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<h1><b><font size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:24.0pt'>Firm
faces obstacles on bid to open forests for building<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
<h3><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>By
Jane Braxton Little - Bee Correspondent<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a
href="http://www.sacbee.com/288/story/150912.html">http://www.sacbee.com/288/story/150912.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Published
12:00 am PDT Saturday, April 7, 2007<br>
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B3<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p id=storyTools><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/288/v-print/story/150912.html">Print</a>
| <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/288/v-email/story/150912.html">E-Mail</a> | <a
href="http://www.sacbee.com/288/story/150912.html#comments_here"
id="comments_jump">Comments</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>SUSANVILLE
-- Officials in three <st1:place w:st="on">Northern California</st1:place>
counties have postponed action on requests from Sierra Pacific Industries to
have nearly 20,000 acres of forests rezoned to designations that eventually
could allow residential development.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Land-use
planners in Lassen, Plumas and Shasta counties are studying the proposed zoning
changes to determine the extent of environmental impacts and what level of
review the requests require. No decisions are expected for at least a month.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
delays are disappointing but understandable, said Ed Bond, a spokesman for the
timber company based in the <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Shasta</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> city of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Anderson</st1:place></st1:City>.
"We'd like things to move along, but we want to make sure everybody's
satisfied." <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Sierra
Pacific's 1.6 million acres in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>
make it one of the largest private landowners in the nation. Most of its
acreage is zoned for timber production, which prohibits development and offers
property-tax reductions in exchange for a 10-year commitment to grow trees.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
company hopes to get restrictions lifted on a total of 23,549 acres in <st1:place
w:st="on">Northern California</st1:place> -- nearly 37 square miles. The zoning
requests signal its plan not to renew its 10-year commitment to timber
production on those lands and to launch development projects.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>New
zoning could allow both commercial centers and residential housing on lands
historically managed as forests.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
rezoning is part of a long-term process that would give counties more control
over their land, said Bond. "This is one segment of a larger
project."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Trinity County officials already rezoned 3,620 acres, much of
it in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Trinity</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> area. Sierra Pacific
originally requested zoning for parcels as small as 1 acre, said county planner
Jeanne Bonomini. But planning commissioners changed the zoning from timber
production to open space, which does not allow for development.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Lassen</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType>,
the land Sierra Pacific wants rezoned for potential development includes 638
acres at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Silver</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> adjoining Caribou Wilderness Area
and 1,700 acres next to Mountain Meadows, a wetland that hosts eight threatened
or endangered species. Two additional parcels are at the south end of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Eagle</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
and west of Susanville near Lake Forest Estates.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>At a
public hearing last month, company officials told <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Lassen</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> supervisors that, for all but
the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Silver</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> property, the rezoning question is
exempt from environmental review. When Lassen County Counsel Craig Settlemire
disagreed, the supervisors sent the proposal back to county planners for
additional review.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Shasta</span></font></st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> officials
continued a public hearing to June to get more information about how many
residences could result from rezoning 6,443 acres, said associate county
planner Lio Salazar. He estimated 55 new residences if the changes are
approved.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Plumas</span></font></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> officials are waiting for additional
information from Sierra Pacific to determine the effects of rezoning 7,826
acres near <st1:City w:st="on">Chester</st1:City> and north of <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Lake</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Almanor</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>,
said Planning Director Jonathan Schnal. They expect to do a full environmental
review, he said.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Schnal is
concerned about the regional impact of converting 37 square miles of timberland
to development. Because forests are a significant resource to <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>, state regulations may require
planners in all affected counties to consider the cumulative effects of
rezoning, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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