire Protection District, as well as nearly 30 others who came to hear the firm's plans for compiling the project's environmental impact report and to suggest what it should study.
"We've been hired by the County of Lake to prepare this environmental impact report," said Reilly.
Reilly said the meeting was meant to give community members a chance to raise specific concerns about the development.
Developer Mark Mitchell wants to build Cristallago on a 861-acre site off Highway 29 at Park Way outside of Lakeport. As currently proposed, it would include 650 single-family homes on 157 acres – at a density of five homes per acre – and 325 resort units, including a condo-hotel, timeshares and fractional ownership units, according to planning documents.
Other features include an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course; 25,000 square foot clubhouse, restaurant and pro shop; a Tuscan village-style commercial area; a 65-room hotel and restaurant to seat 75 patrons; a spa; 567 acres of open space, including a 366-acre nature preserve with bike and walking trails.
Mitchell sat quietly at the back of the room during the meeting, in which Reilly explained the lengthy and complex business of preparing an environmental impact report.
What the study is supposed to do
The study, said Reilly, is a public information document that will describe Cristallago's significant environmental impacts. He said the study will be very comprehensive, addressing hydrology, traffic, wildlife and biological resources – every topic but mineral rights.
"This is just the beginning of the process," he said.
The county hired the firm and will pay them, but the developer must reimburse the county for the costs, said Community Development Director Rick Coel.
Coel told Lake County News that two months ago Mitchell deposited $238,130 with the county to pay for the study, plus additional funds for the Planning Department's administrative costs.
Reilly said a draft report should be ready in about eight weeks; once it's completed, the public will have a 45-day period in which to comment on the report itself.
Some information will be drawn from previous reports done on earlier project proposal projects in that area.
Issues citizens want studied
Many of the issues focused on resources and quality of life issues.
"I've got a whole list of concerns," said Lower Lake resident Victoria Brandon, chair of the Sierra Club Lake Group.
Brandon ticked off a list including groundwater supplies; disturbing the area's serpentine soil, which contains asbestos and would become an air quality issue; the serpentine's importance as a soil for various wildflowers; the area's past agricultural use – Brandon noted some of the land is still under Williamson Act contract; the project's impacts on adjacent agriculture; the population increase to the area; and conflicts with current land use policies.
On that last point, Brandon said she believes that, because the Board of Supervisors has publicly discussed the project, that there is a mistaken belief in the community that the land use issues have been resolved. They haven't, Brandon emphasized.
Janet Cawn of Upper Lake said the study needed to be specific about the building phases of the project. When in the course of building, she asked, would the proposed 18-hole golf course be constructed?
That's important, she said, because of the plan to use treated wastewater from the homes to water the ground. If the golf course is built first, she asked, where is the water to come from?
"The water utilization is the most crucial thing," Cawn said.
Cawn said the report needed to study how the project proposed to use "real conservation practices," and not just "throw around the words 'purple pipe.'"
Brad Peters said he's lived near the proposed development site since 1981. "We're very used to having a nice, quiet area."
He said he's concerned that the area's wildlife would be displaced by development, and the environment and Clear Lake itself could be damaged by fertilizer carried in runoff from the golf course.
The development has considerable open space, he said, because much of the area is simply unbuildable.
Harry Whitlock, whose father Stan once owned a portion of what now composes Cristallago, said he was raised in the area, and has walked "every foot of it."
Perhaps better than anyone, Whitlock was able to speak about the land, its wild inhabitants and how it could change.
The land is home to black bears, coyotes, mountain lions, deer, wild turkeys, salamanders and rattlesnakes, said Whitlock. Recently, after a 30-year absence, he saw a roadrunner for the first time, but the wild honeybees have disappeared, he added.
The land is pristine, said Whitlock. During his lifetime, he said he's seen a lot of developers come along, build houses then take the money and leave, which is what he's concerned about with Cristallago.
"I've seen this county change for the worse," said Whitlock.
His home is located next door and would become extremely valuable, he said, but he's not a supporter. "Don't screw up good property."
Some of the area's hilltops are sliding off, he said, and aren't appropriate for building. And as a former Clearlake Oaks fire chief, he's familiar with the area's vulnerability to fire. In past years, he said he's seen fires sweep through the hills around the property in no time during the dry season.
The area's wells are being drilled deeper now to find water he said – in some instances drillers have to go deeper than 400 feet. Scotts Creek sometimes backs up and floods in the area when the lake is full and there's no place for it to drain.
Referring to the wildlife and natural beauty of the area, Whitlock asked, "Where's all this gonna go?"
Following Whitlock was Lakeport Fire Protection District Chief Ken Wells.
Wells said he wants to sit down with the consultants to answer their questions of him.
"I have a lot of concerns about public safety," Wells said regarding the project.
Air Quality District Manager Bob Reynolds said for him the soil types – such as serpentine – and the accompanying air quality issues are big for him.
He questioned if the consultants had the experience to deal with the project's complexity. Coel replied that the firm was chosen, in part, for its air quality experience.
During a previous project proposal in the 1980s, called “Las Fuentes,” Reynolds said the county was going to let the developers crush the serpentine rocks in order to remove them.
"We're a lot smarter now in 2007 than we were in 1982," Reynolds said.
There may be another meeting in 45 days to offer more chances for public input, Reilly said.
The firm is treating comments from the public "very carefully," Reilly said during the meeting. Afterwards, he continued speaking with Whitlock and other community members about their concerns.
How you can become involved
The public is invited to submit comments on the scope and content of the environmental impact report until Aug. 2.
Comments should be directed to county Community Development Director Rick Coel at 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, CA 95453, phone 263-2221, fax 263-2225, e-mail
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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