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Thursday, June 28, 2001 9:09 AM MST

City officials wary of White Property development plan

By Advocate Staff

City officials and councilmembers expressed doubts Monday night over a proposal to construct upwards of 500 new housing units and a commercial tract on 69 acres of unused farmland situated just north of the city limits.

The so-called "White Property," named for its former owner, Fred White, has been purchased by Virgin Creek Properties, LLC. The company's local owners include Origin Construction owners Mark and Roy Mitchell, their father, Jerry Mitchell and Tom Mitchell, who is unrelated.

The item was on the agenda and comments were required because the new owners have filed an application with the county to amend the property's General Plan land use classification from Range Lands to Rural Community; and to rezone it from Rangeland, which has 160-acre minimum lot sizes, to Single Family Residential with 6,000 square-foot lot sizes.

In its application to the county, the builders state, in part: "The main objective for a general plan amendment and to rezone is to create a development which will provide for low- to moderate-income housing. We would like to proceed under the assumption that a tiered environmental study will be completed.

"Phase 1 will be sixty single family residential lots with a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet ... We plan to complete the studies necessary for the approval of Phase 1 as soon as possible. We also intend to begin discussions with the City of Fort Bragg about annexation of the project.

"However, do to the fact that the City is not considering annexation until it has adopted its new general plan, we feel it necessary to begin the process at the County level. This project would provide much needed affordable housing for the Fort Bragg community."

Comments

City Manager Connie Jackson said the project poses significant issues to the city, including the prospect of annexation. The timing of the county application and a July 2 deadline for preliminary comments explains why the item was agendized without much staff analysis, she added.

Jackson said staff is concerned that the application "may be an attempt to force the city's hand" to annex the property.

Mayor Jere Melo and Councilman Vince Benedetti recused themselves from the discussion due to possible conflicts of interest.

Community Development Director Linda Ruffing said the county application is missing plans to provide water, treat wastewater, traffic circulation and other important issues which need to be evaluated in an environmental impact review. She added that the California Environmental Quality Act prohibits piecemealing environmental reviews, which may affect the company's plan to tier, or phase, the project and the environmental reviews.

She also noted that by initiating the project through the county, the county would logically be the lead agency to shape any EIR. She said an argument may be made that because the project is predicated on future annexation to the city, the city should be the lead agency, or at least take an active role in defining the scope of an EIR. "Otherwise, you could inherit an environmental document that does not fit the city's needs," she added.

Councilman Dan Gjerde said his initial concerns involved circulation and transportation issues. He noted the property is adjacent to a senior housing project and that those residents have already complained about the dangers of merging onto an increasingly busy highway.

Gjerde also wondered whether a 20-acre commercial strip along the highway would work against the current effort to revitalize downtown Fort Bragg. "This has the potential of blowing apart everything we're trying to do downtown," he said, adding that perhaps only residential development should be considered.

Councilman Lindy Peters asked Roy Mitchell whether, given the size of the property, there are any plans to dedicate space for a community park or baseball field. Mitchell said he and his partners have given it some thought but not solidified anything yet. Regarding the proposed commercial development, Peters said the city is already losing a phenomenal amount of sales tax revenues to people who shop "over the hill." A large clothing store, for example, would be welcomed, he added.

Vice Mayor Michele White said she felt the project was "way, way, way too dense" for even the outskirts of the city. With 6,000 square-foot minimum lots, owners would be able to increase the density by building secondary living units, she added. "It's impossible for me to envision that kind of density and the traffic that density would create."

Staff may try to meet with county staff and the applicants in the near future to gather more information. "Given the scale of this project, it would easily be the biggest project ever processed by Mendocino County," Ruffing said.

Virgin Creek Property's Tom Mitchell said the primary goal is to create affordable housing. "We need higher density to get the price of homes down. Two-acre lots are not affordable. Let's get started and work out something creative."

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© 1999-2001 MediaNews Group, Inc.

Thursday, May 10, 2001 9:24 AM MST

Soon-to-be owners
plan to seek housing on the White Property

By Advocate Staff

The White Property, 69 acres of unused farmland situated just outside the city limits at the intersection of Highway 1 and Airport Road, is in escrow.

Origin Construction owners Mark and Roy Mitchell, their father, Jerry Mitchell, and Tom Mitchell (unrelated) are purchasing the property for an undisclosed amount from Fred White.

Fifty years ago, Mark and Roy's grandparents, John "Estel" and Rose Mitchell, operated a dairy farm on the property. Today, the land produces a bit of grass hay but is largely idle. In recent years, city officials have rebuffed several efforts by White to have the property annexed.

In a Tuesday interview, Mark and Roy Mitchell said the primary purpose for the purchase is to provide affordable housing. "We wouldn't consider this without understanding the desperate need for affordable housing," Roy said. "There's a sentiment out there regarding developers that 'If you build it, they will come,' but they're already here and they need housing. We're responding to demand, not creating it."

Mark Mitchell said not a day goes by without one or more of Origin Construction's roughly 30 employees asking for leads on an affordable rental or home to purchase. "The simple fact is there is no affordable housing around Fort Bragg," he added.

Their plan is to split the property once it's rezoned from agricultural land into thirds for single family homes, multiple-family housing for low- to moderate-income earners and commercial businesses, they said. They also hope to work with Habitat For Humanity and the county's Rural Communities Housing Development Corp. for subsidized housing. "Government-subsidized housing is the most efficient use of government money that we've seen," Roy Mitchell said.

In preliminary inquiries, city officials have indicated a desire for a master plan to develop the entire property, Mitchell said.

Nevertheless, the group intends to seek permission to pursue the housing separate from the commercial development along Highway 1, largely because the planning process for commercial development could delay housing construction for many years. The first phase of development will be to construct between 50-60 low- to moderate-income homes, he added.

Mitchell said the group plans to develop an on-site water source but has no plans yet for sewage disposal.

In a brief Tuesday phone interview, City Manager Connie Jackson said the proposed annexation of the White Property was discussed in detail last August during a General Plan workshop. At that time, she added, city councilmembers indicated that they'd like master planning for the entire property in order to weigh the possible impacts of the annexation on the city's infrastructure and services.

Jackson said there has been some confusion over the city's interest in annexing the property.

Though a previous council had indicated its interest in annexing the property forthwith, the current council is reviewing the annexation policy, she added.

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© 1999-2001 MediaNews Group, Inc.

Good idea for City to purchase and zone commercial, but only if the property is promoted to incoming businesses. What's here won't do. We need more. How do we bring business to town??? -Sherry Cox-