Mariposa News - Midpines News - News Of The Midpines Area Of Mariposa County

Regular Monthly Meeting
MIDPINES PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Midpines Community Center

Thursday, 21 January 2010, 7 – 9 p. m.

Public Presentations: the law provides the opportunity for the public to be heard. On agenda items, comments will be allowed, at the time of that items discussion. All other subjects may be heard under comments on non-agenda items. The Chairperson will give permission to speak and may set time limits as appropriate to manage the Agenda.

1. Call to Order 7 p.m.

2. Sign-in and Introductions

3. Approval of 17 December, 2009 meeting minutes

4. Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items

5. Election of Officers for 2010

6. Discussion/Action Items

a. Proposed Midpines Interagency Fire Station

b. Need for a Master Plan for Midpines Park

c. Review of proposed Midpines Planning Advisory Committee bylaws

d. Vacant Committee positions

e. Midpines Planning Issues and Concerns

7. Information and Report Items

a. Midpines Planning Advisory Committee Chair

b. Supervisor, District 1

c. Planning Commissioner, District 1

d. Parks and Recreation Commission, District 1 Commissioner

8. Next meetings: dates and agendas

9. Adjournment, 9 p.m.

Send your ideas and comments to the committee at:

MidpinesPAC@yahoo.com

If specific accommodations are needed for you to participate, please contact Carol Suggs csuggs@mariposacounty.org at 966-5151 as soon as possible, at least three working days prior to the meeting.

Any member unable to attend, please call Don Fox @ 966-5511

Midpines Planning Advisory Committee

Minutes December 17, 2009

Draft

Members Present: Candy O’Donel-Browne, Doug Chappell, Don Fox, Charles Lammers, Lee Stetson, Mandy Vance, and Marvin Wells

Ex-Officio Members: Brad Aborn, District One Supervisor, Gary Francisco, Planning Commission, Ron Loya, District One Parks and Recreation Commission

Members Excused: Nancy Jones, Carmen Mecleary

Guest Speaker: Rita Kidd, Mariposans for the Environment and Responsible Government

Guest: Rick Benson, County Administrative Officer; Len McKenzie; Tony Kidd; Gerald Sarazin, and Gary Walker

Meeting: Called to order at 7:05

Minutes: November 19, 2009 meeting minutes approved

Guest Presentation: Rita Kidd, MERG Board of Directors

Persons with expertise in planning and design are invited periodically to orient the Committee and Midpines residents on the background and process of developing a Community Plan.

Ms. Kidd discussed the Mariposa County General Plan (GP) and how the need to complete the next level of planning (Planning Area and Area Plans; including Specific Plans, Town Plans, community Plans, etc.), fits into the process. She used a PowerPoint presentation to outline the statutory requirements, the process Mariposa County followed to craft the GP, and problems the people of Mariposa County anticipates solving.

Rita explained that the general plan acts as the "principle policy of Mariposa County" for making rational decisions regarding the Counties long-term physical development. The general plan expresses the community's development goals and incorporates public policies relative to the distribution of future public and private land uses. California State law requires that each county adopt a general plan "for the physical development of the county and any land outside its boundaries which bears relation to its planning." Typically, a general plan is designed to address the issues facing the county for the next 15-20 years. “Three years have lapsed since the Mariposa County General Plan was adopted and NO progress has been made to either implement the Plan or set annual goals to accomplish”.

A discussion followed the PowerPoint presentation with several question on how Mariposa County can develop a strategy to complete Community Plans for all 16 communities within the life span of the GP. It is not clear the Board of Supervisors have a means to judge success or progress of implementing the General Plan and the impediments. In the last 3 years, developers and attorneys seem to be setting the plan implementation agenda for the Board; instead of the Board demonstrating leadership and setting the priorities. The sentiment of individuals attending the meeting was a feeling of helplessness and that the Board needs to find a way to take control of this huge challenge. MERG is competing for grant money to that this will be the

Discussion Items:

· Midpines Fire station and Park master plan. Rick Benson represented Mariposa County on this agenda item.

· Public Works has awarded a contract to complete National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)compliance for the 3 proposed fire stations.

· Two alternatives are being evaluated: a) building a 2-bay back to back structure on the site of the existing fire station, and b) a 4-bay side-by-side structure at the back southwest corner of the site.

