http://www.wildcalifornia.org/actions/number-63
EPIC Update and Action Alert (Updated)
November 2, 2007
URGENT!
Public support needed! If you can, please attend the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting on November 6 at 1:30 PM and testify in favor of extending the Interim Ordinance restricting residential development in TPZ lands!
Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Meeting Tuesday, November 6 to Invite Public Testimony
On Tuesday, November 6, 2007, at 1:30 PM, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will consider whether to extend the Interim Ordinance passed on October 9 restricting residential construction in TPZ lands (lands zoned for timber production) for 45 days. This extension is needed if the County is to prevent the rush to develop on TPZ lands that will follow upon the expiration of the Interim Ordinance on November 22, at which time there will be a gap before a regular ordinance can take effect, unless the Board acts this Tuesday the 6th to extend the Interim Ordinance.
On top of a trend of property owners building residences on TPZ lands in Humboldt just to evade taxes, Maxxam/Pacific Lumber (PL) has revealed a plan to develop 160-acre "kingdom" properties for sale on some 22,000 acres of its forestlands. These and other large timberholdings are at grave risk if the Board fails to close the "gap" and make sure a rush of applications such as those contemplated by PL does not flood the County and open up a Pandora's box of de facto conversions of TPZ lands across Humboldt.
Extending the Interim Ordinance would prevent large residential encroachments on the TPZ lands whose maintenance as timber-producing areas is essential to the local economy of Humboldt County, while it would enable property owners with legitimate needs to accomplish their goals. As pointed out by the Humboldt Watershed Council, "[u]nder the policies being proposed for the General Plan Update, anyone who wishes to build a house on their timberland, and whose property meets certain defined criteria, would be able to get an over-the-counter administrative permit with a minimum of hassle, and no discretionary review. Anyone whose proposal does not meet the defined terms for the administrative permit would still be able to seek a Conditional Use Permit at the discretion of the Board of Supervisors. This approach would weed out the speculators and 'bad actors,' with a minimum of inconvenience to those with legitimate needs."
This balance will also help to prioritize the protection and restoration of timberlands and watersheds that have undergone serious degradation in recent decades, particularly those under the control of PL, by preventing unnecessary development that would be far more damaging to forests and watersheds than responsible forest management.
Time is short, and the Board of Supervisors is under pressure from some quarters to repeal the Interim Ordinance, or at least let it expire. The public is mobilizing to show up at the hearing and give testimony on Tuesday the 6th supporting the proposal to extend the Interim Ordinance. The more concerned members of the public show up and support the actions of the Board to protect TPZ lands, the better the chance that the Board will prevent a rash of de facto conversions from wrecking the timber base of the local economy.
ACTION: ATTEND the hearing on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6.
When: 1:30 PM (EPIC recommends arriving a half-hour early to secure a spot)
Where: Humboldt County Board of Supervisors
825 Fifth Street, Room 111
Eureka, CA 95501
(707) 476-2384
SOME POINTS FOR THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (feel free to add your own):
- TPZ is for Timber!
- The current loophole in the law, if left alone, will open up a Pandora's Box of residential conversions in timberlands across the County, particularly if large industrial timberholders like PL are allowed to conduct de facto conversions like the proposed "kingdom" ranch developments.
- The County has a responsibility to protect the work already done and funds already expended on the update of the General Plan that began years ago. No industrial timberland owner should be allowed to hijack the General Plan process with premature de-facto conversions that would seriously disrupt the work of the Planning Commission and the Board.
- The proposal protects landowners with legitimate needs by allowing them to build if they satisfy certain criteria, and even if they don't, they may still seek a Conditional Use Permit.
- Industrial timberlands in Humboldt County are in need of restoration, preservation, and responsible management - not destruction through development.
Contact information for the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors:
If you cannot be at the hearing on the 6th, please contact the five Supervisors below and tell them that TPZ is for timber! And to please extend the moratorium. As always, be polite for maximum effectiveness.
Humboldt County Supervisors:
Jimmy Smith: jrsmith@co.humboldt.ca.us 476-2391
Roger Rodoni: roger.rodoni@co.humboldt.ca.us 476-2392
John Woolley: JWoolley@co.humboldt.ca.us 476-2393
Bonnie Neely: bneely@co.humboldt.ca.us 476-2394
Jill Geist: jill.geist@co.humboldt.ca.us 476-2395
THANK YOU!
For the Wild,
Sam Johnston
Private Lands Campaigner, EPIC
Sam Johnston
Private Lands Campaigner
Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC)
P.O. Box 397
Garbererville, CA 95542
(707) 923-2931
(707) 923-4210 (fax)
www.wildcalifornia.org
