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Berry Creek/Brush Creek - Community Meeting Summary
The Butte County General Plan 2030 Community
Workshop for the Berry Creek/Brush Creek communities
was held on May 19th, 2007. This meeting
is one of 20 community meetings scheduled to take
place in all of the unincorporated parts of Butte
County. The meetings are designed to take input
directly from community members about their area’s
assets, issues, and community vision for
consideration of land use changes by the General
Plan 2030 process.
The subject of this meeting included the mountain
communities of Berry Creek and Brush Creek, and
roughly all that outlying area between the North and
Middle Forks of the Feather River northeast to
Plumas County including Lake Madrone and Mountain
House. About 70 people attended this meeting. Also
in attendance were 3 members of Butte County's
Citizens Advisory Committee (Sue Seropian, Michael
Evans, and Bruce McClintock). Butte County
Department of Development Services staff Tim
Snellings and Dan Breedon gave an overview of the
Butte County General Plan 2030 process as an
introduction to the meeting. For the next 90
minutes, they facilitated a discussion about the
area's assets, issues, and areas for potential
future change. The following summarizes the assets,
issues and vision discussed at this meeting.
Assets
Community members present at this meeting valued the
area’s community spirit and frontier attitude.
Most identified the natural beauty, closeness with
nature, privacy, climate, low population, and peace
and quiet as defining community features that
exemplify the reasons for living in this area. Many
felt that the area was still affordable, especially
in light of the increasing housing costs in the
balance of the County.
Recreational and forest resources were also highly
regarded, including the access provided to Lake
Oroville, hiking and picnicking at Bald Rock, clear
night skies, and opportunities for viewing local
wildlife. People also indicated that the historical
and cultural resources of the area, as well as the
local cemetery, are important parts of the area’s
heritage. The non-profit Camp Okizu, a camp
maintained for children with cancer and their
families, was identified as a valued local
organization.
Community members stated that government services
were improving and that the County Public Works
Department provided good snow and ice removal during
the winter months. Community members were also
pleased to have a resident Sheriff’s Deputy who
patrols much of the outlying area. The local
volunteer fire department was also singled out as a
valued asset.
Issues
The use of County and private roads topped the list
of issues needing attention in this area. Many felt
that Bald Rock Road and Rockerfeller Road needed
improvements to provide for the increase in levels
of traffic since they were first improved. Access
to Lake Oroville was another circulation issue that
community members felt needed improvement, along
with the need for a Fire Safety Plan that would
designate emergency evacuation routes and fire
breaks. Many people agreed that private roads
needed better maintenance and signage, and that
off-highway vehicle use, a recreational pursuit of
many visitors to the area, needed to be directed
away from trespassing on private property and
roads.
Community members noted the lack of public services
and community meeting space. They identified that
local programs are necessary to engage local youth,
a medical center or similar emergency care provider
is needed to provide for the public’s health, and a
public park or community center is needed to host
community events and provide for community based
recreation. Community members also felt that any
new development should “pay its own way”, and that
commercial zoning should be provided for future
commercial services as well as existing commercial
uses.
Several areas in need of improved regulation and
enforcement were identified, including the abatement
of abandoned vehicles, prosecution and clean-up of
illegal dumping, the abandonment of domestic animals
in the area, and the regulation of noise from loud
music and generators at area residences, and gunfire
in close proximity to the community. Some felt that
although they valued the resident Sheriff’s Deputy,
law enforcement’s presence and response could be
improved upon.
Vision
Several community members spoke in favor of the
creation of a rural development plan that would
address the special needs of rural areas while
helping to address past deficiencies and recognizing
and protecting the rural quality of the area.
Community members present wished to maintain larger
parcel sizes for the area, but also wished to
consider the future creation of a “town center” that
could incorporate the commercial, public and service
needs of the community such as a youth center,
medical center, museum, and community meeting place.
A community park was also identified as a need for
the future. Clustering development around existing
communities was also identified as a strategy to
allow for some growth while protecting the areas
natural assets.
Community members indicated that access to Lake
Oroville needed enhancement and, in some cases, to
be re-opened and improved. Future improvement was
also identified as needed for Bald Rock Road to make
it pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Other future
public improvement needs mentioned included a
transfer station for household recycling and other
waste, public transportation services, and new
telecommunication facilities (cell towers) to
improve public safety and Internet access.
