Nevada County Land Use & Development Digest

Trail building and fuel reduction on the 32-acre property along Deer Creek.

Rumors are flying that California Forever is using dodgy tactics to gather signatures.

The new Nevada City Courthouse Project Advisory Group has agreed on the top three potential sites for the location.

Public comments are open for a proposed event center in Penn Valley as it goes through its Environmental Impact Review process.

Projects to improve safe access and widen lanes and add shoulders to improve the highway as an evacuation route are in the early stages.

Sierra Business Council, in partnership with Sierra Commons, is launching a free, in-person education program to encourage creation of new forest-based jobs and wood products businesses this April.

The Wildlife Conservation Board voted to award $10.3 million to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the 27,000-acre Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita.

Residents of San Rafael say the project could bring noise, pollution and crime to the area.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek says promises of new homes, jobs, investments are binding, but legal experts and elected officials are skeptical.

After six hours of public comment over two days, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to deny Rise Grass Valley’s Idaho Maryland Mine Project and final environmental impact report.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

The Nevada County Planning Department released the staff report and notice of public hearing for the proposed Idaho Maryland Mine – Rise Grass Valley Project, scheduled for a public hearing on Feb. 15.

The Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe has a time-limited opportunity to purchase 232 acres on a Nisenan Village site called Yulića—the tribe’s best opportunity to re-establish a homeland in more than half a century.

Raging storms brought major damage to California’s coastline last winter. But in Half Moon Bay, a different kind of coastal upheaval is gaining momentum—one that could decide the fate of billions of dollars of property and affect hundreds of public beaches.

The Nevada County Board of Supervisors will meet Feb. 15 to hold a noticed public hearing and take final action on the proposed Idaho Maryland Mine – Rise Grass Valley Project.

Tahoe National Forest has acquired 982 acres within Perazzo Meadows, donated by the Truckee Donner Land Trust. The acreage includes 16 adjoining parcels of an old subdivision previously planned for high-end residential development.

Board member Steve Mendoza looks back at 2023, and the challenges faced by InConcert Sierra after its purchase of a 42,000-square-foot building to create the Crown Point Events Complex.

The neighborhood around Thoroughbred Loop in Grass Valley has been battling an application for a cannabis grow within the former 6B Ranch for more than three years.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced it is acquiring about 10,000 acres of land in Northern California for $14.1 million. As part of this, the tribe will remove dams along the Klamath River and restore salmon runs.

The Judicial Council of California will investigate possible sites within Nevada City to be used for the construction of a six-courtroom facility with future expansion capacity.

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust recently paid almost $10 million for a 1.86-acre site formerly used for oil drilling. It could be converted into a community center, park and affordable housing.

California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.

The Fort Independence Indian Community is getting the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at no cost in 2024. Native Americans had lived on this land for centuries before the hatchery’s construction.

The county released the report ahead of the upcoming special meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 13.

A 2021 state law has radically changed the housing equation in San Diego. Advocates, developers, and policymakers are split on whether it should be exported to other jurisdictions.

A shrubby Palmer oak tree in Riverside County is around 13,000 years old, making it California’s oldest tree and one of the longest-lived organisms on earth. Some people are concerned that a proposed development could threaten the tree.

The Nevada County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 13 will hear Rise Grass Valley’s petition for recognition of vested rights to conduct mining operations at the Idaho Maryland Mine.

Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County—which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life—face a turbulent path.

The Nevada County Board of Supervisors has rescheduled a hearing to Dec. 13 on Rise Grass Valley’s petition for vested rights to conduct mining operations at the Idaho Maryland Mine. The hearing was originally scheduled for Oct. 27.

Work on a new annex, visitors center and underground parking garage can legally begin after the state issued a final, court-ordered review of the project. Plans have been on hold since early 2021.

Property owners in the neighborhoods around the Mill Street Plaza in Grass Valley have inquired about converting upper-level offices into residential space. City staff was directed to prepare a proposal as a first step to drafting an ordinance to incentivize the conversion of under-utilized space for housing.