The Colusa County Board of Supervisors last week approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sites Reservoir Authority for the creation and implementation of plans that will promote economic and social viability in the area where the reservoir is to be constructed.
The Sites Reservoir Authority has offered to pay for Colusa County to create a Sites Reservoir Area Plan and a Maxwell Community Plan that will include economic policies and actions, and guide land use, zoning, and regulations around the reservoir.
The 2012 General Plan contained goals, policies, and actions items which supported the Sites Reservoir project and the creation of a Maxwell Community Plan once the Sites Reservoir project area was defined and the project approved, county officials said.
“When we adopted the General Plan, the Sites Reservoir was already being muttered about,” said Chair Gary Evans, at the board’s March 26 meeting. “And so, we carved out a large chunk up there where the imprint would be knowing it was going to need the land use changes.”
Colusa County Community Development Director Greg Plucker said the Sites Reservoir Authority, through the MOU, has agreed to pay the approximate $250,000 cost for a consultant and staff time to develop the plans.
In the Sites Reservoir Area Plan, Plucker said the focus will be on land use provisions for active and passive recreation, viewing points of the main scenic areas of the reservoir and any bridges, and seasonal housing and campgrounds in the areas immediately adjacent the reservoir.
Additionally, the plan will identify agricultural land to accommodate the needs of existing landowners and farmers and habitat land for species displaced by the construction of the reservoir.
With respect to the Maxwell Community Plan, Plucker said the focus will be on economic development opportunities, including lodging, shopping, dining, and other tourism uses created by increased visitors and county residents who will use Sites Reservoir. The Maxwell plan will emphasize aesthetic and design standards that recognize the historic character of Maxwell and the importance of the area as the gateway to recreational opportunities in western Colusa County, as well as consider zoning changes to take in the influx of construction workers during construction, Plucker said.
Supervisor Daurice Kalfsbeek Smith said it was important that the county develop two separate plans because each will require extensive effort to target the most impacted in the two areas.
“I’m really appreciative of the Sites Project Authority making the commitment to the county and entering into this, at this point in time, and not waiting until last minute because none of us want to pay,” Smith said. “We want it to be well planned and well organized.”
Smith said the county hopes to avoid the “Olympic” or ghost town effect of projects that are built, not used, and do not benefit the people in the surrounding areas.
County officials anticipate an intensive effort that will require community involvement and input.
“We will need the community members around Sites, as well as the community of Maxwell, to participate,” Plucker said.
Colusa County Chief Administrative Officer Wendy Tyler also expressed a critical need for Maxwell’s involvement, the town with zero or near-zero attendance at most community meetings.
“It’s going to be critical that they do, or it will not be the Maxwell Community Plan; it will be a plan drafted by a consultant with county input – and that’s not really what we want,” Tyler said.
“We want the community to get involved, same with the Sites area.”
Following the board’s approval of the MOU, Plucker said the County, as the lead agency, will move quickly to select a consultant so that the county can meet an aggressive period to complete the plans.
The two studies are consistent with the Local Community Working Group’s policy recommendations, which they adopted at the joint Board/Reservoir Committee meeting on Jan. 19, officials said.