KEEPING PLANS SECRET ON DONNER SUMMIT IS BAD BECAUSE....

Today it is 40 days since Royal Gorge LLC, with the prior agreement of Placer County, submitted their plans to county planning for "private" review, no public involved.  It is 28 days since a member of the public requested, and was denied access to those plans by Placer County.

Let's suppose these plans will eventually be dragged kicking and screaming into the light of day, why the concern to see them sooner rather than later?

Here are a few of the many, many reasons.

These plans, and especially the very extensive "Water Supply Alternatives" study (well over 100 pages) which logically should have been presented first to the Sierra Lakes County Water District, may be based on studies that are incomplete,  inadequate, or unrealistic.  Groups following the progress of this development have been denied 40 days to study the plans, while the county has been working away, moving Royal Gorge LLC forward in the permitting process.  This is important because during those 40 days interested groups might have sought outside advice from consultants and experts on areas of the plans that might give cause for concern. Royal Gorge LLC has essentially been granted a "head start" by Placer County.  Since when do developers, with all their economic resources, need a "head start"?

Newspapers and other media, including The Union, have been denied access to these public records.  This has limited the ability of the media to inform the public of Royal Gorge LLC's proposals for the Serene Lakes/Donner Summit Area- which has effectively granted Royal Gorge LLC a "blackout" period on public debate on the merits or lack thereof of their controversial proposed development. Why does Placer County ignore the rules set out in the California Public Records Act, when this operates to give Royal Gorge LLC a "blackout" period?

Many people visit the Donner Summit Area over the holidays, to enjoy the snow, and the winter sports. They also appreciate the serene beauty of the area, which is now threatened by Royal Gorge LLC's massive development.  It is likely that a large number of these visitors are unaware of  the scale and impact of Royal Gorge LLC's proposals.  By hiding these planning documents through the holidays, Royal Gorge has dodged the possible negative PR that might ensue from many visitors finding out the grim condo-fied future proposed for a lovely rural area, and the Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort. What rationale is there for Placer County to shield public records from public review, resulting in the benefit  to Royal Gorge LLC of keeping a low profile concerning their proposed development while the Summit is being heavily visited?

That's just a smattering of the many reasons public records involving Royal Gorge LLC's development should have been made available to the public in a timely fashion.  Instead, we are seeing stonewalling--it's seems as if those shielding the records from the public are trying to buy time, blithely unaware that as the sands of time trickle down through the hourglass towards 2008, their credibility with the public may be reaching similarly waning levels.

Will the stonewall continue in 2008?