Calaveras board to weigh Trinitas

A critical vote on a west Calaveras County golf-resort project that has been debated for years could come Tuesday.

The county Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on The Ridge at Trinitas, a project on about 280 acres near Wallace that already has an 18-hole golf course.

Owners Mike and Michelle Nemee want to additionally build an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse, 30-room hotel, retail space and 13 homes, and hold large events, like golf tournaments, that will draw hundreds.

To do this, supervisors would have to agree to change zoning for the Ospital Road property from agricultural preserve to recreation zoning, split the property into 14 parcels, and approve permits for the structures, parking lot and special events.

Support and criticism have been intense in recent years. Backers cite the economic boost it would mean for the county and new jobs it would create. Foes list concerns about water, incompatibility with the surrounding ranch land, environmental issues and the amount of grading and other work that’s already been done there.

Because of the expected crowd, Tuesday’s supervisors session will be held at the San Andreas Town Hall — the same place that filled Feb. 19 and again March 19 when the Trinitas project came before the county Planning Commission.

Commissioners sat through more than 10 hours of comments, from more than 60 people, but were unable ultimately to agree on a recommendation to make to supervisors on Trinitas.

Many of those who addressed the commission are expected to also speak Tuesday on the project.

Well aware of criticism and accusations about the project, Mike Nemee Friday said he looks forward to the supervisors meeting and hopes the board will be impressed with the range of interests backing his project.

He cited the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, Calaveras Unified School District superintendent, Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, firefighters and ranchers who have backed Trinitas.

“When you boil it down, people who come see the project and meet our family appreciate what we’re trying to do,” Nemee said. “We’re a family venture and we’re local. They come see the project and say they get it.”

Nemee is adamant that he has done all that county and environmental agency officials have asked of him regarding the project.

Disputing this are a range of opponents that include neighbors, a Mother Lode land-use watchdog agency — Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center — and others who say that much of the extensive work already done on the Trinitas acreage was done illegally.

To grant Nemee the zone changes, property splits and permits necessary to create the entire “agri-tourism recreation destination project” he proposes would be tantamount to rewarding him for bad behavior, critics say.

Retirees Lew and Kathy Mayhew, who live near the Trinitas property, have on numerous occasions spoken out on behalf of project opponents.

The Mayhews said that they hope that all five supervisors by Tuesday have studied the county planning staff’s huge file on Trinitas. They further hope that the board, like the Planning Commission, takes as much time as necessary to weigh all comments and documents before any votes are cast.

“It would be unfortunate to rush it at this point,” Lew Mayhew said.

Added Kathy Mayhew: “We think that approving the project in any form would lead to urbanization of the area and its incompatibility with existing surrounding land uses. ... The best thing for the county as a whole is to not set a precedent of unequal treatment where someone can do this and win blessing or approved entitlements way after the fact.”

The planning department staff is recommending that Nemee only be allowed to do some of what he’s asking for.

The staff recommends that the acreage, now in two large parcels, be zoned recreational, and that permits be granted for a parking lot and for the Nemees to hold up to 24 events a year, each with up to 500 people, and one event a year for no more than 999 people.

Certification of the project’s environmental impact report — a hefty document opponents contend is inadequate — is also recommended.