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County lays out plan for talks between developers and opponents

Published Monday, January 3, 2005

Sacramento County on Monday made public its plan to bring together developers and development opponents for talks in hopes of resolving their differences about Rancho Murieta's future.

The plan, submitted to the county supervisors last week by County Executive Terry Schutten, calls for 20 hours of facilitator-run meetings in February and March at a location in Rancho Murieta. The first meeting would be Feb. 2, with four more to follow.

The plan says the county should bring to the table representatives of three development companies, the Rancho Murieta Association, the Community Services District, the Rancho Murieta Country Club and the Rancho Murieta Development Concerned Citizens Committee, which has opposed current development plans.

Each group would be limited to two representatives in the discussion. The sessions would be open to the public. Supervisors Don Nottoli and Illa Collin are listed as participants.

The meetings were offered as a compromise after the supervisors held two sessions last fall to hear development opponents ask that development be halted until a new master plan is written.

The following is the full text of the county memo on the meetings, released Monday by Senior Planner Rob Burness. It is subject to approval by the supervisors.

At the November 23, 2004 Board meeting on Rancho Murieta development issues, we agreed to provide Board members with information regarding a series of proposed meetings between Rancho Murieta community members and developers. The purpose of these meetings is to explore areas of concern between the community and the developers, and to discuss possible solutions to those issues. This memorandum outlines the organization, scope, and timing of these meetings. Included is a proposed list of participants who would attend the meetings.

Background-
Two workshops held by the Board of Supervisors on Rancho Murieta resulted in the proposed schedule of meetings. During the first workshop, community members requested that the County update the Rancho Murieta Master Plan, and hold pending projects in abeyance until the update is completed. The Board of Supervisors asked the Planning Department to report back on the scope of a Master Plan Update.

During the second workshop, the Planning Department presented a two-year planning process that would cost up to $500,000. As an alternative, the Board of Supervisors suggested the exploration of land use issues within a structured series of meetings in order to determine areas of potential agreement. Supervisor Don Nottoli and Supervisor Illa Collin indicated their willingness to participate in such meetings.

Meeting Objectives-
The meetings will occur as a series of collaborative dialogues between stakeholder groups in the Rancho Murieta community. The objectives of these dialogues are to:

  • Discuss the variety of interests at stake
  • Explore information and information gaps
  • Describe areas of common ground and areas of difference
  • Develop options to address stakeholder interests
  • Reach agreements on solutions where possible

Scope of Meetings-
It is proposed that there will be a maximum of five meetings. At the end of the fifth meeting, participants will report back to the Board of Supervisors on areas of agreement and continued concerns. We are suggesting each meeting last four (4) hours to allow for presentation of information, discussion, feedback, and next steps.

A professional independent facilitator, experienced in conflict resolution, will lead the meetings. County staff will be available to provide background information, maps, and data as may be requested or required during meetings.

Meetings will be open to the public. Details regarding public input during meetings will be worked out with the facilitator. However, we anticipate that public input will need to be limited in order to keep the dialogue moving productively, and in order for the time to be utilized toward the set goals.

Facilitator-
To facilitate each of the meetings, Carolyn Penny has been selected from several proposals. Carolyn is Co-Director of Common Ground: Center for Cooperative Solutions, associated with UC Davis. She has over 14 years of experience with conflict resolution on a variety of matters. She is familiar with land use issues, having obtained a certificate in Land Use and Environmental Planning from UC Davis Extension. She recently facilitated the Sacramento County/City of Folsom Agreement on the Folsom Sphere of Influence.

Once she has contacted each stakeholder group to discuss their issues and concerns, Ms. Penny will work with County staff on the specifics of the process design for the dialogues. At the end of the process, Ms. Penny will prepare a final status report for all participants. This will include a description of the issues and areas of agreement and areas of concern.

Proposed Participants-
The following stakeholders are to be invited to participate in the collaborative dialogues (meetings), with up to two representatives each:

  • Rancho Murieta Development Concerned Citizens Committee
  • Rancho Murieta Community Services District
  • Rancho Murieta Association (RMA)
  • Rancho Murieta Country Club Board of Directors
  • Rancho Murieta Properties Incorporated
  • Reynen and Bardis
  • Foothill Partners
  • Cosumnes Community Planning Advisory Council
  • Sacramento County-Supervisors, Don Nottoli and Illa Collin

Also, we propose to extend invitations to two additional individuals to participate in these discussions. They are:

  • Alcides Freitas, Former Director, Sacramento Department of Environmental Review and Assessment, involved in the early land use planning and resource protection efforts for Rancho Murieta.
  • Bill Geyer, a long-time Rancho Murieta resident and land use consultant, who lives on an inholding, and is not associated with the RMA or other stakeholder interests.

We recognize that the stakeholder groups have several individuals actively involved in the community debate. However, the participants in the dialogues need to be a manageable number. Certainly, representatives at the table will have the opportunity to, and be encouraged to, communicate with their constituents at key points during the discussions.

The proposed tentative meeting schedule follows. The location for the meetings will be either the facilities of the Rancho Murieta Association (RMA) or the Rancho Murieta Country Club (RMCC):

Wednesday February 2, 2005 1-5 PM RMA or RMCC Meeting Room
Wednesday February 16, 2005 1-5 PM RMA or RMCC Meeting Room
Wednesday March 2, 2005 1-5 PM RMA or RMCC Meeting Room
Wednesday March 16, 2005 1-5 PM RMA or RMCC Meeting Room
Wednesday March 30, 2005 1-5 PM RMA or RMCC Meeting Room

We hope that this information provides you with a guideline for solving the concerns of the community stakeholders and the developers in a timely manner. If you have any additional questions, please fell free to contact Rob Burness, Senior Planner.


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