LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Planning Commission has approved updates to plans for the mixed use residential, resort and winegrape growing project known as Cristallago, slated to be located on hundreds of acres in the north Lakeport area.
The project update went before the commission at its Thursday meeting.
Cristallago Development Corp. of Gridley, headed by President Matt Boeger, requested the certification of addendum to the project's environmental impact report, an amendment to the general plan of development and a time extension to the project's general plan of development, all of which the commission would grant in unanimous votes.
In 2010, the project was the focus of a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club Lake Group against the county of Lake and Cristallago Development Corp. following the Board of Supervisors' decision to give the project the go-ahead.
In particular, the lawsuit had alleged that the county had violated the California Environmental Quality Act by certifying the project's environmental impact report, which the suit claimed had failed to thoroughly address environmental issues and project impacts.
The lawsuit, which was settled in August 2010, called for additional mitigations and studies, and included the addition of new language to the general plan regarding mixed use resort proposals outside of community growth boundaries.
Planning staffers Josh Dorris, Audrey Knight and Peggy Barthel presented the report on the project to the commission on Thursday.
They explained that, as originally submitted, the project was to have included a 187-acre, 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course; 587 acres of open space; 650 single family homes; 325 resort units; a 25,000-square-foot clubhouse/Tuscan Hillside Village; and an entryway commercial center.
The project's plan has been altered and Boeger now proposes to remove the golf course and replace it with a 292-acre Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard.
The revamped Cristallago also would have 624 acres of open space, of which 292 acres would be the sustainably farmed vineyard and 300 acres would be dedicated in perpetuity as a nature preserve. A 15-acre parcel at the project's main entrance, to be situated at Park Way and Highway 29, would preserve the fields with oak trees where the vineyard is not planted, according to planning documents.
Other project aspects include 475 residential lots in the project's northern portion; 325 resort units, a count which encompasses a 65-unit hotel; a vista spa atop one of the project's highest points; a community center and staffed “kid's club”; fitness center; swimming pool; a 17,000-square-foot commercial wine village that would include 7,000 square feet of wine tasting, 10,000 square feet of retail space – including a 75-seat restaurant – and a visitor center, with the commercial center relocated to the southern end of the project footprint.
Cristallago as now envisioned would be built in three phases. Phase one entails preparing, planting and farming the vineyard only over a 15- to 20-year period.
Dorris said main concerns were hydrology and water quality, and a preliminary assessment on water supply showed that the wells that would supply the project would be independent from the Scotts Valley aquifer. Those wells would meet the vineyard's required peak month irrigation flow rate, with subsequent phases needing to annex to County Service Area 21 in order to obtain the necessary water supply.
Barthel said Cristallago's original environmental impact report looked at impacts when a golf course was still part of the plan.
Regarding grading, a vineyard is not much different than a golf course in terms of environmental impact, she said, thus staff felt an addendum to the environmental impact report was appropriate.
It was noted during the meeting that the county's agricultural commissioner was not necessarily a proponent of the project due to the proximity of the wine crush facility to homes.
As in the past, neighbors raised objections to the project, including one man who said he and his wife recently retired to the area and had bought land adjacent to the project, but had no idea that Cristallago was proposed next door.
Other neighbors to the project, John Lee and Brad Peters – both of whom have been vocal opponents of Cristallago since its inception more than a decade ago – were on hand to once against lodge their protests.
Lee called Cristallago “just the same old mudball” wrapped up in a new ribbon, while Peters said he felt a standalone vineyard was the better option, and pointed out that the valley floor in that area is sinking.
Sierra Club Lake Group representative Victoria Brandon said that the area remains in a very serious drought situation.
“There is tremendous justifiable concern throughout the community about water,” she said, adding, “This is a great big project, they can afford to do a new evaluation of the water.”
Brandon added that she believed the updated plan was a “major improvement” over the previous one.
Boeger told the commission that he started working on the project in 2004, and spent six years and almost $3 million to get the project through the proper studies, including the 2,500-page environmental impact report.
He said no one before this project or since it was proposed has conducted this level of study.
Boeger noted that the project's layout has been reconfigured to place the core commercial center closer to the main access point off of Highway 29 and Park Way.
The main change, he said, was to remove the golf course, which was going to cost $20 million to build.
“It became economically unsustainable in today's marketplace,” he said, explaining that adding the vineyard was more in keeping with the county and will offer cash flow.
He said the revised Cristallago concept is modeled after the Napa Valley Reserve project, which is a small boutique community facility vineyard.
While there will be some label making and design, that will account for 5 percent of the vineyard's production, with Boeger adding that they are not proposing to conduct a full-scale winemaking operation at the site.
He estimated 1,000 construction jobs will be created and said $20 million in advertising will promote the new Cristallago.
The revised project also will have reduced water usage, with the vineyard estimated to use one third of the water the the golf course would have needed, Boeger said.
Reducing the residential density and removing the golf course also reduces traffic, said Boeger, explaining that 40,000 rounds of golf per year had been estimated under the previous plan.
Commission Chair Joe Sullivan asked Boeger about how many cases of wine would be produced by the boutique winery. Boeger said he didn't have a specific number.
When Sullivan asked if he already had contracts for the winegrapes, Boeger said he hasn't made commitments yet.
Commissioner Don Deuchar asked about setbacks for homes from the agricultural operations. Boeger said he has developed such projects before and knows how to orient them. When Deuchar asked if people would understand that they would be living within 100 feet of the agricultural work, Boeger said yes, adding that they'll be part owners in it.
Sullivan said he liked the project overall, but had questions about the phasing. Knight said it was hard to be specific about that much acreage.
Commissioner Bob Malley questioned the hydrology reports, with Knight noting recent water and well testing has been done.
Deuchar said that while the project requires a certain leap of faith, he believed the risk-reward ratio tilted toward the reward side.
Commissioner Gladys Rosehill was concerned about how the project has changed, and also
considered the winegrape growing project a leap of faith. Otherwise, she said she thought it was a great idea for the county.
Deuchar offered all three motions – certifying the environmental impact report addendum, the general plan of development amendment and extending by two years the time for the project's general plan of development – each of which the commissioners approved 5-0.
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Lake County Planning Commission gives approval to updated Cristallago project plans
- Elizabeth Larson
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