Concow/Yankee Hill/Jarbo Gap Community Meeting (PowerPoint presented at meeting) <880 K PDF>

Monday, April 30^th at 6 p.m.
Concow Elementary School
11679 Nelson Bar Road, Concow
 

CONCOW / JARBO GAP / YANKEE HILL

Community Meeting Summary

The Butte County General Plan 2030 Community Workshop for the Concow, Jarbo Gap, and Yankee Hill communities was held on April 30, 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.

About 85 people attended the meeting. Also in attendance were 2 members of Butte County's Citizens Advisory Committee (Bruce McClintock and Mike Evans). Butte County Department of Development Services staff Chuck Thistlethwaite and Noel Carvalho gave an overview of the Butte County General Plan 2030 process as an introduction to the evening. 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 and issues discussed at this meeting: 

Assets

Concow, Jarbo Gap and Yankee Hill are neighboring foothill communities located east of Paradise and north of Lake Oroville. Scenic Route Highway 70 is the main road linking these communities to the urban areas. The abundance of timber, wildlife, and over all quality of life were assets identified by community members. Additionally, the residents noted the plentiful recreational opportunities offered by Concow Reservoir, Lake Oroville and the north and west branches of the Feather River. While secluded from urban development, the community appreciates the close proximity to services not available in the immediate area.

Issues

Community members noted several wide-ranging issues that need improvement, mostly focusing on circulation, public safety and recreation.

Concow Road and Dark Canyon Road are two roads identified as needing improvement and maintenance to enhance public safety, fire protection, and improve circulation throughout the area. Residents pointed out several un-paved County roads in need of additional maintenance as well. Additionally, many parcels in the area are not accessible by public roads and residents rely on private unpaved road easements for access. Unfortunately, high levels of use causes unpaved roads to quickly deteriorate. Some residents believe these roads should become County maintained rights of way in order to benefit from County maintenance.

Many residents also have concerns about fire safety given the past wildfire history.  In the event of a wildfire, residents doubt the adequacy of Concow road as an effective evacuation route. The narrow road could become easily blocked creating a difficult evacuation. The abundance of biomass along roads and public/private land is another issue.      

While the community identified several recreational opportunities presented by the lakes, rivers and creeks, access is an issue. The area has few local access points to the waterways forcing residents to drive farther to gain access.

Vision

Discussions about the communities’ future focused mainly around roads and public safety. Devastated by wildfire back in September 2001, residents have continuing concerns regarding fire safety. Community members agreed that the area needs an effective evacuation plan including a second route for evacuation. One member submitted a proposed plan identifying a second evacuation route. Additionally, community members would like to see County programs that promote fire safety and educate the community on retardant building and landscape materials. The vision also includes widening of Concow and other narrow roads in the area.   

CONCOW / JARBO GAP / YANKEE HILL

Assets-Issues-Vision

Assets List

1. Great air quality
2. Peace and quite / quality of life
3. Concow Reservoir as a recreational asset
4. Lake Oroville is close and has many recreational opportunities
5. The north and west branches of the Feather River have many recreational opportunities
6. Watershed / creeks  / water resources
7. Abundance of timber and wildlife
8. Recreational trails
9. Dark Canyon / access to fishing
10.  Messilla Valley School House
11.  Crain Park
12.  Close proximity to urban area for services outside the community

Issues List

1. Concow Lake cannot be easily accessed for recreational use
2. Dark Canyon Road should remain open for access to recreational opportunities
3. Vehicle abandonment, littering and illegal dumping on public/private property is a common problem
4. There needs  better access to rivers and lakes including boat ramps
5. The community needs a second evacuation route
6. Concow Road needs to be adequately maintained and widened to accommodate daily traffic and emergency vehicles
7. Growth impacts will put more stress on Concow Road
8. High use of private roads by multiple users / who will maintain / should become county right of way
9. No resident law enforcement
10. Antiquated phone service
11. The community should have its own zip code
12. Drugs / manufacturing and growing
13.  Inconsistent zoning and General Plan policies and designations
14.  Inconsistent interpretation of code by planning department
15.  In consistent zoning of neighboring parcels
16.  Several parcels have encroachment issues
17.  Development impact fees should be on a sliding scale
18.  Planning & building services should be more responsive to citizens needs.
19. The migratory deer herd needs to be mapped accurately
20.  Crain Park needs maintenance
21.  Timber harvesting practices deteriorate roads, cause erosion and other environmental impacts
22. The Community belongs to the Feather River Recreation and Park District but receives no service or benefit

Change Area / Vision

1. Second evacuation route for fires or other emergencies
2. Sherriff substation
3. County sponsored community clean up day
4. Expansion of public transportation linking Concow/Jarbow Gap/Yankee Hill with other communities
5. Wider roads with shoulders and turnouts
6. Community programs that promoting fire safety