The information obtained from this meeting will be
provided to the Butte County 2030 Citizens Advisory
Committee, the Planning Commission, and the Board of
Supervisors. The information will be used to help
create the Butte County General Plan 2030 land use
alternatives that will be discussed in Workshop
Series #2, which began with a Public Workshop on May
17, 2007. This Public Workshop will follow with
additional meetings with the Citizens Advisory
Committee on May 31st, the Planning Commission, and
the Board of Supervisors.
Berry Creek/Brush Creek
Assets-Issues-Vision
Assets List
1.
Community spirit (Berry Creek Festival August
11th)
2.
Frontier spirit and individual freedom
3.
Clean air and water
4.
peace and quiet
5.
Safety
6.
Few regulations
7.
Natural beauty
8.
Climate
9.
Living in harmony with nature
10.
Low population and privacy
11.
Commercial uses in area (General Stores, Gas
Station)
12.
Bald Rock Hiking/Picnicking
13.
Recreation (hiking, camping, fishing,
kayaking)
14.
Scenic Natural Resources (Bald Rock, Foreman
Creek, Bald Rock Dome, Curtain Falls, and Milsap
Bar)
15.
Clear night skies
16.
Access to Lake Oroville
17.
Snow and ice removal by Public Works
Department
18.
Volunteer Fire Department
19.
Churches
20.
Affordable homes
21.
Wildlife
22.
Cultural and historical resources, cemetery
23.
Forest resources
24.
Camp Okizu (local camp for children with
cancer and their families)
25.
Ability to participate in Enloe Hospitals
Lifeflight (Helicopter) emergency medical evacuation
program for a fee.
26.
Resident Sheriff’s deputy
27.
Government services are getting better
Issues
List
1.
Diminished air quality during logging
activities such as slash burning
2.
No local health center or emergency medical
center
3.
Need youth activities and services
4.
Any new development must pay its own way
5.
Zoning needs to provide for commercial
services
6.
Truck traffic and detours through local areas
impact area roads and circulation
7.
County Road maintenance (Bald Rock Road,
Rockerfeller Road) through allocation of federal
money; upgrading necessary on Bald Rock Road due to
increase in daily trips since first built.
8.
The limitation of access to Lake Oroville by
the State (access at Foreman Creek Road has been
discontinued)
9.
Ensure that local Realtors disclose any
problems with private access roads to future buyers
and the need for ongoing maintenance
responsibilities of these private roads.
10.
Need fire safety plan with designated fire
breaks and access routes
11.
Off Highway Vehicle trespass
12.
Equity of how tax monies are allocated
between rural areas like Berry Creek and urban
areas.
13.
Improved law enforcement services (resident
Sheriff Deputy is an asset)
14.
Abandoned domestic animals in area
15.
Illegal dumping and abandoned vehicles
16.
Potential groundwater impacts from growth
17.
More reliable utilities as well as Internet
providers besides slower dial-up service.
18.
Noise impacts from loud music at area
residences, gunfire in close proximity to community
and electrical generator noise.
Vision
1.
The creation of a Rural Development Plan
2.
Maintain larger parcel sizes or cluster
smaller parcels near existing development
3.
Preserve and enhance deer range and wildlife
corridors
4.
Improve Bald Rock Road to make it pedestrian
and bicycle friendly and set speed limits on private
roads.
5.
A “Town Center” that could incorporate
commercial, public, and service needs of the
community.
6.
Re-establish the medical center
7.
Development of Fire Safety Plan for access
routes and fire breaks
8.
A local museum to preserve local history
9.
The construction of a community park
(possibly next to the Berry Creek School)
10.
A Community Center for community meetings and
events
11.
Having the Forest Service occupy the fire
look-out tower on Bloomer Mountain for fire safety
12.
The development of an artist community
13.
Lake Oroville access at French Creek, Berry
Creek, and Foreman Creek Roads re-established.
14.
Development of a transfer station for
recycling and other waste
15.
Encourage new telecommunication facilities
and construction of cell towers for better
communication and public safety
16.
Public Transportation services to area
17.
Plumas/Butte County route 119 open all year |
