Controversial Sugar Mill housing project goes back to Delta panel

Yolo County plans to take another shot today at winning state approval for a controversial housing development in the protected rural heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – but it still faces tough odds.

In its first such action ever, the 17-year-old Delta Protection Commission last year rejected an earlier version of the Sugar Mill housing plan proposed by developer John Carvalho Jr. for the tiny town of Clarksburg.

Yolo County has since downsized the project somewhat, but the commission's staff still contends that it violates policies to protect the rural core of the Delta.

Commissioners are slated to decide tonight. Their meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the city of West Sacramento Galleria, 1110 W. Capitol Ave.

Carvalho has received universal kudos for converting an old sugar beet factory next to the Sacramento River in Clarksburg into a winery and reception center. But his proposal to build houses on the site to help finance the rest of his plans has split Clarksburg area residents and attracted opposition from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Since being rebuffed by the Delta Protection Commission, Carvalho and Yolo County have agreed to scale back the number of planned houses from 162 to 123, elevate them above potential flood levels and increase the size of a buffer between the houses and a nearby vineyard.

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted earlier this month to approve the revised project and send it back to the Delta Protection Commission, which has jurisdiction over the Delta's core, known as the primary zone.

But the changes haven't won over the Delta Protection Commission staff, which has once again concluded that the proposed houses run afoul of the state's management plan for the Delta.

A staff report concludes that the Sugar Mill project remains inconsistent with state requirements that new development in the primary zone be supported by adequate flood protection.

The commission staff also cites "insufficient evidence" that the new housing is actually needed in Clarksburg, which had a grand total of 132 housing units as of 2001.

Several commission members declined to speak to The Bee on Wednesday, citing instructions from the state attorney general's office that they should not discuss the Sugar Mill matter publicly before today's hearing.

Commission Chairman Arne Simonsen, an Antioch city councilman, said he needs to be convinced that the new houses at the Sugar Mill will serve mainly local workers – perhaps those producing wine – rather than commuters from Sacramento.

"If this were farmworker housing, I don't think there would be any discussion," Simonsen said.

Simonsen said he also remains concerned about the flood safety implications of building new homes behind potentially substandard Delta levees.

One of his fellow commissioners, Yolo County Supervisor Mike McGowan, argued that the revisions should satisfy all of the commission's concerns. McGowan has been a leading backer of the Sugar Mill project.

McGowan said the project will serve local workers, retirees and young people. He noted that 20 percent of the units must be priced at an affordable level for low-income residents.

He doesn't think flooding is a significant issue, either. "I believe it's completely resolved by the requirement to raise the houses above whatever flood level there would be should there be a flood in that area," he said.

"In fact, we're setting a new standard for construction in the Delta. We're requiring this project to be built as if there were no levees."

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Mary Lynne Vellinga, (916) 321-1094.