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County to weigh 13-home Camino Pablo subdivision; Moraga officials cite wildfire and evacuation concerns
Summary
A proposed 13-lot subdivision on South Camino Pablo is before the Contra Costa County Planning Commission; Moraga officials raised wildfire, evacuation-route and impact-fee concerns and said the town may provide input to the Board of Supervisors if the county moves to approve the project.
The Contra Costa County Planning Commission was scheduled to consider a proposed single-family subdivision for South Camino Pablo on the night of Aug. 27, a development that prompted Moraga officials to raise wildfire, evacuation and impact concerns.
Town Manager Scott Mitnick told the council that the applicant, which previously sought concurrent annexation and project approval, moved forward with the county after the town declined to proceed on annexation. “As proposed, it's — I think it's 13, single-family homes,” Mitnick said, adding that the submission includes mostly two-story homes, no affordable units and that 11 of the lots would allow accessory dwelling units.
Council members and staff noted that the property sits in a wildland-urban interface area and that new state and local vegetation-management and setback rules complicate emergency planning. The mayor and other council members discussed whether the council should send a formal message if the project advances to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors; the town manager said staff would brief the council if the planning commission recommends approval and that the board decision likely would occur months later.
Staff’s written input to the county, as described in the meeting, focused on factual impacts rather than a policy position; Mitnick said the county’s initial response in the application record characterized those impacts as de minimis.
Discussion vs. decision: Council members discussed options — including possible annexation, a coordinated message about evacuation routes, and concern over impact fees flowing to the county rather than the town — but did not take a formal vote or adopt a position at the Aug. 27 meeting. The town manager said staff would return to the council for direction if and when the matter proceeds to the Board of Supervisors.
Background: The proposal was previously reviewed in concurrent processing for annexation and project approval; the town earlier voted not to proceed with annexation. Planning commission action could lead to a board hearing in roughly two to three months, Mitnick said.
