Representing the people of the historic Donner Summit community for the preservation of the area’s rugged mountain character and natural resources by providing active coordination for community development issues.
Read more about the DSAA's Vision and past projects
Nominate now at CommunityVIP@DonnerSummitAreaAssociation.org or at The Summit Restaurant and Bar or Soda Springs General Store. Include the name of the nominee and why you think s/he should be Donner Summit’s 2012 Community Person of the Year. The winner will be announced at the July 4th Annual Community Picnic.
As you have seen on this site, DSAA has been working with Nevada county and Soda Springs property owners to address the outdated zoning regulations along the Soda Springs corridor of Old 40 (freeway to Soda Springs Road). The “Commercial Highway” designation for the area is a holdover from the days before I-80 was built. Some of our current local businesses are non-compliant with the Commercial Highway designation, and some proposed projects have been denied because they would not comply.
Several options have been discussed, including a change to a different type of zoning for the whole area, or a Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA), which would change the description of the Commercial Highway designation. These options do not adequately address the desires of the community and the property owners, so it seems the logical approach is to develop an Area Plan, which would allow the community to define a “Rural Center Combining District” and apply the zoning flexibility that comes with such a District.
The Area Plan would include a history of the community, would reflect the community’s wants and needs, and would designate what would be permitted and where. One of the important outcomes of the process will be to unify the community; it will be helpful to have an area plan in place when the economy recovers.
The first step will be for the Board of Supervisors to direct staff to prepare a work plan, based on the fact that an area plan will benefit the county. Then we will need to bring the work plan to the community and get their buy-in, and their support in terms of participation and possible fundraising and grant seeking. Because this is a planning document, the focus will be on land use and it will be important for property owners to raise any concerns they have over zoning changes.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PROTECTING DONNER SUMMIT TRAILS, THIS INFO IS FOR YOU!!
DSAA is coordinating with the Truckee Donner Land Trust and other trails groups to protect and improve local trails, with the hopes of a Master Trail Plan.
The Tahoe Trail Skills College is a free, two-day event open to anyone with the desire to learn more about how to care for their local trails. Beginners and experts alike can benefit from the Trail Skills College and all are welcome to attend.
July 21-22, 2012. Volunteers can arrive on the evening of July 20.
The event will be held at Prosser Family Campground outside of Truckee, California. The campground will serve as headquarters and have camping available to attendees throughout the weekend. Classes will take place on local trails that are within a short vehicle commute.
Students can choose from three 2-day tracks. Read the full class descriptions.
Track 1: Basic Trail Maintenance (Beginners)
Track 2: Drainage Design and Restoration (Intermediate)
Track 3: Drainage Waterbars and Checks (Intermediate/Advanced)
Pre-registration for PCT volunteers and PCTA members will open Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Registration for the general public will open on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
To register please contact Merrit Hoeh at volunteer@pcta.org or call 916-285-1838.
Don’t forget – you can learn new trail maintenance skills at any of the PCTA volunteer trail crew events. If you have any questions or if you would like to register for the PCTA volunteer newsletter, please call Merrit Hoeh at 916-285-1838 or email her at volunteer@pcta.org.
The Gold Country Broadband Consortium’s mission is to bring braodband to everyone that wants this important economic, social, and educational tool. They are working to define the served, under-served, and unserved areas in the Donner Summit community.
If you have Internet access, please do the following speed test:
Thank you for this extra effort to help the future of Donner Summit.
Mark your calendars for the 2012 Annual Summit Cleanup. Join friends and neighbors in cleaning trash and debris from our walkways and waterways, prepaing our beautiful mountain top for another clean and healthy summer.
Special Thanks to Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal for donating the dumpsters for this event.
Bye-bye winter trash, hello summer on the Summit!
Smokey the Bear meets the locals at the 2011 Picnic
This year, DSAA is raffling three great prizes! Look for our display around Soda Springs and get your raffle ticket before they’re gone.
IST PRIZE: Craftsman Snowblower ($1200 value)
courtesy of Truckee Hometown Sears and DSAA
2ND PRIZE: Snowmobile Tour for Two
courtesy of Coldstream Adventures
3RD PRIZE: $200 Cash, courtesy of DSAA
ONLY 200 TICKETS WILL BE SOLD.
upstairs, over the bar
(conference call access available by request)
Agenda includes a discussion of the zoning variance for the Valero sign at Cisco Grove and the potential for a community cross country ski area.
At the Placer County Zoning Administrator’s meeting on March 16, a sign variance was approved to allow for a 65-foot tall lit sign at the Valero station at Cisco Grove. The current ordinance restricts the height to 35 feet. Friends of the North Fork is planning to appeal the decision at a variance hearing during the May 10th Planning Commission meeting.
