Planning commission approves map amendment to allow residential use on former fire‑site parcel in Penn Valley subdivision

The Nevada County Planning Commission approved an amendment to the Villaggio Di Vigneto subdivision map on Thursday to remove a note that had reserved Parcel E for use as a fire station or fire department administrative building, allowing the parcel to be titled Lot 50 and developed under R‑1 residential rules.

Staff said the change responds to the Penn Valley Fire Protection District's decision not to accept an offer of dedication for the parcel and that the district quitclaimed any interest in the property on June 27, 2024. The county routed the proposal to Penn Valley Fire; the district returned the referral with no comment, staff reported.

David Nicholas, associate planner, explained the proposal would convert Parcel E to Lot 50 (approximately 1.97 acres) and that Lot 50 would meet R‑1 zoning standards including the minimum parcel size (10,000 square feet) and the required road frontage (the lot would have roughly 500 feet). Nicholas said the subdivision's original tentative final map and comprehensive master plan were approved in February 2004 and that the environmental review for the original project resulted in a mitigated negative declaration. Because a fire station would likely have been a more intensive use, staff concluded the previously adopted mitigated negative declaration remains adequate for the proposed map amendment and that no new EIR or MND was required under CEQA (citing CEQA Guidelines §15162).

Nicholas said any future development of Lot 50 would be subject to normal zoning and building permit review and to the conditions of approval and mitigation measures associated with the original 2004 approvals. He noted the parcel would remain subject to those recorded conditions even after the map amendment.

Commissioners asked staff clarifying questions about the quitclaim language and about whether the presence of nearby fire stations affected the county's consideration; Nicholas corrected a line in the staff report that had used "sold" and clarified that "quit claimed" is the accurate description and that Penn Valley Fire never accepted the offer of dedication. Commissioners also asked whether the original environmental analysis relied on a fire station to reduce hazards; staff said that was not the case and that a fire station administrative building would not necessarily provide front‑line firefighting resources.

No members of the public spoke during the public hearing on the amendment. The commission voted unanimously to: find the original project's Mitigated Negative Declaration (EIS‑03‑108) adequate for the map amendment; approve the amended map (AAM25‑0004) subject to recording the corrected map or certificate of correction; and approve the amendment to the previously approved permit (AAP25‑0004) subject to conditions. Commissioners French, Foley, McAteer, Garst and Chair Millman voted "Aye." Staff noted a 10‑day appeal period on the actions.

Key clarifying details: the parcel in question (Parcel E) would become Lot 50 at about 1.97 acres; the R‑1 minimum parcel size is 10,000 square feet and required road frontage is 60 feet (Lot 50 would have ~500 feet); Penn Valley Fire quitclaimed any interest and returned "no comment" on the routed referral; the original environmental document (mitigated negative declaration) covered the fire‑station scenario and staff determined it remains adequate per CEQA Guidelines §15162.

The commission's action was procedural: it changes the recorded map note and allows residential development under existing zoning and conditions; any future building on Lot 50 will undergo standard permitting and compliance review.