The developers of Cristallago have completed a final environmental impact report (EIR). In reviewing the report, I was absolutely astounded that they have made only minor changes to the original EIR.

The report is an absolute travesty. These people are doing their best to “ram it down the throats” of the Planning Commission and the citizens of the county. It is such a clear cut case of developers wanting to put their plan in place without any concerns for the citizens of this county or the environment. These men want to become multi millionaires at the expense of all of us. They do not care about us or the County. It’s all about the money.

The plan is flawed in so many ways; I’m surprised they have the audacity to present it to the Planning Commission. Their responses to the concerns of all the folks who raised concerns are woefully inadequate.

Here are just a few highlights.

They just disregarded all the archaeological historical concerns.

Caltrans stated: “The project as proposed has the potential to create significant traffic impacts” at the Hill Road/Parkway turnoff. Construction alone would increase the traffic at this turnoff from 270 trips per day to over 3,000 trips per day.

They want to use a 5.5 acre lake on the site and create other holding ponds for holding water filled with asbestos, fertilizers and pesticides. This in an attempt to keep the pollutants out of the Scotts and Lyon Creek watersheds, which drain into the lake. What will happen to the wildlife that will use these areas? I personally do not care for three-footed ducks.

They would be moving between 500,000 and 1 million cubic feet of earth, drastically changing the hillsides forever. They have not even ruled out blasting at the site. The majority of the moving of earth will be for the golf course, which would also remove 53-percent of all the oak trees on site. All for a couple of hundred golfers. They did not even try and change the course layout to make it blend into the scenery or eliminate the need to remove the oak trees.

Asbestos is rampant in the soil – so much so that if a new homeowner wants to put in a swimming pool, he will have to get a hazardous waste permit.

They indicate that this project will have no significant effect to the Lake County General Plan or Lakeport General Plan. However they contradict themselves throughout the final EIR in which they say it would have significant impacts. What the heck?

I could go on and on. But I do not have enough space to cover it all.

This project will make the whole community look like Los Angeles with 650 homes all looking the same and compacted into clusters.

Bottom-line to all of this, is that the final EIR is deficient and should not be approved.

Hopefully the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will see the folly in this project as outlined and send it back to the drawing board.

Please join me at the meeting .We cannot let them move ahead with this development as planned

The Lake County Planning Commission meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept 10, in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

I hope to see you there

Norm Ihle lives in Lakeport.