Placer Supervisors Reject Bunch Creek Rezone Near Yankee Jim's Road
Placer County supervisors voted 3-2 to deny a rezone that would have put seven homes on the canyon rim near Yankee Jim's Road, keeping 600 acres in timber production.
American River Canyon Alliance
A stretch of canyon rim near Yankee Jim's Road will stay as it is, at least for now.
The North Fork American River Alliance reports that on August 24, 2010, the Placer County Board of Supervisors denied the Bunch Creek rezone. The vote was 3 to 2. Supervisors Holmes, Montgomery, and Weygandt voted to deny the proposal. Supervisors Rockholm and Uhler voted in favor.
The proposal would have converted 600 acres near Yankee Jim's Road from a Timber Production Zone to a Residential and Forestry designation. That change would have opened the door to seven homes on the canyon rim.
Yankee Jim's Road is well known to anyone who spends time in these canyons. It winds down toward the North Fork of the American River through steep, forested terrain. Rezoning land along the rim carries real weight. Timber Production Zones keep large parcels intact. Splitting them into residential lots is hard to undo.
We appreciate the work done by the North Fork American River Alliance and the neighbors who followed this decision closely. Land-use fights like this one are often long and quiet. They rarely make headlines. Yet the outcome shapes the canyon for decades.
The denial keeps this ground in timber production for the time being. It is a reminder that local decisions still decide the future of these canyons. You can read the full account from NFARA at nfara.org.
Cover photo: Noah_Loverbear, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.