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Board reconsiders Moon Camp project; staff says EIR revisions address court order, board approves tentative map
Summary
The Board of Supervisors reconsidered the Moon Camp (Big Bear Lake) development after a court ordered recirculation of EIR sections. Staff described changes addressing biological and wildfire evacuation issues; the board voted unanimously to approve staff recommendations on the tentative tract map and the recirculated draft EIR.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved staff recommendations on the Moon Camp development project at a public hearing that reopened the item to comply with a court order and a recirculated environmental impact report (EIR).
What the board considered: Mark Wardlaw, director of Land Use Services, told the board the partially recirculated Draft EIR No. 3 revises analyses of biological resources (including the ashy gray Indian paintbrush and potential pebble plain habitat) and wildfire evacuation risks as required by the court ruling in litigation filed by Friends of Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society, Inc., and the Center for Biological Diversity. The project site is a 62‑acre parcel on Highway 38 along Big Bear Lake’s north shore; the tentative tract map would subdivide the site into 50 residential lots, several lettered lots for open space and well sites, and a 55‑slip boat dock.
Key environmental findings and mitigations: Staff said the revised EIR found potential habitat for the ashy gray Indian paintbrush and recommended mitigation including seed collection, conservation easements shown on the tentative map (5.3 acres for the paintbrush, 3.7 acres shoreline habitat) and construction limits to preserve plants. The draft EIR found no true pebble plain habitat on site and added mitigation and monitoring measures for wildfire evacuation planning; Dudek & Associates prepared a wildfire evacuation plan that projected increases of one to six minutes in modeled evacuation times compared with no‑project scenarios, with mitigation commitments for periodic updates, maintenance and training.
Legal and planning context: The board heard that earlier approvals of a general plan amendment and zoning amendment were upheld by the court; EIR No. 3 focused on the court‑identified deficiencies. Wardlaw said the EIR was available for public review Feb. 1–March 18, 2024, and that public comments received largely related to the ashy gray Indian paintbrush and shoreline protections. No new actions were required on the previously approved general plan and zoning changes.
Board action: A supervisor moved to close the hearing and approve staff recommendations on the tentative tract map and recirculated Draft EIR No. 3; after a second the board voted unanimously to adopt the staff recommendation and incorporated updated findings and conditions reflecting the recirculated environmental documentation.
Votes at a glance: Motion to adopt staff recommendations on tentative tract map and recirculated Draft EIR No. 3 — Approved unanimously (5‑0).
Ending: The board’s action reinstates the tentative map with updated mitigation measures and conservation easements incorporated into the project’s conditions of approval; the board did not revisit earlier general plan or zoning amendments that remain valid.
