Developers of the East of Fairview project, who want to build
more than 1,000 homes on county land near Hillcrest and Sunnyslope
roads, submitted a timeline for the project this week that sets
February, 2007 as the target date for final approval.
Hollister – Developers of the East of Fairview project, who want to build more than 1,000 homes on county land near Hillcrest and Sunnyslope roads, submitted a timeline for the project this week that sets February, 2007 as the target date for final approval.
Tuesday supervisors gave Interim Planning Director Michael Bethke the okay to take the initial step: accepting bids for an outside planner who would be dedicated to East of Fairview. The position will be paid for by the developer.
“What we’re really hoping for is someone who can stay with the project, so as we move the project forward we know we’re on the right track,” said David Wade, a Sacramento-based land planner who represents the landowners who want to build the project.
State law requires the county to provide a planner when someone enters an application for a development project. Because of the size of the East of Fairview project and a lack of staff in the building department, the county must hire an outside planner to do the job.
The current version of East of Fairview – including up to 1,092 dwellings, parks, retail space and an elementary school – has been on the drawing boards since the late 1990s. It moved forward in 2001 when the county planning commission certified an environmental impact report.
Due to widespread anti-growth sentiment in the county at that time, the developers never took the next step of requesting approval from the planning commission, according to Wade.
Developers now hope that the county’s need for housing, including affordable units, will make officials and residents receptive to the project.
Included on the timeline submitted this week are traffic, utility and fiscal studies to take place in October and November, and community presentations over the next several months. The timeline sets August, 2006 as the date that environmental reports for the project will be available for public review.
Because of the county’s 1 percent growth cap, any plan would in theory have to be approved by county voters. But when Supervisor Pat Loe asked Wade where a public vote fit in on the project timeline, he said that he didn’t think a vote would be required.
“Our position now is that we’re excluded,” Wade said.
Loe asked County Counsel Claude Biddle to research the matter and report back to the board.
Wade did not return phone calls Thursday.
