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Planning Commission backs Vineyard South mine expansion, adds three years and 86 acres to permit
Summary
The commission recommended the Board of Supervisors approve amendments to allow mining of an additional 86 acres (60 acres to be mined), add three years of operations and include 3.1 million additional tons for a total of 16.1 million tons; staff prepared an EIR addendum and mitigation measures for aesthetic, NOx and noise impacts.
The Sacramento County Planning Commission on May 11 recommended the Board of Supervisors approve amendments to the Vineyard South Mine use permit to add 86 acres, authorize three additional years of mining and update the reclamation and development agreement.
Planning staff said the amendment would add 3.1 million tons to the mine’s allowable extraction, bringing the total to about 16.1 million tons. "The proposed use permit amendment will add 3.1 million tons for a total of the mine of 16.1 million tons," planner Mark Mclean said. Staff described the environmental document as an addendum to the prior EIR and said most topics retain less-than-significant findings with mitigation in place; the addendum identified potentially significant impacts for aesthetics, nitrogen-oxide emissions and noise from haul trucks and proposed mitigation measures.
The applicant (Granite Construction, represented by Yasha Saber of Compass Land Group) said the operation would continue participation in a cents-per-ton program that directs a portion of aggregate sales to a nonprofit (Sacramento Splash) and that the end use after reclamation would be open space. Staff noted the CPC/CPAC review and said the Vineyard community advisory body recommended approval (13–0) while staff recommended the commission forward findings and approvals to the Board of Supervisors.
Commissioners asked technical questions about phasing, depth and reclamation. The applicant said the existing mine has reached roughly 50 feet below original grade at its deepest point and that the permitted maximum depth is 75 feet; the expansion would continue to be governed by the existing depth limit and reclamation plans, with backfill prioritized along public frontages to prepare parcels for future community-plan-consistent uses.
The commission voted to recommend Board approval and adoption of the mitigation, monitoring and reporting program and related amendments to the use permit, rezone, community-plan language, reclamation plan and development agreement. The item will go to the Board of Supervisors for final action.
What happens next: the Planning Commission’s recommendation will be considered by the Board of Supervisors; mitigation measures identified in the EIR addendum will be part of any approval and the development agreement will continue cents-per-ton contributions to Sacramento Splash.
