Trailhead Subdivision near Lake Almanor reverts to Plumas Bank
It’s been a long road, but plans to finalize the Trailhead Subdivision have been approved.
Meeting as the Walker Ranch Community Services District and sometimes as the Plumas County Board of Supervisors three separate concerns were approved Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting.
Plumas County Public Works Director Bob Perreault, who was also representing Walker Ranch Community Services District, explained each of the three areas of business.
Meeting as the Board of Supervisors, representatives approved Perreault’s request to accept the Big Cove Road turn lanes at the Trailhead Subdivision near Lake Almanor.
Plumas Bank, whose representatives have worked with Perreault and others in finishing up or revising the existing infrastructure, now owns much of the under-developed Trailhead Subdivision.
Big Cove Road previously constructed by the Trailhead Project developer is within the right-of-way, Perreault explained. “But such improvements were never dedicated to Plumas County,” Perreault noted. Therefore, the county is going in to make things right in closing out its responsibilities toward the subdivision.
“Such improvements have been offered for dedication by the current owner, Plumas Bank,” Perreault said. “Acceptance would typically occur when the subdivision improvements are completed, but in this instance the subdivision is being reverted to acreage.”
In order to complete its part, supervisors were asked to approve the widened roadway for subdivision turn lanes. This process requires a formal dedication from the owner to Plumas County and acceptance from Plumas County.
“We understand that Plumas County will be responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement of the Big Cove turn lanes and related improvements upon acceptance of the improvements,” said Plumas Bank’s representative Kathy Beatty in a letter to Perreault in August.
In a second request on the same subdivision, Perreault supplied supervisors with a little background on the project.
In was in June 2006 that the Plumas County Zoning Administration conditionally approved a tentative subdivision map for the Trailhead Subdivision.
This was 43.29 acres divided into 83 residential lots, Perreault said, and was located on Big Cove Road in the Lake Almanor area not far from the Bailey Creek development.
A prepared plan was offered by the developer by February 2007 and approved by the county engineer in April of that year. At that time the developer began construction.
It was just a year later that the developer, whom Perreault did not mention by name, suspended its activities.
In October 2009, Plumas County’s engineer authorized a reduction of the project security amount from nearly $1.3 million to $305,000, “in accordance with the approved subdivision agreement,” Perreault noted.
In February 2016 supervisors approved an amendment to the subdivision agreement’s security.
In October 2017, the county’s engineer authorized the replacement of the project security with a letter of credit for the price approved in 2009.
In August 2018, Perreault said the owner submitted an application for reversion of the subdivision. The county’s Zoning Administrator Tracey Ferguson approved that reversion to acreage Oct. 9, 2019, with conditions. Perreault included the minutes of that zoning meeting and maps for supervisors to examine.
In this motion, supervisors approved the adoption of changing the reversion to acreage, terminated the subdivision agreement, and released the letter of credit dated Sept. 21, 2017.
And in a final request, Perreault asked supervisors to accept the water and sewer mains and sewer laterals located within a 10-foot public utility easement.
These were constructed as planned within the Trailhead Subdivision, according to Perreault. This had gone before the zoning administrator Oct. 9, 2019, and approved.
The process allowed the Walker Ranch Community Services District Governing Board to consider acceptance of the water and sewer mains and lateral for the project.
There was no discussion before the Board of Supervisors about what Plumas Bank plans to do with the property.
