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Stirling
City - Community Meeting Summary
The Butte County General Plan 2030 Community
Workshop for the Stirling City community was held on
June 11, 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 meeting. Also in
attendance were 2 members of Butte County's Citizens
Advisory Committee (Bruce McClintock and Sue
Seropian). Butte County Department of Development
Services staff Dan Breedon 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
A community rich with history, Stirling City is home
to the former Diamond Sawmill opened in 1901 and
closed 1958. Once a booming industrial community,
this compact woodland community now has a population
of approximately 300. Current residents enjoy the
community’s peace and quiet and are prideful of its
history and natural beauty. They also recognize and
appreciate the benefits of the resulting tourism.
The community’s museum/library and hotel are key
destinations for many visitors. The privately owned
Merlo Park is another local attraction that is open
to the public and available for weddings and other
social functions. Community members identified
tourism as the primary way to stimulate the local
economy and they supported the promotion of tourism
for this reason.. Additional assets are listed
below.
Issues
Community members identified a broad array of issues
ranging from conflicts with existing commercial
zoning to illegal dumping on private property. In
its early history, Stirling City was a booming
industrial town complete with hotel, restaurant, and
picture house. Since the days of the boom, the
commercial/retail business has sharply tapered off,
leaving many vacancies and buildings in disrepair.
Currently, community members looking to open a
business are encouraged to do so in existing
commercial areas. Some feel other locations may be
better suited.
Illegal dumping is a common problem in this remote
community. Owners are often forced to cleanup trash
at their own expense or are forced to leave it due
to unaffordable cleanup costs.
Additional issues include the closure of the
Brakebill Elementary School, animal abandonment,
unleashed dogs wandering residential streets, and
frustrating experiences working with the County on
governmental services and regulation. See below for
the complete list of issues.
Vision
Many Stirling City residents envision a lively
community with thriving tourism. Residents believe
one way to achieve this goal is to pave the Skyway
from Stirling City to Butte Meadows. Improving this
stretch of the Skyway will better suit the route for
through travel and offer vacationers and
recreationalists an alternate route to Butte
Meadows. It was also suggested that an area be set
aside for a visitor’s kiosk to help guide travelers
in the area, and to provide an area for public
restrooms. State Route 32 is currently the preferred
route to the recreational opportunities in that
community. In addition to the potential for
improving tourism, road improvements will also offer
an additional evacuation route in the event of a
wildfire.
An additional vision was to utilize the abandon
railroad spur as a bike route and equestrian trail
connecting the community to the Town of Paradise and
ultimately the City of Chico. This corridor
improvement would offer transportation alternatives,
recreational opportunities and potentially boost
tourism. Additional visions and goals are listed
below.
Stirling City
- Assets-Issues-Vision
- Assets List
- Natural beauty
- Rich history
- Plentiful recreational
opportunities
- Local museum and library
- Tourism
- Peace and quiet
- Compact form- walkability
- Sewer System
- Merlo Park
Issues List
- Conflicts with existing
commercial zoning
- Reopen public school-
reduce vehicle trips to Magalia
- Antiquated communication
services- need cell tower and cable
- Limited emergency
access/evacuation route
- Improve maintenance of
Skyway between Stirling City and Butte Meadows
- Illegal dumping on
private and public land
- Vehicle abandonment on
private and public land
- Trespassing- Off Highway
Vehicle use on private land / illegal parking /
litter
- Safety issue between
bicyclists and motorists on Skyway
- Need public rest area for
tourists
- Need enhanced mosquito
abatement- standing ponds
- Half the community is on
sewer while the other is on septic
- Ease permitting process
for improvement of lots on septic
- Improved maintenance of
sewer system
- Wandering dogs not on
leash- public safety issue
- Animal abandonment
- Inconsistent
interpretation of building codes
- Frustrating permitting
process- long wait time
- Building setbacks-
enforce with consistency
- Inconsistent building
inspection direction/comments
- No public transportation
- Vehicles frequently speed
on Skyway and Manzanita Street
Change Area / Vision
- New public park with
playground for kids
- Designate the Skyway as a
scenic corridor
- Expansion of the sewage
plant
- Streamline permit process
for home improvements and Septic Systems
- Add a sheriff substation
- Construct lookouts along
Skyway at scenic vistas
- Improve Skyway to Butte
Meadows resulting in increased tourism
- Future water storage -
Lake Stirling
- Need a gas station or gas
cooperative
- Preserve and enhance
existing community character
- Utilize abandoned
railroad spur as a bike route connecting to
Paradise and Chico
- Public transportation
linking community to other communities
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