TRUCKEE, Calif. – With a backdrop of scrutiny of environmental issues, debate over reconnecting Deerfield Drive and analysis of economic competition, the town council and planning commission on Monday talked about public benefits that could come out of the Coldstream development project.
Known also as Planned Community One, Coldstream sits on 178 acres next to Donner Memorial State Park, at the mouth of Coldstream Canyon. Project owners Teichert Aggregates has a plan in submittal, and both environmental and economic review documents are in progress.
“Town council directed staff to look for equal requirements between planned communities for public benefits,” said Associate Planner Jenna Endres, setting the stage for Monday’s discussion. “We look to larger developments to go above and beyond.”
She compared the Coldstream plan to Planned Community Two, known as Gray’s Crossing, which had a number of public benefits from bike trails to land dedications.
Mike Isle of Teichert warned against using Gray’s Crossing, a larger project, as a yardstick for Coldstream, and said many of the elements of the project will have public benefit – from planned trails to the improved one-time mining ponds, and a planned 109 acres of open space.
Kaitlin Backlund, executive director of the Mountain Area Preservation Foundation, expressed concerns about the density of the project, and suggested some additional public benefits that might come from the project would be more conservation work in Coldstream Canyon.
Town council member Joan Jones said she is in favor of looking for more benefits from the project that would be for the good of the whole town – not just project neighbors – because the impacts of a large project like Coldstream would likewise be felt by all of Truckee.
“To me, the No. 1 thing is to prove that it’s flood safe,” said Commissioner Bob Johnston. “No. 2 is to ensure public access to the pond … then there is the Deerfield Drive connection; I’m still on the fence on that.”
With different ideas suggested, Mayor Carolyn Wallace Dee asked town staff to analyze those possible benefits to see how feasible they are, and to report back in the next meeting.
What’s next? The town has plans for a workshop on the economic impact analysis for Coldstream in August, followed by public meetings on that study and the environmental review of the project in the fall, Endres said. The planning commission and town council would then review the project late this year/early next year, she said. Depending on approval and the economy, Isle guessed construction wouldn’t start before 2012, and take five to 10 years to build out.
The project, by the numbers
• 178: Total project site in acres
• 70,000: Maximum commercial space in square feet
• 345: Number of residential units
• 109: Total open space, in acres
Although a few years off, it seems that this project will be moving ahead. I believe much will depend on the economy over the next couple of years. With lot prices and sales flat in many area around town right now, I would be suprised to see this project pushing forward at anything more than a snail’s pace. If you’d like more information, feel free to contact me.
Jamie Schou
Direct – 530-798-1393
jschou@kw.com
