WHAT'S NEXT FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT?
1. Once all development roadblocks are resolved, what happens next?
Bear Valley Village Partners tell us that once the sewer capacity issue is solved and the Environmental Impact Report completed, they will start more specific planning for the various components of their project. When they're ready with the planning for a component of the development, they apply for the use permit/parcel map.
While the Environmental Impact Report takes a broad overview of the project, the use permit/parcel map process goes into specific details. Use permits typically impose a list of conditions on any public impact of the proposal for that component: parking, drainage, noise, air pollution, light, visual impact - in other words, any public impact which can be reasonably anticipated as a result of the project. There is not a one-to-one relationship between parcels and use permits; that is, a use permit may apply to more than one parcel, or several use permits may apply in series to the same parcel. It's up to the developer whether they want to proceed in small steps with little future commitment or bigger steps that cost more for planning and make bigger future commitments.
The process for changing a use permit or parcel map is similar to the process for initial approval, with public notice and public hearings at the Planning Commission. Decisions by the Planning Commission may be appealed to the Board of Supervisors.
Approval of the EIR does not guarantee the approval of any of its individual components during the use permit/parcel map process, and there is ample opportunity for public input during that process. The use permit process may be as short as a few months, or it can stretch into years.
BVVP tells us that, because the timing of the start of their construction is so dependent on economic conditions which are now unfavorable, they are not ready to predict when they will start applying for use permits for their first phase.