Land Use/Open Space

City and County Butt Heads Over Tower

City and County Butt Heads Over Tower

By David GreenwaldDecember 13, 201144 comments

tower.jpgCity Clarifies Position in Recent Letter as County Recommends Denial of Appeal –

The city and county will come to blows today, at least metaphorically speaking, over a one-year extension of a use permit for a 365-foot radio tower at the landfill site.

The county staff report is recommending the extension of the use permit for one year and a denial of the appeal filed by Eileen Samitz.
Guest Commentary: KDVS Needs the Landfill Tower

Guest Commentary: KDVS Needs the Landfill Tower

By uptownstudiosDecember 12, 201187 comments

tower.jpgby Neil Ruud

The current KDVS radio tower on Kerr Hall causes telecommunication interference and is not tall enough to legally protect KDVS’ signal beyond the immediate area. In 1996, KDVS’s staff started researching potential sites to build a taller tower and legally protect its listeners in Yolo County and beyond.

Throughout this 15 year process, other radio stations have encroached on KDVS’ airwaves. Already there is an automated out-of-state mini-station in eastern Sacramento preventing many of our dedicated listeners from hearing KDVS. This will soon be a reality in other parts of the valley, including some parts of Yolo County. Without an expanded legal area of protection, KDVS is powerless to protect reception for existing listeners.

Guest Commentary: Radio Tower Represents a Threat To Environment

Guest Commentary: Radio Tower Represents a Threat To Environment

By uptownstudiosDecember 6, 201110 comments

tower.jpgRadio Tower proposal threatens wetland birds. Bright, white strobes would bring impacts on community

By Eileen M. Samitz, Pam Nieberg and Alan Pryor

On December 6th, the Davis City Council will consider a resolution by the Open Space and Habitat Commission strongly opposing a proposal by Results Radio, a Santa Rosa radio conglomerate, to build a new tower at the Yolo County Central Landfill.  The proposed tower, at 365 feet, will be taller than the Statue of Liberty.  This massive structure will be 30 feet at its base and have three extremely bright white strobe lights (one at the top and two at the 200 foot level).  These strobe lights are required by new FAA regulations, and would create much more visual pollution than any other tower in Yolo County. Each of the three strobes would flash 40 times per minute, 24 hours a day at an intensity of 20,000 candelas during daytime, dawn, and dusk, and 2,000 candelas at night – creating unacceptable blight on the northern border of Davis.

Wildlife experts have concluded that because the proposed tower is located in the heavily-used Pacific Flyway adjacent to the Davis Wetlands Project and the Vic Fazio Wildlife Area, the disorienting effects of the strobe lights on birds would cause unacceptable bird deaths due to numerous bird collisions.  To add insult to injury, Results Radio wants to locate their visual and environmental blight in Yolo County, but move their offices and jobs to Sacramento!
Serious Opposition From Community-Based Environmental Groups To Proposed Radio Tower

Serious Opposition From Community-Based Environmental Groups To Proposed Radio Tower

By David GreenwaldDecember 5, 2011113 comments

towerOpponents of a 365-foot radio tower, that in September 2010 the Yolo County Board of Supervisors approved to be located at the county landfill, argue such communications towers kill millions of birds annually.

This tower will be near a number of sensitive locations, including the City of Davis wetlands, Willow Slough, and near the Yolo Bypass wildlife area, “all of which provide foraging, nesting and breeding habitat for thousands of migratory and resident bird populations year-round.”
Applicant Proposes to the County A Solar Farm For Davis Periphery

Applicant Proposes to the County A Solar Farm For Davis Periphery

By David GreenwaldMarch 24, 201121 comments

SolarSaylor Names Vergis to County Planning Commission –

Yolo County has its own planning commission which consists of seven members.  Each Board member gets to appoint one Commissioner from their district to the board and there are two at-large commissioners that are voted in by all Board Members.

Earlier this month, Supervisor Don Saylor used his appointment to name two-time, former Davis City Council Candidate Sydney Vergis to the planning commission.

Why Would Saylor Vote Against the County Climate Action Plan?

Why Would Saylor Vote Against the County Climate Action Plan?

By David GreenwaldMarch 19, 2011100 comments
polarbearsIt was a strange vote and discussion on the County’s Climate Action Plan.  It is important to understand that the County’s Climate Action Plan only addresses “greenhouse gas emissions within the unincorporated area, which has seen very little population growth since 1990 as a result of the County’s historic land use policies.”

Moreover, “Although the inventories of the unincorporated area identify agriculture as a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, when placed in a broader perspective, farming accounted for only 14% of the countywide emissions in 1990.”

Commentary: Justifying the County Conaway Vote

Commentary: Justifying the County Conaway Vote

By David GreenwaldFebruary 13, 201110 comments
Conaway-Ranch.pngIt was an interesting week at the county level, as watching the Conaway Ranch water agreement vote was so instructive.  The problems that this agreement presents for the Yolo Basin are troubling, as laid out by both Supervisors Jim Provenza and Duane Chamberlain.  This agreement threatens wildlife and agriculture and also threatens to compromise the spillway’s flood control capacity.

It was a week in which we saw Senator Lois Wolk come forward to the Board of Supervisors with a modest proposal, and the Board basically did not give the Senator the time of day.  It is not that they rejected her proposal, it is that they failed to even discuss it.