Deluge of Comments on Tree Ordinance Hits Planning Commission!
Congratulations to those of you who sent in comment emails on the discussion of a new tree ordinance for Redding by the Planning Commission, taking up where the Redding Tree Committee left off. We had almost 100 emailed comments that went to the Planning Commission and most were copied to the City Council. And this after Shasta Environmental Alliance (SEA) had only one week’s official notice before the meeting to get the word out! This was probably the largest number of comments since Turtle Bay. Eight people spoke, including three SEA board members, which is a good turnout. Many tree advocates were in the audience. The turnout and many emails really made a difference in the tenor of the Planning Commission meeting. The commissioners and staff now know that there is a great deal of dissatisfaction with Redding’s disappearing tree canopy and our spreading asphalt parking lots and streets.
There will be other meetings coming up and we will notify the public again to comment in support of preserving Redding’s oak trees or, when they can’t be preserved, requiring enough mitigation to plant other trees in Redding parks and streets to take their place. Next month we will try for 200 comments and at least 15 people to make in-person comments. While the meetings are long, the public-comment period starts at about the 1-hour mark, so you can leave early if you wish. It is important to make your voice heard.
Thank you for all who commented, whether it was three sentences or three pages. It all helped.
Hawes Ranch Update
As you may recall, the zoning change on 145 acres of land at the Hawes Ranch at the corner of Dersch and Deschutes roads, Anderson, from primarily Ag land to Commercial Recreation is still pending. There was a failure to get a quorum for approval at a Board of Supervisors meeting on October 2, 2023. Jones, Crye, and Rickert cited a conflict of interest, and thus the two remaining supervisors did not make up a quorum, so a vote could not be taken. If Crye is recalled and a new supervisor is elected in November, the rezoning will likely come up for another vote.
Since the October hearing, Shasta County cited Hawes Ranch for grading in a floodplain without a permit and holding weddings and other events on the river without a permit. Over the years, there have been numerous health and safety, zoning, and building violations, plus over 10 fire safety code violations at Hawes Ranch.
Planning Commission to Consider General Plan in February
Redding’s Draft General Plan will be coming back to the Planning Commission in February, according to a statement by Development Services Director Jeremy Pagan. The original plan was horrific, consisting of a series of weak platitudes such as “strive to,” “seek,” “consider,” and “encourage.” Due to considerable criticism of the weak, meaningless wording, the language was changed in many instances, but not all.
In addition to the inclusion of all the weasel words, there are two other areas of great concern:
- The General Plan calls for protection of stream corridors, including a recommendation that development be set back at least 75 feet from the edge of the Sacramento River riparian zone or 150 feet from the top of the river bank (whichever is greater), which is commendable. Unfortunately, a footnote on Figure NR-1 exempts all “water orientated commercial projects in the Cypress Avenue, Park Marina, and Convention Center areas” from the standard setbacks. Additionally, Policy NR5A allows any and all stream setbacks to be reduced, making the stream corridor protections nearly worthless. As a side note, the City Zoning Ordinance is even worse, stating that all prescribed buffers are average setbacks, not minimums, and that “Reduced setbacks are appropriate for water-oriented/commercial activities and for bluff areas for that section of the river between the North Market Street Bridge and the alignment of the future Parkview Bridge” (emphasis added). The added slash (“/”) in water-oriented/commercial activities suggests that all commercial activities are exempt from the standard setback, which is even weaker than the proposed General Plan policy. The Zoning Ordinance also contains a whole section allowing reduced setbacks along all other stream corridors.
- Another second major problem is found in the weak wording of the Climate Action Plan policy. Environmental Justice Section 3E of the Draft General Plan says, Consider the development and adoption of a Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. Support plans, standards, regulations, incentives, and investments, and seek grants and other funding to reduce the impacts of climate change on vulnerable residents. This sounds like the City has already considered it and definitely does not want to adopt a Climate Action Plan.
We will keep you updated when this comes to the Planning Commission. Look for our next Action Alert.
For more environmental issues and SEA news—including info on oak seedling and shade tree programs, trail cleanups, and Earth Day preparations—please see Shasta Environmental Alliance’s February 2024 Newsletter.
~David Ledger, Conservation Chair
