- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Supervisors comply with court order, rescind Guenoc resort plan approvals; partner says project remains underway
County Counsel Anita Grant presented to the board the necessary actions to the board regarding the Guenoc Valley Mixed Use Planned Development Project, also known as Maha Guenoc Valley, which the board approved in July and August 2020.
In 2020 the board approved the project’s first phase, which includes 385 residential villas in five subdivisions, five boutique hotels with 127 hotel units and 141 resort residential cottages, 20 campsites, up to 100 workforce housing cohousing units and a host of resort amenities ranging from outdoor entertainment area to a float plane dock and helipads.
That first phase has an estimated 1,415-acre footprint to be dispersed throughout the overall 16,000-acre Guenoc Ranch on Butts Canyon Road in Middletown.
The project area won’t include the 360 acres which contains the Langtry winery and the estate home of the famed British actress, Lillie Langtry.
Two months after the board’s approval, the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society filed suit against the county over a host of environmental concerns with the resort approval, with the California Attorney General’s Office later intervening on behalf of the plaintiffs.
Those filings were in the form of separate petitions for peremptory writ of mandate, which later were later consolidated by the court.
Hearings were held before Lake County Superior Court Judge J. David Markham in the fall and in January Markham issued his ruling, finding that the county had failed to adequately consider wildfire evacuation impacts when approving the resort.
As a result, Markham found the Guenoc project’s environmental impact report did not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act.
Grant explained to the supervisors on Tuesday afternoon that the court concluded that the county's findings with regard to community evacuation routes were “not supported by substantial evidence.”
She added, “The court went on to say, had it not been for that one item, the court would have found in favor of the county.”
Because of what Grant called that “very limited ruling,” the court issued a writ of mandate and judgments in the consolidated cases that require that the approvals the county adopted in connection with the certifications for the project be set aside and vacated — including the certification for the final environmental impact report and the findings relating to impacts to an adopted emergency evacuation plan.
Grant presented to the board a resolution to vacate, set aside and rescind the project’s land use approvals, and three separate ordinances rescinding previous ordinances approved in connection with the project.
She said the county will file a return to the writ of mandate to inform the court that the required actions have been taken.
Grant also noted that the court ordered that it would retain jurisdiction over the proceedings.
The board approved the resolution and three ordinances unanimously, with the ordinances to be advanced to next week’s meeting for the final reading and approval.
While the ruling was a setback, Chris Meredith, a partner in the Guenoc Valley Project, said the project is still a go.
“The county’s consideration of actions to rescind its previous approval of the Guenoc Valley Project is a necessary procedural step to clear the way for further analysis of community evacuation routes, in accordance with the Lake County Superior Court’s ruling,” Meredith said in a Tuesday statement issued to Lake County News.
“We are pleased this process is continuing to advance as planned and we remain focused on working with Lake County officials, community members and leading fire safety experts to continue to chart a path forward for the Guenoc Valley Project that will improve fire safety for the entire region,” Meredith said.
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