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Mount Shasta council approves quitclaim of Field Street parcel to Danko for affordable housing
Summary
The Mount Shasta City Council authorized the city manager to execute a quitclaim deed transferring about 5,000 square feet of vacated Field Street to developer Danko for an affordable housing project after staff said the change is consistent with prior CEQA review and will shift wetland/drainage maintenance to the developer.
The Mount Shasta City Council on May 12 authorized the city manager to execute a quitclaim deed transferring a vacated portion of Field Street to developer Danko to allow construction of an affordable townhome project.
Council members voted unanimously after staff said the transfer aligns with environmental review completed earlier and will shift responsibility for a drainage channel and maintenance currently on city property to the developer.
City staff described the parcel involved as roughly 5,000 square feet and said portions of that area are delineated wetland or a drainage channel that cannot be built on. Johanna Al Torfer of Mount Shasta spoke during public comment, reading a written letter that asked, “Why is the city giving away this land for free?” and raised questions about property valuation, whether the parcel will be a separate tax parcel, whether the city could lease rather than transfer the land, and whether the transfer triggers a new CEQA review.
Todd (city staff) and Jeff (city staff) responded during the agenda item and told council the project is an affordable-housing development that was considered in earlier upstream environmental work. Staff said the project is treated as a code‑compliant, ministerial affordable-housing project under the applicable ministerial exemptions referenced in state housing law and that the prior initial study/mitigated negative declaration (IS/MND) addressed the project’s drainage and wetland issues. Staff also said the developer will assume maintenance of the drainage features, removing the maintenance burden from public works.
Council members discussed the length of project negotiations and the city’s interest in advancing affordable housing in line with state goals. One council member noted that charging for the parcel now could jeopardize moving a long‑running affordable housing project forward.
Motion and vote: A council member moved to authorize the city manager to execute the quitclaim deed for the vacated portion of Field Street and cause a certified copy to be recorded with the Siskiyou County Recorder. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
The deed transfers maintenance responsibility for the drainage channel within the vacated area to Danko, and staff said the site’s wetland delineation and upstream CEQA study cover the contemplated use. Council did not direct additional study or require a distinct lease or fee schedule for this parcel at the meeting.
The council did not set a separate parcel tax or lease terms at the meeting; questions raised about tax status, lease alternatives, development-impact fee reductions, and whether additional CEQA review is required were addressed in staff remarks but not resolved by further action.
The council’s approval clears a remaining title/ownership issue that staff said is necessary for Danko to complete due diligence and close financing for the townhome project.
Ending note: Staff said they will record the quitclaim deed with the county recorder and continue to manage permit and compliance steps as the developer moves toward building permits. No additional conditions or amendments to the motion were adopted at the meeting.
