NAPA – Pacific Union College’s proposed Eco Village in Angwin has been scaled down from the original 1,600 units to 600 units to 380, and it may scale back further after the environmental impact report is out.
The EIR was expected to come out at the end of last year, but it is now expected to get to the county at the end of July, said Chad Kiltz, director of forward planning at Triad Communities, the first developer of the project that now serves as the master consultant to Pacific Union College, the current developer.
In addition to the current proposal, there will be several alternatives.
One is a 191-unit version. A group called Save Rural Angwin, which is trying to keep to the county’s plan of 1 percent growth, said it will not challenge the already approved 191-unit version.
“We don’t agree with it, but it has already been approved,” said spokesman Allen Spence.
“We are not proposing anything at this point,” he said, “We want to make sure that whatever goes in is not inappropriate or too large.”
He said the county building code specifically refers to Angwin as remote.
“Just because someone is willing to build doesn’t make it a good idea.”
The current proposal is for a compact, self-reliant village community of 380 residential units. It will have 35 acres of locally grown food, solar and geothermal power for new homes and businesses, rainwater harvesting for conservation and 100 percent wastewater reuse.
Of the 380 units, there will be more than 100 senior units. Twenty percent of the project is slated to be affordable for very low, low and moderate incomes.
There are a number of environmental mitigations that have been planned. Traffic issues, water, energy, education, transit, food and jobs-to-housing linkage are all being addressed in the draft EIR.
These will hold for the alternative project from the county but not for the smaller 191-unit project.
“My expectation is they will not build anything substantial,” said Mr. Spence.
Triad's Mr. Kiltz said once the EIR is out, there will be a comment period and more decisions on the project.
“The college is looking to meet the needs of both the college and the community,” he said.
