Letter to the Editor: If the Brewing Lair can, then I can
In response to the news that Plumas County Planning Dept. (“Planning”) is considering a “carve out” of the General Plan to accommodate the Brewing Lair, which is built on an inappropriately zoned lot in Blairsden, I’m troubled.
I’m troubled because of the terminally short attention span of our duly appointed staff: Have we failed to recognize the costs to the County during the High Sierra Rural Alliance v. County of Plumas in 2018 challenge to the General Plan? I haven’t. And the reason I haven’t is because defense of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) associated with the Plan was the center of attention while trying to develop an appropriate Cannabis Ordinance. And, I have a four page letter from Codes when I did an economic study in 2018 on a permitted campground. Hypocrisy and being wrong don’t seem to bother some as much as others, and administering policy based on the neighbors is inappropriate. They should have checked the zoning before they bought their house, but I’m the bad guy? No. I’m not.
We here in Plumas County are in-ordinately proud of our environment, because tourism is our industry. However, we seem short sighted when we let golf courses destroy our roads and rivers; build resorts in sensitive stream corridors (Feather River Inn) and poison drinking water sources without reading the pesticide label (it said: Do not apply to drinking water sources, in temperatures below 52 degrees F (it snowed) at high lake levels, the lake was nearly full). Living under armed guard for nine moths the second time was great. Everybody has bad days.
So, if the EIR is central to economic development here, were you lying then (it matters and we can’t change it without pain of a loss in court), or are you lying now (this little adjustment is fine and won’t encourage a court challenge)?
It is my firm view that the purpose of Government is to insure equal opportunity under the law. This little maneuver to cover up gross negligence in Building and Planning, Environmental Health and the Road Dept. (ingress and egress onto 70) will not be forgotten when I push forward with my perfectly appropriate uses for property that is zoned rec/commercial. If the Brewing Lair can use a domestic well for commercial purposes, well so can I (I have a commercial well, the same one the Grizzly Store, the Motel and Crocker Springs RV park have but have been told I need a new one). If the Brewing Lair has a domestic septic, well why should I invest in engineering? These are real concerns that could impact legitimate economic development, and I prefer that to people who get their way by lying. I don’t call it the Brewing Lair, and now I never will.
Sincerely,
Christi Goodman, Lake Davis