Clarksburg could double its population if this project wins final approval.
As enjoyable as it is to live along the river, the public benefits when riverfront homes are restricted.
Keeping property in public hands, either as parkways or commercial development that has as its function public access such as restaurants is preferable.
An excerpt.
Delta housing project gets OK
Developer wins tentative approval for 162 homes, winery in Clarksburg.
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff WriterPublished 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Yolo County supervisors Tuesday tentatively approved a new residential development along the Sacramento River that would more than double the population of the tiny town of Clarksburg.
Their endorsement came despite objections that the Old Sugar Mill project would put people at risk of flooding and pierce the rural heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
In front of a standing-room-only crowd, supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of allowing developer John Carvalho to build 162 homes along the river next to a shuttered sugar mill he converted into a winery that processes grapes from nearby growers.
Technically, Tuesday's vote merely signaled the board's intent to approve the project on Oct. 17, when staff will have prepared the necessary documents.
Those voting in favor of the project said it will provide the kind of agricultural backbone Yolo County needs -- a facility to serve area grape growers who might otherwise have to truck their crops elsewhere. The houses, they said, will give young people from Clarksburg somewhere to live.
"I think this is a real enhancement to the Clarksburg community," said Supervisor Mike McGowan.
Supervisor Mariko Yamada, the sole no vote, said she couldn't support putting more people behind the Sacramento River levees that flood control officials have warned may not provide protection against a 100-year flood, which has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year.
