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Nord
Community Meeting
Summary
The Butte County
General Plan 2030 Community Workshop for the Nord
community was held on May 14th, 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 25 people
attended the Nord meeting. Also in attendance were 3
members of Butte County's Citizens Advisory
Committee (Sue Seropian, Allen Hackett, and Bruce
McClintock). Butte County Airport Land Use
Commission Chair Bob Hennigan was also in
attendance. 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
valued Nord’s quiet, country lifestyle and small
town atmosphere, and also recognized the importance
of the rich agricultural lands surrounding the town
in maintaining this lifestyle and adding to the
local economy. The Nord Country School, which was
recently converted from a public school to a charter
school by many of Nord’s involved citizenry, was
recognized as the community’s main asset. In
addition to providing options for elementary school
education, the school provides an important role as
a community center and meeting place for other
groups, such as 4H. Community meeting participants
also felt that Nord’s residents enjoyed a neighborly
sense of community and safety, which sets Nord apart
from the more urbanized Chico area to the south
where traffic and urban problems are more prevalent.
Issues
Since Nord was
settled relatively early in the County’s history, it
was not developed with the same infrastructure
present in more modern developments located in Butte
County. Consequently, Nord has had problems with
flooding and drainage in the past, and many felt
that some of these problems originate from off-site
developments located in the North Chico Specific
Plan area. Community members also felt that
services should be enhanced in the areas of
recycling, animal control, enforcement of illegal
dumping, abandoned vehicles and mosquito abatement.
Many present also recognized Nord’s agricultural
setting and heritage, and wished to protect this
resource by limiting subdivisions and ensuring
enforcement of Williamson Act Contracts.
Groundwater resources were likewise mentioned as
needing protection for the continued future use by
residents of Butte County. The use of wood burning
stoves to generate heat was also mentioned as a
necessary aspect of Nord life, which should be
protected from regulation. Lastly, many mentioned
that some commercial use and zoning was needed to
serve Nord’s citizens, since the closing of the
area’s only General Store several years ago. Many
felt that such local commercial services are
necessitated by the high cost of fuel.
Vision
Nord’s vision for
the future into the year 2030 was to maintain Nord’s
quiet rural and small town lifestyle, but to also
ensure that Nord Country School stays open and
continues to serve the needs of the area.
Additional new development was not specifically
discussed, but residents believe that any future
development must pay its own way and fully address
its impact on the community. The enforcement of
county code violations and the abatement of
abandoned vehicles and dumping were identified as
critical to maintaining Nord’s future way of life.
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
begins with a Public Workshop on May 17, 2007 at
6:00 to 9:00 pm at the Oroville Municipal
Auditorium. This Public Workshop will follow with
additional meetings with the Citizens Advisory
Committee, Planning Commission, and Board of
Supervisors.
Assets-Issues-Vision
Assets
List
1.
Quiet, safe and away from city life in Chico
2.
Nord Country School
3.
Friendly neighbors and residents
4.
Landscaping and green foliage year round
5.
Wildlife
6.
No traffic
Issues
List
1.
Flooding in parts of the community
2.
North Chico Specific Plan did not address or
mitigate off-site drainage impacts to Nord
3.
Other development in vicinity such as
proposed Chico Wal-Mart and Meridian Road proposals
could adversely impact traffic and drainage
4.
Drainage needs to be funded through CSA 87
5.
Need to address backflow of drainage
6.
Need for improved animal control
7.
Need for curbside or similar recycling
service
8.
Need to discourage rural ranchettes in area
to protect the area’s agricultural interests (limit
the creation of 15 and 20-acre parcels surrounding
Nord)
9.
Ensure the for the proper regulation and
enforcement of the Williamson Act
10.
Need for the extension of Eaton to SR-32 for
better traffic flow
11.
Mosquito abatement
12.
Illegal dumping and abandoned vehicles
13.
Abatement of existing violations
14.
Consider an advanced disposal fee to help
alleviate dumping problem
15.
Protect Butte County’s aquifers and prohibit
the exportation of groundwater (as is taking place
in Glenn County)
16.
Allowance for wood burning stoves, since many
depend on them for heat in the Nord area.
17.
Allow for some commercial use such as the old
General Store to help these uses to become
established. High gas prices make such neighborhood
stores more economical.
18.
Train Noise, especially excessive horn use
during the night time hours.
Vision
1.
Ensure that any development pays its own way
2.
Maintain existing rural and small town
lifestyle
3.
Address illegal dumping and enforce
violations
4.
Keep the Nord Country School open |
