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Butte County General Plan 2030
Community Meeting Summary
The Butte County General Plan
2030 Community Workshop for the Unincorporated
Paradise Area was held on Wednesday, May 30,
2007, at the Paradise Veterans Hall. This meeting
is one of 20 community meetings scheduled to take
place in locations covering 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
consideration of land use changes during the General
Plan 2030 process.
About 66 people attended the
Unincorporated Paradise Area-Wide Workshop. Also in
attendance were five members of Butte County's
Citizens Advisory Committee (Georgie Bellin, April
Grossberger, Scarlett Kettell, Bruce McClintock, and
Sue Seropian). Tim Snellings, Butte County
Development Services Director, introduced the
workshop and staff and consultants. David Early,
Founding Principal of Design, Community &
Environment (DC&E), the lead General Plan
consultant, provided an overview of the meeting
content and format. Butte County Department of
Development Services Principal Planner Dan Breedon
then provided an overview of the Butte County
General Plan 2030 process and General Plan 2030’s
Guiding Principles, which were approved by the Butte
County Board of Supervisors on February 13, 2007.
Tanya Higgins, Project Planner of DC&E then
presented a summary of existing conditions in the
Unincorporated Paradise Area and of issues that were
raised during prior public workshops and meetings.
For the next 45 minutes, County and DC&E staff
facilitated eight breakout discussion groups about
the area's assets, issues, and areas for potential
future change. The following summarizes the assets
and issues discussed at this meeting:
Throughout the groups, there was
an emphasis on fire and emergency access issues in
the Paradise area, especially for the area north of
Paradise where access is constrained by the Magalia
Reservoir Dam and the intersection of three major
roadways (the Skyway, Pentz Road and Clark Road).
Many participants suggested alternate routes to
address this issue, and some indicated a need to
provide multiple alternative routes so that there
are options depending on the location and scale of a
future fire. Other participants felt that improved
maintenance of existing roads would address the
problem.
There were also concerns raised
about one-lane cul-de-sac developments in which
there are too many houses than can be supported by
the roadway, especially in the case of a fire
evacuation. Participants suggested road capacity
improvements to address these problems.
Some participants requested
funding for the staffing of existing lookout
facilities. There was also a suggestion for
assessing fees on timber harvest permits to fund
fire management projects, such as fuel breaks.
Another key issue at this meeting
was wastewater and water infrastructure.
Participants discussed the possibility of a regional
sewer treatment facility, community wastewater
disposal systems, sewer lines and alternative septic
systems. There was a suggestion that a wastewater
management district be established for the Paradise
Pines area. There was also a suggestion that an
inspection and maintenance program be established in
order to assure the long-term functionality of
septic systems.
Participants felt strongly that
water supply should be maintained and improved.
There were concerns about drainage issues south of
Paradise that could negatively impact water
quality.
Some participants felt that
growth should be limited until access and
infrastructure needs are met, also suggesting the
use of growth boundaries and clustered development
to make infrastructure more efficient. Participants
also wanted to ensure that the rural and scenic
character of the communities remain. There were
some concerns raised about the deer herd migration
zones that are in place under the County’s Zoning
Ordinance. Several people also raised the issue of
illegal dumping and its impacts on the communities,
as well as a need for increased law enforcement.
In general, participants
supported the notion of development standards to
ensure consistency between the projects under the
jurisdiction of the County and Town. Participants
also suggested the use of impact fees on new
development. Some participants felt that there is
room for more commercial development in the area,
but that it should be subject to development
standards.
Several groups felt that
additional recreational facilities are needed,
including bicycle and equestrian trails. In
addition, there was a suggestion that additional
medical facilities be located in the area.
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.
Provide
the detailed list of Community Assets, Issues and
Change Areas Here:
(forthcoming) |
