130-unit San Andreas project gains support

By Colin Rigley

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Posted: Friday, October 26, 2007 10:34 AM CDT

Calaveras County supervisors are on the verge of approving the 130-home Saddleback Hills subdivision, but worries about a potential thru road and additional traffic impacts to San Andreas connector roads have stalled the project another two weeks.

Saddleback was postponed several times after it first came before the Calaveras County Planning Commission July 5. The project passed through the commission Aug. 2 and made it before the Board of Supervisors Oct. 16, but was continued another week to allow planning staff time to address public comments.

Throughout the application process the subdivision has been plagued by concerns over a road that could connect Calaveritas Road to Highway 49 via Saddleback Drive and Buckskin Way. Residents along Saddleback Drive and Buckskin Way have consistently complained that Saddleback Hills would serve as a shortcut for Mountain Ranch commuters on their way to Angels Camp.

Although an official vote was not taken on the project, the supervisors were overwhelmingly in favor of approving it.

Supervisor Bill Claudino said Saddleback Hills had changed dramatically during the three years he had watched it.

“The applicant, in my opinion, has done a stellar job,” he said.

“I could easily vote this afternoon to approve this project,” Supervisor Russ Thomas said.

The latest design of the project includes two Habitat for Humanity lots and 11 acres of open space. Saddleback Hills will also provide a water pumping station to assist residents up the hill who have had problems with water pressure.

Tim Moon, a spokesperson for the Saddleback Estates Homeowner’s Association, said the county had tried to slip the road through the “back door,” using Saddleback Hills as a means of building the connection.

“The key word for today is overburdening,” Moon said.

He believed that Saddleback Hills, along with the “shortcut” included in it, would generate 2,300 car trips past his home.

“There are moral and legal questions concerning this project...what is being done here is very, very wrong,” he told county supervisors, adding that Saddleback Hills should be a gated community in order to keep the road private.

For the complete story, see Friday’s print edition of the Calaveras Enterprise or our e-Edition.

Comment (1 comment(s))

Steve - Copperopolis wrote on Oct 28, 2007 11:27 AM:

" I keep reading about resident concerned and complaining about dense development in the area and the board of supervisors stating dense housing is the way to go. More densely built communities can be found in the Stockton area. Who is the board representing large developer or the residents of this county? "

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