Letter: Asking the supervisors to listen
Publisher’s note: The following letter was sent to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors in advance of the Oct. 28 9am meeting at Lake Tahoe Airport.
To our Board of Supervisors,
I would never be so bold as to say I know what everybody in Meyers wants for this community, but my shop has been like Grand Central Station ever since the Oct. 16 Planning Commission meeting. Overall consensus — extremely disheartened — and not just because the meeting was impossible for the average, gainfully employed, Meyers person to attend.
Disheartened because this whole mess could have been avoided if the agencies had just been honest and forthcoming. Our community’s fear of a huge Catalyst Project, stress of unraveling rumors and the waste of time searching out the facts was completely unnecessary. The county’s Planning Commission came all the way up here from Placerville, only to get a bunch of well-spun information, some of which just barely resembled the truth.
“Theme Zoning”. Seriously? Myself and others, including candidate for supervisor Sue Novasel, felt obligated to correct staff on several counts, but it appeared as though the Planning Commission had decided on their recommendations for the Meyers plan already.
I was disheartened because one of the planning commissioners, when referring to building height and density, stated, “It really doesn’t matter anyway”.
Well, it matters to me. When the TRPA rezoned us without notice it changed west Meyers particularly, our density for future building went from 10 units per acre to 40 units per acre, among other things, and this new Meyers plan aligns perfectly with what the TRPA has planned for us, not what we, the people who live and work here, want for us. West Meyers is a highly controversial portion of the Meyers’ commercial corridor since it was the proposed location for the much despised Catalyst Project.
We are all disheartened that the Planning Commission recommended continuing with an informal advisory council for Meyers. This is precisely why communication between the county and the community failed. We need to follow the Brown Act or we will forever be hearing things like “Did we vote on that? She said we voted. Well, I guess we voted but I don’t remember.”
I am sure, after meeting with members of this board previously, that you are honest, hard working people and will listen to our businesses and residents with a fair and open mind and will not be influenced by the TRPA or Nevada chamber. This plan has too many issues yet to work through, far too many to write in this note.
Please consider a legitimate survey of the community’s vision for the new Meyers Community Plan — and let me get back to work.
Angela Olson, Meyers
It truly is disturbing that the Planning Commission members moved towards an informal Meyers Advisory Council.
It tells me that they want to continue to silence the community when it comes to decisions they and local agencies make for us.
More disturbing is our County’s complete discrediting of a legitimate public review process and votes made in previous community workshops by residents.
“This is YOUR area plan Meyers ! – You Decide what you want !” Famous disingenuous words from a corrupt County Supervisor.
I hope things change after the election, and that the new EDC Supervisor PROPERLY represents the South Lake Tahoe/Meyers folks. We are all behind you Meyers! Maybe the Grand Jury needs to revisit El Dorado County’s Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission’s bungling of due process and representation.
Glad to hear that at least one of the supervisorial candidates attended and was willing to speak up.
Welcome to living in a community ultimately regulated by the TRPA. Did you think we were exempt because we were Meyers and we cared? Welcome to the real world as it exists in the basin. Many communitiest around the basin would love to have designed their own plan without TRPA regulations..
Both candidates attended the Oct. 16th meeting. I was astounded at the lack of seriousness of the Planning Commission at that meeting. (They joked and laughed a lot including about one member not being there ’cause he had Giants tickets). One member asked where exactly is Meyers and the answer that was given was so far from reality it wasn’t funny. The same member asked how changes would affect traffic and it was passed over without discussion. This plan should not move forward in any shape w/o further notice given to the Upper Truckee Rd. residents who don’t realize their neighborhood may experience changes such as additional traffic because the Upper Truckee Roads ARE NOT in Meyers so residents haven’t been properly noticed of proposed changes!!! Stop now! BOS and let this process get into the hands of the new board and info get to the people who have the right to know everything that is proposed. It hasn’t so far.
Slapshot,
Don’t think anyone in Meyers ever imagined we couldn’t avoid TRPA’s regulations or restrictions.
We just don’t like the fact that our own County Staff ( Brendan and Norma ) and TRPA ( Adam )teamed up with Sustainability Groups ( Consultants ) to sell us down the road.
Most Meyers people want a plan that allows less restrictions for “responsible” commercial development in Meyers that maintains a rural mountain community feeling. But the recent drafts of the plan aren’t the product of what we established by vote in previous public meetings.
Norma!!! Get a clue for once. WE DON’T WANT THIS SHADY PLAN. When will you Stupidvisors listen to the people who voted you in. You are pathetic.
Toxic that is not the reality of the situation. We are in an unincorporated part of the county. Our supervisor is one vote and unless we have a majority of votes we get what we get. We act as if we are a city and elected officials and county staff should do what the loudest voice wants it just isn’t going to happen.
It’s too bad all these development projects are being railroaded thru. They all have some things in common.
Purchase of property by wealthy investors with the guarantee it will then be rezoned for residential / commercial. Pay the TRPA and other agencies for their stamp of approval. When the ink has dried on all the documents, then ask for public input even tho it’s already signed, sealed and delivered. Then it’s time to break ground!!!
What a joke!!! OLS
OLS no one is railroading projects through in most cases they take years and millions of dollars. Furthermore as I have written previously before a cursory look at commercial real estate in Meyers tells us that any project will have a tough time penciling out. Even if someone were to propose a project the regulatory review process is so long and complicated with plenty of opportunity for public input this really is not a big deal. Who knows maybe ten years from now things may change and the people of Meyers may want some new development.
This is exactly why citizens end up taking matters into their own hands and propose petitions that restrict development and developers like what is going on with measures M and O on the west side where developers are trying to add thirty thousand plus homes where people don’t want them and can’t afford them. TRPA has sold Meyers out and the County Planning staff are a joke as is the Current Supervisor who is a very lame laughable duck. What to do about it is the question before it is too late.
Over and over again the TRPA, the BOS and Sustainability Groups are tuning out with deaf ears the voices and requests of the residents of Meyers. Why? Don’t the residents have a say? And they’re saying NO!!! Listen up groups and quit trying to ram through a plan nobody wants!
Scott that’s the way it is around here, they know better. So vote for the BOS/City Council that will represent you and your ideas the best. Lets vote Nov 4th.
Just got another robocall from a city council candidate. Another individual has lost my vote. How invasive.
I can tolerate a postcard or two but I have never seen so many mailings and postcards since I have lived here. Are these candidates all wealthy and have too much money or are the special interests more desperate than ever to get their candidates in?
Slapshot – You’re wrong.
We don’t “get what we get”
This is supposed to be a legitimate public process by law. They have been purposely and illegally circumventing the Brown Act and Calif Open meeting laws that provide for this sort of nonsense.
Come to all the meetings and have meetings with agency heads like I have and you’ll realize it’s all a game just shy of being incriminated.
It doesnt matter what you think.what matters is what can be proved in court should someone file suit. I am sure they will argue and the record will show they had many public meetings, took the input of those present as well as others and came up with a plan the supervisors voted on. End of story. Ok I am not saying I like the output either but Meyers has no real options. Meyers is not an incorporated city, they have 1 of 5 votes on the supervisors and 1 vote on the TRPA board. That is the reality of the situation. Just because some people don’t like the plan doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t like and doesn’t mean the loudest voice carries the day.
Buck, we need to change the way it’s been done then. And, I have indeed already sent in my ballot for this change.