The Planning Services Division contact is Gary Hass: 530-745-3084.
Placer Zoning Admin AGENDA 03 16 2012
Valero Sign response from Friends of North Fork
Although DSAA was planning a public meeting for April,13th, the owner’s representative is unable to attend. Interested folks should attend the April 19th meeting of the Donner Summit MAC at Sugar Bowl.
The General Contractor for the project provided some information about the sign:
“Thank you for your interest in the signage relocation for Lucky’s Travel Plaza. I am the Project Manager for DEF-CON, which has been contracted by the Owner of the property, RBS Holdings, LLC, as the Construction Management/General Contractor firm.
”As previously stated by the Owner, the signage relocation as we have proposed and received a planning/zoning variance for, is a net reduction of the existing signage for the facility. Rather than repairing and renovating the two existing signs on the property (which would not require any additional permitting or approvals), the Owner has decided they would be better served, with respect to the costs involved, as well as for long term maintenance and full compliance with California state law for mandatory advertising of fuel prices, by eliminating the two existing signs and replacing it with a new, better placed single sign.
”This decision was arrived at, after weighing the costs and other impacts of both options, as well as an on-site consultation with personnel from California Weights & Measures, Code Enforcement. California law requires that all fuel dispensing facilities selling to the general public post the prices of their three highest sales volume fuel products visible from all roadways with frontage along the property of the facility prior to entrance to the facility. At the moment, the facility is not in compliance with this law. This also puts the facility at a severe disadvantage with other fueling facilities along the I-80 corridor through the Sierras. This facility at the moment is undeniably the worst represented by its signage, in terms of visibility and field of view of that signage, in comparison with any other facility in the afore-mentioned corridor.
”With regards to an additional meeting to discuss the parameters of the proposed signage changes with your residents, we would be happy to have the opportunity to explain the details. However, with the Easter holiday and associated school vacation this month, many of us already have a very full calendar for April. Unfortunately, we therefore are unable to accommodate an additional meeting this month, but would be happy to meet with your members during the month of May. If you or any of your members would like to hear more about the sign and variance during the month of April, I can refer you to the Tahoe/Donner MAC meeting on April 19th, which I believe will be reviewing our approved variance and the appeal filed contesting it by the gentleman from Friends of the North Fork (which I believe refers to the North Fork of the American River, which the gentleman seems to be somewhat confused about the location of this river, as he has stated in his appeal document that Cisco Road crosses this river – when in actuality it does not, and the river adjacent is actually the South Yuba, which I am sure you are aware as a local resident). The location for the MAC meeting will be either the Village Hall Great Room, or the Coldstream Day Room at the Judah Day Lodge, at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, Norden.”
Gary Heinz
530.334.5176 Office
916.307.5813 Fax
NOTICE OF INTENT
TO ADOPT A NEGATIVE DECLARATION
The project listed below was reviewed for environmental impact by the Placer County Environmental Review Committee and was determined to have no significant effect upon the environment. A proposed Negative Declaration has been prepared for this project and has been filed with the County Clerk’s office.
PROJECT: Sign Zoning Text Amendment (PCPJ 20120070)
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This Zoning Text Amendment will create consistency between Placer County Zoning Ordinance Sections 17.54.170 D (2) and 17.54.170 F, as they relate to animated and illuminated signs. This amendment does not include any development proposal, and any future development would be subject to the provisions of CEQA and would require a separate environmental evaluation.
PROJECT LOCATION: Countywide, Placer County
APPLICANT: Placer County Community Development Resource Agency
The comment period for this document closes on April 24, 2012. A copy of the Negative Declaration is available for public review at the County’s web site: http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/EnvCoordSvcs/NegDec.aspx,
Community Development Resource Agency public counter, and at the Applegate, Auburn, Colfax, Foresthill, Granite Bay, Kings Beach, Loomis, Meadow Vista, Penryn, Rocklin, and Tahoe City public libraries. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Environmental Coordination Services, at (530)745-3132, between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, at 3091 County Center Drive, Auburn, CA 95603
During the slow start to winter, Project MANA added Soda Springs to its growing list of distribution sites. Lack of employment for seasonal workers drove an unusually high need here on the Summit. As the weather turned snowier, Project MANA saw a decline in need. The good news is that fewer people need help. But there are still people in need here on the Summit.
Anyone can visit other distribution sites in the region. Knowing that transportation can sometimes be a barrier, Project MANA is now offering to deliver emergency bags of food upon request. Anyone who would like to request a bag of groceries should contact Project MANA:
