City Council moves closer to Colusa Crossings annexation

It could be years before development sprouts up on what has largely been farmland, but the Colusa City ouncil this week took three steps closer to approving the annexation of the Colusa Crossings property into the city.

"The project would not be approved for development at this time," Senior Planner Bryan Stice said.

The council introduced two ordinances at Tuesday's meeting.

The first will set the prezoning designations as planned development on the central 310 acres west of town. Primarily owned by Bill and Garnett Vann, it is located across from the fairgrounds, and is south and east of Wilson Avenue.

A second ordinance establishing a development agreement also was introduced.

Some people, including area resident Joe Tauscher, wonders why the city is in a hurry to annex land that has no specific development plans, but there was no opposition expressed during the public hearings.

The land will likely have a variety of uses, including residential, commercial and industrial. The development agreement requires the developers to submit a specific plan or a general development plan to the city for approval before any work can start.

Nearly 13 additional acres owned by three other interests will be zoned R-1 for residential use, but has an added condition of a 20,00-square-foot lot size minimum to be more compatible with surrounding housing.

There is also 1.23 acres zoned as general commercial (C-G).

Additionally, the property will now fall under city fire jurisdiction, and a stretch of Highway 20 from Will S. Green Road into the city will become part of Colusa.

The council also adopted a resolution formerly requesting the Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO) to approve the annexation.

The matter will come back to the council for formal adoption of the ordinances.

In other city business, the council:

• Replaced the Landmark and Historic Preservation language in the city code, giving its commission more freedom in designating individual properties and groups of properties as historical sites, while preserving any landowner's right to refuse such designation.

It has been a controversial topic for many years, and efforts to replace the language and become more in line with state regulations — and possibly eligible for grant funding - dates back at least 10 years.

• Agreed to go out for bid on a Vac-Con sewer and storm drain cleaner truck at an estimated cost that will exceed $300,000.

Where the funds will come from was not clearly defined, but staff indicated there were a number of options, all within the existing sewer and water funds. There was some concern, particularly by Councilwoman Donna Critchfield, that this could be out of the city's financial comfort zone.

Staff said the existing equipment requires at least two people to work it, while this can be handled by a single employee and take far less time to complete the work.

It was also reported that staff members have been injured using the current equipment, and the new truck would eliminate that risk.

The council made it clear it would not support raising rates to fund it. The bid process does not obligate the council to purchase the truck.

• Gave a vote of confidence to the Utility Committee to continue working, and assigned the panel's former chair, Councilwoman Marilyn Acree to work with the group.

• Approved $3,500 for a consultant to prepare the next round of Community Development Block Grant funding applications on behalf of the city. Those funds are used for specific housing and business loans tied to income levels and job creation.