See what your neighbors think in Community Views Published Sunday, March 9, 2003 A total of 838 healthy trees would be cut down for the construction of 333 homes in two subdivisions proposed for Murieta North, developers told the community Thursday.

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That represents less than 20 percent of the trees on the 176 acres comprising the Residences of Murieta Hills and the Retreat developments, Murieta Holdings developer Gerry N. Kamilos told an audience of 15 at the developers’ monthly “town hall” meeting.

The two projects are now going through the county planning process.

At the meeting, Kamilos and his partner, Robert J. Cassano, presented large maps showing where the trees will remain in each of the projects.

While Kamilos had disputed a claim made by resident Candy Chand in a letter last month to RanchoMurieta.com that the projects would result in the removal of 1,000 trees, the difference in the two calculations turned out to be differing interpretations of the same arborist’s report.

Kamilos told Brad Sample, a resident who questioned the 838 figure, that trees identified as diseased by the arborist were not included in the developers’ count of trees that would be lost to development. Sample responded that diseased trees provide excellent wildlife habitat.

Another difference in interpretation occurred when Kamilos characterized the inch-by-inch replacement of trees removed for home construction as offering long-term value to the community. Sample described the typical 15-gallon tree that mitigates each inch of a lost tree's diameter as a “twig” and added, “It will be generations before they provide similar (wildlife habitat) quality to what has been lost.”

Kamilos said the developers will comply with the mitigation protocols set up by the county. Trees removed for streets and driveways will not be mitigated. Kamilos said this is standard for Rancho Murieta development.

The developer gave the following project-by-project description of tree and wildlife habitat issues for Murieta Hills and the Retreat projects. Kamilos also discussed the developers’ approach for the other subdivisions they propose for Murieta North.

You can see a map of the overall proposed developments here.

The Residences of Murieta Hills

About 3,480 trees were identified on the 146 acres comprising Murieta Hills. Of these, Kamilos said, 112 would be impacted when streets, utilities and driveways were installed. The second impact on the trees would be the construction of the 238 houses. In the worst-case scenario, 218 trees would be removed, he said.

The total number of trees to be removed is expected to be 330, or 9.5 percent of the total. “So, in other words, we’re saving, and preserving, 90.5 percent of the trees,” Kamilos said.

As for wildlife, studies conducted by a biologist and a wetlands specialist have shown there are no endangered species issues at Murieta Hills, according to Kamilos. The property contains a small vernal pond of less than one-fifth of an acre, which will be mitigated, he said.

Plans call for open, wrought-iron fencing 5 feet high with 4-inch spacing. This, plus undeveloped migration corridors 150 or 160 feet wide, will allow wildlife to move through the area, according to the developer.

The Retreat projects

There are 95 single-family, detached houses planned for the Retreat areas, which total 30 acres scattered around the North Course. The homes are “an open, unfenced concept,” allowing free movement of wildlife.

There were 939 trees counted, which reflects a greater tree density than Murieta Hills, where the trees are essentially in groves. Thus, the impact on the trees is more pronounced here, and the “tree take” numbers reflect this, Kamilos said.

Fifty-four percent of the trees in the Retreat project areas would be removed. Streets and driveways account for 99 trees and, in the worst-case scenario, 409 trees would be removed in the process of constructing homes, Kamilos said.

The developer said there are no endangered species issues in the Retreat areas.

Retreat West, adjacent to 11th hole of the north course, has a minimal number of trees, and the lots are oriented to minimize the “take,” Kamilos said. A half-dozen trees are impacted.

Retreat East, on De La Cruz, adjacent to the Fairways subdivision, has a substantial number of trees that create “a visual buffer between the custom home area, the golf course and the (new) homes,” Kamilos said. These perimeter trees will be retained, while interior trees will be impacted. Tree mitigation in this area will mean that “substantially more trees are planted, within and adjacent to the community,” according to the developer.

Retreat North, between the 9th and 18th holes, has only one tree in the area along Murieta Parkway, but there are woodlands in the southern portion. Like Retreat East, “the idea is to maintain the integrity of the perimeter trees” while impacting the interior trees, Kamilos said.

Future projects

The Estates at Lake Calero, behind Puerto Drive, is planned as a custom home development with a vineyard that would preserve the view of the lake from the back of a group of existing homes along Puerto.

The developers say that if the vineyard is not approved and a larger number of homes is built on the property, as provided for in Exhibit H of the Mutual Benefit Agreement (see here), the land planned as vineyard would be kept undeveloped.

The lots would not be contiguous, allowing for wildlife migration through the area, the developer said.

The Estates at Lake Chesbro area has a wetland mitigation area, which will probably limit development.

In the Clementia area south of Lake Jean, development would take the form of three-quarter to one-acre estate lots. The Estates at Lake Clementia would be custom homes, Kamilos said.

The Highlands offers “connectivity through the community for the species and animal migration” because of its topography and oak woodlands, Kamilos said. Some of the height limitations on homes could apply here, as in the Residences of Murieta Hills.

The River Canyon Estates development, between Bass Lake and the Cosumnes River, faces several constraints because of the natural floodplain of the Cosumnes and a topography that creates hollows. Lots could be clustered, as opposed to the more traditional subdivisions already established in Rancho Murieta. “This is probably the most challenging (subdivision) as far as integrating development with the natural setting,” according to Kamilos.

The Terrace, along Murieta Parkway, is “substantially a wide open area,” except for the northeastern part, where there are granite outcroppings, historic ruins and “a substantial amount of tree canopy, especially along Camino Del Lago,” the developer said. The plan is to identify the significant oak woodland areas and preserve them in the design, as is the plan for The Residences of Murieta Hills.

Kamilos closed the meeting with the announcement that the two builders for The Residences at Murieta Hills will return next month to present more detailed plans for the homes they plan to build there.

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