County planners are sending supervisors an open space agreement for Highways 129 and 101

This article is here in Spanish.

The Planning Commission has sent a development agreement regarding the Ag Center project proposed for the intersection of Highways 101 and 129 to the Board of Supervisors for discussion.

As of Sept. 18, county planners were deadlocked in a two-two tie and made no recommendation to the board. In a special meeting on October 16, the commissioners decided to include all of their findings – including those in favor and those opposed to the agreement – in their recommendations.

“The problem is that we are submitting the development agreement before we even have much information about the project,” commission Chairman Robert Gibson said. “So it’s a little unusual in that respect. We should just develop results in both directions and send them to the board because they are the ones who make decisions.”

The Ag Center is proposed for two properties totaling 21 acres to house a 16,000-square-foot grocery store and food hall, a 12,500-square-foot truck service building and a 13,500-square-foot cold storage building. The goal of the project is to offer more services to trucks on the county’s busiest roads and thus boost the county’s economy.

In the proposal the Planning Commission just sent to supervisors, the project developers offered to establish a permanent open space easement and wildlife corridor and give the county $500,000 for roads and public safety. In return, they demanded an “acquired right” to develop surrounding properties with “CEQA compliance required under the general plan and zoning.”

Commissioners Vincent Ringheden of District 1 and Richard Way of District 2 maintained their opposition to the development agreement and the project in general and voted against sending the results to the board.

“I think some of my concerns are the fact that there is no EIR, there is no police that can get to that location quickly and respond quickly, the noise level, the water runoff, the traffic,” Ringheden said.

Commissioner Robert Scagliotti and Robert Gibson assisted in passing the ball to the staff.

“I think the positives outweigh the negatives because this community desperately needs money,” Scagliotti said. “We have to start somewhere and try to make some money. I understand that you don’t want it in your garden. But this community has to start making money, otherwise there won’t be a community.” During last month’s meeting, Scagliotti suggested paying the $500,000 after the agreement was approved, rather than within four years as the developers had suggested .

The deciding factor was Commissioner Celeste Toledo-Bocanegra, who was not present at the September 18 meeting and voted to forward both the concerns and the arguments for them to the Supervisory Board.

“This is not the last bite of the apple,” said Commissioner Gibson. “That’s not the project. This is merely the development agreement granted. This is not the final say the county would have on development.”

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