The commission meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The public hearing on Dr. Robert Gardner’s Utopia Mine Resort plan is scheduled to begin at 9:40 a.m.
Gardner is proposing to build a health and hospitality resort with a guest lodge, 24 villas, 25 cabins, 100 suites together with medical health and spa-related amenities on several parcels – 5440, 5460, 5490 and 5610 E. State Highway 20; 5130 Foothill Drive; 5161, 5163, 5171 and 5173 Dunstan Road; 5563 and 5573 Dunstan Drive; 5637, 5647, 5667, 5687 and 5697 Fennel Road; and 5707 Fennel Drive, Lucerne, according to county planning documents.
The commission will consider several items as part of the hearing: a mitigated negative declaration based on an initial study; a proposed rezone from rural residential and rural residential-substandard older subdivision to planned development commercial-design review; and a general plan of development.
Gardner told Lake County News that he believes it’s a special project that can be beneficial for the county in a number of ways, from economic to educational.
He called the land where the project will be located “magical,” and said it can connect with the Northshore trail system on land as well as the nearby water trails.
“A resort that is done in a quality manner can attract people from across the country just like the health tourism that used to be in the county when Bartlett Springs was in existence,” he said.
The old mercury mine, which operated for a few years around the turn of the 20th century, is not on Gardner’s property, but at the highway level on state property, Gardner said.
Gardner, who has been acquiring the property since 2001, said he envisions the resort as a gathering place for community groups, an education center and a venue for special occasions such as weddings and family reunions.
County Senior Planner Kevin Ingram said the main things for the commission to consider Thursday are the general plan of redevelopment and rezone, which requires the commissioners to decide if Gardner’s proposed concept is an appropriate use for the site.
“All the planning commission is doing is making a recommendation,” said Ingram, explaining that approving a general plan of development doesn’t allow any grading or building to start.
He said the ultimate decision on whether the project should move forward will rest with the Board of Supervisors.
Ingram said he doesn’t have a date certain yet for when the board would consider the project, but if the commission gives Gardner the OK, it could go before the board early next year.
Gardner said he would like to start the lodge of clubhouses and some of the guest units next spring. He said total buildout depends on many factors, including the economy.
The general plan of development will give Gardner two years to vest the project, which Ingram said will include creating a specific plan of development.
Gardner is proposing to do the project in phases, and therefore will need to do specific plans of development for each phase, Ingram explained.
Later in the process, Ingram said it would be determined whether or not an environmental impact report would be necessary.
Ingram said the first phase includes the lodge and 10 to 15 guest units.
“It’s a neat concept,” said Ingram. “It’s a beautiful site. There’s some fantastic views.”
However, the project also has some challenges, Ingram said.
“There’s some severe environmental concerns in regard to this project,” which Ingram said would be more appropriately addressed when Gardner comes back for a use permit.
For Ingram, the area of greatest concern is dealing with landslides and unstable soils on the hillsides. He thinks Gardner can mitigate for most of those, depending on how much he is willing to put into engineering.
Gardner said that geotechnical experts who he’s hired to review the project dug large test pits and found nothing that would interfere with construction on the land.
He’s also had mercury and runoff measured in the ground and runoff areas, and said the results showed less mercury there than in most areas.
The Clear Lake Watershed Total Maximum Daily Load Monitoring Program Final Report stated that a consistent and focused amount of monitoring has taken place around the mine, and that researchers didn’t believe the mine is continuing to contribute significant amounts of mercury to Clearlake.
Other items on the Thursday Planning Commission agenda include the following:
9:05 a.m. Public hearing on consideration of General Plan Conformity (GPC 11-16). The project applicant is Lake County Administration and Lake County Sheriff’s Office proposing purchase of improved property to use as a Sheriff substation. The project is located at 21277 Calistoga Street, Middletown and further described as APN 024-405-08.
9:10 a.m. Public Hearing on consideration of a mitigated negative declaration based on Initial Study (IS 11-07) for GPAP 11-01, RZ 11-01, GPD 11-01 and UP 11-12. The project applicant is Westgate Petroleum proposing: (1) a general plan amendment of approximately 30,000 square feet from Agriculture to Service Commercial; (2) a rezone from “C3-DR-FF-AA”, Service Commercial – Design Review – Floodway Fringe – Airport Approach and “A-SC-AA”, Agriculture - Scenic – Airport Approach to “PDC-DR-FF-AA”, Planned Development Commercial – Design Review – Floodway Fringe – Airport Approach and “A-SC-AA”, Agriculture – Scenic – Airport Approach; (3) a general plan of development and use permit for a specific plan of development for bulk and retail fuel sales, outdoor storage of vehicles and propane, an office and a convenience store. The project is located at 3740 Highland Springs Road, Lakeport and further described as APN 008-022-31.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
