The Shasta County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 7 approved dissolving the permanent road division (PRD) for the Silverbridge Highlands subdivision and then opened and closed a public hearing to vacate public easements that will clear the way for homeowners association maintenance and gated access.

John Heath, assistant director of Public Works, told the board the subdivision was approved in February 2022 and consists of “16 lots.” Heath said required improvements were constructed in 2023 but the developer continued to own all lots and sought to change the road maintenance mechanism from a PRD (county/assessment-based) to an HOA so the developer could implement gated access and private road maintenance.

Heath said county ordinance changes adopted in 2024 allowed developers to choose HOA maintenance for certain subdivisions; developers who come forward after that change may be eligible to convert PRD roads to HOA roads. The board approved the initial step to dissolve the PRD by a 4-0 vote; Supervisor Corky Harmon recused himself from the item. After the dissolution motion passed, the board opened a public hearing on vacating the public easements and ultimately approved the vacation for the subdivision by the same 4-0 tally with Harmon recused.

County staff said the vacation would not affect traffic on existing Silverbridge Road because the subdivision streets are dead-end roads that will only serve the new lots and their visitors, and that an emergency fire-access easement would remain in place. Public Works and county planning staff also confirmed the Planning Commission had previously reviewed the vacation and found the action consistent with the county general plan and not harmful to circulation.

The item drew public comment, with several speakers alleging the presence of conflicts of interest and urging recusal or delay. Dolores Lucero and other commenters said elected officials should avoid voting on items tied to their personal projects. The board noted that the project predated Supervisor Harmon’s tenure and that Harmon had recused from the deliberation and votes.

Why this matters: Converting PRD-maintained roads to HOA maintenance can change how long-term maintenance costs are assessed and enforced, shifting responsibility from a county-administered assessment to covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) managed by an HOA. County staff said HOAs are legal entities with contractual mechanisms to levy fees and pursue collections should owners fail to pay.

The vacating of public easements clears a procedural hurdle for the developer to install gates and private road signage, subject to the conditions recorded in the final subdivision and HOA documents. The county will record the vacation documents and track any follow-up requirements from planning and public works.