In other California wildfire news, judge puts kabash on luxury mixed-use development in rural Lake County

Screenshot from proposed Guenoc Valley development
website mentions "managed rural landscape" 

Judge J. David Markham of the Superior Court in nonmetro Lake County, California, ruled earlier this week that the proposed Guenoc Valley mixed-use development must halt pending development of a better wildfire plan.  

Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow report today for the Sacramento Bee.  The judge held that the county planners who signed off on the development's environmental documents didn't "account for what would happen when a fast-moving fire erupts and the resort's workers and guests all try to leave the area at the same time."  

“A significant number of wildfire related deaths in California occur during attempts to evacuate,” the judge wrote. Markham said developers had done a good job of attempting to reduce fire risks. That said, they hadn’t fully accounted for serious problems that could arise if a wildfire broke out. A portion of the project’s 16,000 acres burned in 2020, the worst wildfire season in modern California history. Markham wrote that the resort could bring up to 4,070 new people to the sparsely populated area of Lake County, where the roads could be overwhelmed during a wildfire.

The judge's decision continues:   

These people will likely compete with residents in the surrounding area for safe evacuation routes.  The additional people competing for the same limited routes can cause congestion and delay in evacuation, resulting in increased wildfire related deaths. This is undoubtedly a situation where the Project, by bringing a significant number of people into the area, may significantly exacerbate existing environmental hazards; specifically, wildfires and their associated risks.

The Lake County supervisor, Moke Simon, whose district includes Guenoc Valley expressed disappointment in the ruling.  This is from Simon's statement, released by the county:  

The investments proposed, including adding housing supply and even a fire station and helipad, offered the potential for lasting regional economic benefits. If the ultimate result of this decision is the project not moving forward, that will be a tremendous loss.  

Like Simon, the developers point to the need for housing, and Sabalow and Kasler provide this additional context about the competing concerns of housing and wildfire management in the context of places prone to wildfires:   

In 2020, as some of the worst fires of the season were still burning, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB 182, a bill that would have required communities approving new developments in wildfire zones to build evacuation routes and raise fees to clear flammable vegetation. 

In his veto message, Newsom said the bill would conflict with the state’s goals of easing its crippling housing shortage. California has been building 100,000 to 120,000 homes a year since 2015, well short of the annual goal of 180,000 set by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

Yes, Lake County--like all of California, even the rural bits--is facing a housing shortage.  Indeed, Lake County has one of the greatest shortages of habitable housing in all of California, and a high eviction rate, too.  But the housing that would be built in the Guenoc Valley won't serve the impoverished folks in Lake County--those bearing the brunt of the county's housing shortage--because they won't be able to afford to live in the posh new community.  Here's how the Bee article describes the planned housing stock, also noting the resort's proximity near upmarket Napa Valley:

Located just over the line from Napa County, Guenoc Valley would bring luxury resort villas and upscale housing, along with a polo field designed by an internationally known polo star who counts Prince Harry as one of his friends.

I can see how the resort would bring jobs to Lake County, of course, but not how the new construction will alleviate the housing problem.  Indeed, based on the apparent physical geography of the Guenoc Valley (based on photos I'm seeing online), it seems workers will have to commute in on two-lane roads, like for example service workers commute into Telluride, Colorado, situated in a box canyon, or even how workers must commute into the Tahoe basin because they can't afford to live there.  Ultimately, then, this development seems to be an example of rich urbanites consuming rurality.  

The documents filed with the county regarding the project, two miles from Middletown, are here. 

Looking forward to seeing next steps with this litigation.  Meanwhile, it's interesting to see a lowly trial court judge in impoverished Lake County exert power over ultra-wealthy developers.  

Postscript:  Los Angeles Times reporting on this matter is here.