Yuba supervisors OK Plumas Lake project

Yuba County supervisors have added a 1,681-lot development to the Plumas Lake Specific Plan.

The 577-acre subdivision, known as Country Club Estates, includes open space, a variety of housing densities, a trail system, a school site and 21⁄2 acres of retail.

The proposed project is west of Plumas Lake Golf & Country Club and south of Anderson Avenue.

Supervisors approved the project Tuesday on a 4-0 vote.

County planning commissioners denied the project in October over concerns for traffic and evacuation routes in case of an emergency.

Supervisor John Nicoletti said he did not see it as smart growth, but voted in favor to help pay back a $78 million loan the county obtained for to build a setback levee along the Feather River.

"We have a priority to pay our bills," Nicoletti said. "This project could help the overall share of the $78 million we borrowed for improvements to this part of the county."

Nicoletti expressed concern over the lack of a jobs-housing balance in the county.

He said the project's proposed retail space of two acres will not create enough jobs for the number of homes proposed, thus creating a commuter city.

"They're going to drive south," Nicoletti said, referring to residents who would need to travel to Sacramento for work. "It will impose a huge amount of vehicle traffic."

The applicant, JTS Communities, acknowledged the project would add more homes than jobs and agreed to pay roughly $400,000 to the county to use toward industry recruitment and job retention.

"It's more money than what we've got and that's nothing," said Supervisor Mary Jane Griego.

Country Club Estates is "smart growth," Griego said.

"I think it's walkable. There are parks and open space and there's a lot of value in that," she said.

Supervisor Hal Stocker said, although this is not his ideal development project, it does have some redeeming qualities.

"It's not in the foothills," he said jokingly.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Andrea Koskey at 749-4709 or akoskey@appealdemocrat.com