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Resident raises Williamson Act and rezoning record-keeping concerns at Orinda planning meeting
Summary
A resident told the planning commission that a parcel rezoned from AP-4 to residential may have remained under a Williamson Act contract and asked how the city retains records; no action was taken.
During the public forum at the Jan. 14 Orinda Planning Commission meeting, a resident identified as Poirier asked how a property zoned residential could qualify for benefits that she said are only given to AP-4 (agricultural preserve) parcels and raised questions about whether Williamson Act contracts were retained by the city.
Poirier told commissioners she had been pursuing the issue for one and a half years and said she had been in contact with Contra Costa County and the California Department of Conservation. She cited Government Code, chapter 7, section 51236 and said the law requires participating cities and counties to retain copies of Williamson Act contracts and to record notices of nonrenewal when land is removed from an agricultural preserve.
Poirier said the parcel in question was rezoned from AP-4 to residential (R-1-20 and R-VLE as she stated) and that she was told a contract was forwarded to the city in 1985. She referenced an attorney, David Blackwell, in relation to her argument. The resident said staff member Darren Hughes had been a point of contact and that the Planning Department is typically the best resource to check Williamson Act parcel records.
No hearing agenda action or staff determination on the matter was recorded at the meeting. The commission proceeded to other business after receiving the comment. The resident’s statements and the cited Government Code provisions were entered into the public record via oral testimony during the public forum.
