LAKEPORT, Calif. – A south county housing development first proposed nearly a decade ago received approval from the Lake County Planning Commission on Thursday for its final environmental impact report.
The commission gave the approval to the Valley Oaks development following a brief public hearing on Thursday morning at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport. The hearing in the video above runs from 5:55 to 33:20.
Kimco Development is proposing to build Valley Oaks in six phases on 150 acres at 18196 and 18426 South State Highway 29, Middletown. It will consist of a total of 380 single-story homes for seniors, ages 55 and above.
The overall acreage also includes a senior housing/assisted living facility, 29 acres of public open space, trails and park facilities, a 31-acre commercial area fronting Highway 29 and a realignment of Coyote Creek, according to county planners.
The Lake County Planning Commission approved Valley Oaks' draft environmental impact report, or EIR, in 2009. However, developer Ken Porter sidelined the project for several years due to the recession.
County planners said the final EIR was finished last year, and since then the project has been put back on track.
Commissioners Bob Malley and Gladys Rosehill were absent for the discussion, which had been held over from two previous meetings in order to give commissioners time to consider the project, and for staff to work out additional details like the mitigation and monitoring plan.
Community Development Director Rick Coel and planner Keith Gronendyke presented the final EIR to the commission.
Coel said his staff was able to confirm with state water officials that, despite a hookup moratorium in Hidden Valley Lake, Valley Oaks can connect to the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District and use the riparian rights associated with its own acreage. That means there will be no issues with supplying sewer and water services.
The project also can begin moving through the Lake Local Agency Formation Commission process, Coel said.
Commission Chair Joe Sullivan asked about the need for another fire station to serve Valley Oaks.
Porter said he's had numerous meetings with the fire department and Cal Fire, and reached an agreement for an additional assessment that should generate as much as $80,000 a year for the fire district.
During the brief public hearing, only two people spoke – Larry and Lorene Chandler of Hidden Valley Lake. Larry Chandler had spoken against the project at a previous meeting and opposition was the Chandlers' perspective at this meeting as well.
He said he considered the project negative, calling it densely built and unsecured, and they questioned if it could legally be kept to seniors 55 and above.
Larry Chandler also questioned the timeframe for the six stages of buildout.
For both of the Chandlers, traffic was another major concern. Lorene Chandler worried about increasing traffic over Highway 29, which she said already is a “treacherous.”
“High density in that area is a big mistake,” she said.
In answer to the questioning of project details, Jean Kapolchok, Kimco Development's land use planning consultant, said that what was before the commission was the master plan. When Kimco returned to pursue the use permit, more details would be available.
“We didn't look at this, overall, as being high density,” said Coel.
Rather, he said his department viewed it as smart growth, with infill development, open space and an average of three units per acre, which is typical for single family development. The county general plan, he said, allows for up to five units per acre in residential zoning.
During the discussion, Porter told the commission that Valley Oaks does not have an agreement with Hidden Valley Lake for golf course access, as Community Development staff previously had reported.
Coel said that, for comparison, Valley Oaks is proposed to have 380 homes, compared to the estimated 4,000 homes in Hidden Valley Lake – the population of which he estimated at 6,500 – with another 400 undeveloped lots.
He said peak traffic flows in morning and evening hours have been an issue, and Caltrans is designing a roundabout for the intersection of Highway 29 and Hartmann Road to deal with that traffic flow.
Overall, Coel said Valley Oaks is not expected to add much in the way of traffic to the area.
At the discussion's end, the three present commissioners – Don Deuchar, Gil Schoux and Sullivan – voted unanimously to certify Valley Oaks' final EIR, and approve its general plan amendment, rezone and general plan of development.
The project now will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for consideration. Coel estimated that was likely to be scheduled before the board about six weeks out.
In a followup interview with Lake County News on Thursday afternoon, Gronendyke said the project would move into its next stages if the supervisors give their approval.
After that approval, the next steps would include Kimco applying for a use permit for a specific plan of development and submitting tentative maps, which Gronendyke said would go to the planning commission.
So far, Kimco hasn't submitted any specific plans or details in terms of house or commercial designs, Gronendyke said.
Gronendyke said the specific plan of development and tentative map will offer much more detailed analysis of the plan and require additional time for consideration.
In addition to time, the cost will be significant, he said. “It's going to take a lot of money to get anything rolling in that big of a development.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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