Kern County OKs Rosamond housing development
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Monday, May 10,
2004.
By HEATHER LAKE
Valley Press Staff Writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROSAMOND - The largest housing development ever to hit this rural community
soon should be under way.
The 1,201-unit Copa de Oro, which will span more than 600 acres between
Avenue A and Gaskill Road and between 110th and 120th streets west, was
approved unanimously by the Kern County Board of Supervisors on April 27.
First proposed more than a decade ago, the size of the development raised concerns over the water supply in the area, especially among area carrot growers.
At first, the Rosamond Community Services District asserted that it believed a full environmental impact report was in order to adequately determine the potential impact on environmental and natural resources in the area.
The district serves about 4,500 residents.
Although the development is not in its present sphere of influence, the district was concerned about its potential drain on area water supply, district manager Sherry Delano said.
An 18-hole golf course, part of the Copa de Oro community, was the focus of much of the concern over how much water would be required to maintain it.
After working with developer R.L. Abbott, the two parties came to an agreement last fall that a mitigated negative declaration would be sufficient to determine the impact on present and future water supply as growth continues in the district, DeLano said.
A mitigated negative declaration is less time-consuming than a full environmental impact report and answers general concerns about the impact of a proposed project on natural resources.
The development will have its own service district, treating its own sewage and providing its own water or purchasing it from the Delta near Sacramento.
Developers said a full EIR would have delayed the project up to nine months.
Although the district has just begun the Local Agency Formation Commission process to extended its boundaries to 110th Street West, it still covers about 33 square-miles, extending to 60th Street West.
Copa de Oro is expected to increase the Rosamond population by about 25%.
hlake@avpress.com