· Two additional alternatives were discussed to improve public safety and decrease opportunities for conflicts between the interagency fire station and park activities; a) contiguous to and north of the Park entrance road, and b) contiguous to and west of the large parking lot.

· The fire station will be on the January 11, 2010, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting at the Senior Center.

· The Committee is concerned that the Public Works Department has failed to complete a master plan for Midpines Community Park, as articulated in the Mariposa County Parks and Recreation Master Plan, adopted September 2001, and that the proposed interagency expanded ‘footprint’ prohibits fulfilling the communities vision for an expanded Midpines Community Park.

Midpines Planning Advisory Committee Bylaws:

Gary Francisco, John Schroeder, and Don Fox, met with Steve Dehlam, County Council, and Karen Peneschi, Mariposa County Planner, December 10, 2009, to discuss the draft bylaws. Steve was concerned that the Draft Bylaws were not consistent with the 2003 resolution and expanded the scope of the Planning Advisory Committee. We explained that we essentially mirrored Fish Camp and Wawona bylaws. It was decided that Karen, with Planning Director Kris Shenk’s guidance, would review and reformat the bylaws for a Board of Supervisors resolution.

Reports:

Gary Francisco, District One Planning Commissioner, described the Commission’s findings for the proposed Fish Camp Silver Tip Lodge development. A discussion followed on why the developer is not required to construct recreation amenities for the Fish Camp Community.

Next Meeting: January 21, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

Meeting adjourned: 9:30 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted By: Don Fox, Chair

MIDPINES CONCERNS AND ISSUES, DRAFT

Rank	#
	1	Where is professional and commercial use/development allowed, and under what circumstances?
	2	Should home businesses (industry, office, agriculture) be subject to more restrictive rules regarding noise, size of workforce, traffic, parking, etc.?
	3	Should other larger but unobtrusive businesses (e.g. call centers, software development facilities etc.) be allowed? What kind, with what restrictions?
	4	Should certain proposed development (both landscaping and structures) be subject to design review by the committee? Which ones and where?
	5	Where are dwelling unit clusters allowed, and under what circumstances?
	6	If the Scenic Highway Overlay is not enforceable, how can it be made so?
	7	Should we take explicit action to protect heritage trees, and if so, where and how?
	8	How can we energize the county to formulate and enforce a uniform set of rules regarding the placement and camouflaging of cell towers?
	9	Should mobile home parks be allowed, and under what circumstances.
	10	Should we be more restrictive regarding dwelling unit density as defined under the new General Plan?
	11	Under what circumstances is development allowed on ridgelines and open hillsides?
	12	Should we consider restrictions on night outdoor lighting?
	13	Development generally – how will it positively affect the quality of life in Midpines? How will it negatively affect it?
	14	Should we seek to develop hiking trails and day use facilities for residents and tourists?
	15	Does more housing in Midpines for YNP/DNC employees need to be provided, and if so, how and where and for how many?
	16	How can we formulate and enforce rules regarding eyesores and other public nuisances visible from public roads?
	17	Should the rural land use classification be modified?
	18	How much water do we have and when do we run out? Where are the areas most at risk of a water shortage? What protections for existing usage should be put in place?
	19	What actions should Midpines residents take to minimize fire danger?
	20	How/when will the road net be upgraded to serve new development? Who will pay for it?
Your Additional Ideas & Concerns
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What do we want the Midpines Community plan to accomplish?

§ Provide a forum for the Midpines Community to exercise self-determination on planning and other issues which affect quality of life in Midpines and the rural character of Midpines.

§ Compliment the Mariposa County General Plan.

§ Articulate goals, objectives, and requirements to guide growth in
the Midpines planning area for the next 15-20 years.

§ Identify sensitive cultural and natural resources and identify strategies to protect them.

§ Designates areas through zoning where developers can provide a
range of housing and retail options to accommodate a range and type of housing needs and good and services.

§ Serve as a basis for collaborative land use management decision
making between all those owning or managing land, i.e., individuals, developers, government agencies, and NGO’s.

§ Serve to provide guidance for Mariposa County to acquire land for County parks, multiuse trails, open space, etc.

§ Provide guidance for fire prevention or mitigation through land management.

§ Identify and establish strategies for: ecosystems protection, protecting scenic resources, terrain features, neighborhoods at risk, and alternative transportation planning.

§ Additional goals

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