As you know, the Wonder Inn applicants have appealed the denial of their Proposal  by the Planning Commission.  We now have a little more information on the process that the appeal application will follow.  

First, timing:  Land Use Services tells us that the appeal is likely to go before the Board of Supervisors in early July.  They have 30 days to set that date, counting from the day the appeal was filed (April 3).  So we should know the date for the hearing by somewhere around May 4. Land Use Services will be preparing another Staff Report, which won’t be released until a few days before the hearing date in July.

The official process is outlined in this County Appeal Information Sheet.  The applicant will be able to make a 15-minute presentation.  We will be limited to, as before, 3-minute comments. So we will once again need to make those comments really count, and we are developing a plan for effective response.

What’s in the appeal?  You can view the Wonder Inn developers’ Appeal Application Summary Report here.  It’s not a long document.  What are they objecting to?  Specifically, this finding by the Planning Commission:  

Planning Commission finding of the proposed policy plan and zoning amendments do not provide a reasonable and logical extension of the existing land use pattern in the surrounding area and that there is not sufficient supporting infrastructure, existing or available, consistent with the intensity of the development to accommodate the proposed project without significantly lowering service levels of the area. 

What action are they seeking?  They want to throw out the Planning Commission denial and go back to the same inadequate studies they came in with: 

Respectfully request that the Board of Supervisors grant the applicants appeal based upon LUSD recommendations and findings, as well as the facts and evidence presented and contained in the CEQA documents and to overturn the Planning Commission findings and recommendation of denial.

The Application Summary Report lists Supplemental Documentation submitted with accompanying Figures 1-5, as well, and we have obtained those:

• Proj-2021-000163 Supplemental Documentation for Appeal to Board of Supervisors
• Figure 1 – Area Zoning Combined
• Figure 2 – Vacation Rentals
• Figure 3 – Residences in the Vicinity
• Figure 4 -Land Ownership Map
• Figure 5 – Project Ownership

We’re digging into these documents and assessing best approaches to once again defeat the Wonder Inn.  Watch this space!