Rio Linda News June 17, 2004

On Friday, June 18, 2004, at 1:30 p.m., the Rio Linda and Elverta Recreation and Park District, Rio Linda/Elverta Lions Club, Rio Linda/Elverta Historical Society and the County of Sacramento will celebrate the completion of the Depot/Visitor Center in Depot Park. It is the culmination of a project that spanned approximately 10 years in the planning and building.

The site is along a portion of the existing Sacramento Northern Bike Trail on Front Street in Rio Linda.

Afternoon festivities will consist of speakers representing the entities that collaborated to plan, fund and build the project as well as a ribbon cutting ceremony, open house, refreshments and music featuring the Dry Creek Singers.

Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson will be the keynote speaker and will lead the ribbon cutting to open the new building.

The Depot/Visitor architecture duplicates the former Rio Linda Sacramento Northern Train Depot and freight shed and is located on the historic site of the original depot.

The Center will provide the general public and users of the bike trail with restrooms, picnic tables and drinking fountains.

Owned by the Rio Linda and Elverta Recreation and Park District, the building will include a meeting hall/activity facility that will be available to the public. In addition, the Center will serve as an interpretive center for Sacramento Northern Railroad memorabilia, railroad trails information and maps, and other information about the Rio Linda and Elverta community.

Landscaping of the site will be completed in the coming months and furniture and railroad memorabilia display cases will be added as funds allow.

Published in Rio Linda Elverta News June 17, 2004 - Scroll for other articles

CPAC denies Bait Shop expansion as proposed

Conditions recommended to County

by Jay O'Brien

The Rio Linda/Elverta Community Planning Advisory Council (CPAC) took action on the proposed expansion of Elkhorn Bait and Tackle at its June 8, 2004 meeting. The proposal to rezone 2.17 acres at the southwest corner of Elkhorn Boulevard and 20th Street to "General Commercial" (GC) was discussed for two hours. The owner, Richard Boggs, explained how he plans to build three new buildings on the property, replacing his present bait and tackle shop. He proposes to rezone his property, now zoned Limited Commercial (LC) and Agricultural-Residential (AR), to GC zoning. The three buildings he proposes total 21,200 square feet. More specific details were reported in The NEWS, May 20, 2004.

The proposed General Commercial site is surrounded by property zoned Agricultural-Residential.

Boggs said he circulated a petition supporting his plan. He obtained 439 signatures from Rio Linda and Elverta plus 127 others that were mostly from the North Highlands area.

CPAC Chair Hal Morris reviewed the existing zoning conditions that were established in 1986 with CPAC and the audience. CPAC member Zack Arbios reminded the audience that as identified at the last CPAC meeting, the reason for the now existing LC zoning was that an alcoholic beverages license was inadvertently granted in an inappropriate space.

The 1986 rezone from AR to LC was for the specific 0.59 acre area of the bait shop, as it existed at that time, and not for the entire property. A bait shop, selling bait raised on the property, would have been a permitted use of the property without a zoning change; however, allowing the sale of beer to continue required the rezone to LC. The conditions imposed in 1986 were conditions agreed to by the owners that allowed the LC zoning; the conditions apply to the property itself, and thus apply to all subsequent owners of the property.

It was recounted by those testifying at the meeting that many of the zoning conditions agreed to in 1986 have not been followed or enforced. For example, the use of the property is limited by the 1986 conditions "to the existing bait and tackle business including beer sales and sporting goods catalog sale". There is no reference to sales of firearms. The 1986 conditions required street improvements, parking area limitations, landscaping, driveways, fences, lighting, and signage requirements that have not been followed, according to public testimony given to CPAC.

Darryl Goehring, representing the Sacramento County Planning and Community Development Department, said "In all fairness to the County, my employer, the applicant, and to those members here, there are 14 conditions in this old 1986 vintage zoning agreement. Conditions don't enforce themselves. The County is an enforcing arm in terms of zoning agreements. But it relies on your calling them to make them aware of the zoning agreement violations." After a citation from the audience that the County did not act on reports of violations, Goehring said, "Next time you call, ask for Richard Maddox, and tell him I sent you." (Richard Maddox suggests callers should use 874-6446 or send email to sacplan@saccounty.net)

Cortez Quinn, Chief of Staff for the County Supervisor in whose district this project resides, was present during the CPAC deliberation; he expressed no opinion or comment.

After a discussion of the failure of the several owners of the bait shop to follow the agreed upon zoning conditions established in 1986 that permitted the bait shop to legally sell alcohol, Arbios proposed a motion that was modified and accepted 4-0, with CPAC member Patrick Graham abstaining.

The motion, as accepted, denies the current request as proposed. The motion continues that should the application be approved by the County, thus overriding the CPAC recommendation, it should be reduced in scope and zoned LC only, limited to a single building of 10,000 square feet; the building set back should be increased; landscaping should be increased and an 8 foot solid wall be provided to protect the adjacent neighbor; parking should be designed for trailer pull-through with access on the north side and exit on the south side of the 20th Street frontage; exterior display of goods for sale should be prohibited; a connection should be required to public sewer when available; signage should be provided in the parking area to direct traffic out to Elkhorn Boulevard; wrought iron fencing should be provided facing the street; and a right to farm notice should be provided to future owners, thus protecting the surrounding properties.

In other actions, CPAC approved four tentative parcel maps that split property into smaller lots. One, at the south end of Silver Glen Way, north of O Street, elicited community concern about the problems with storm runoff drainage into and across the subject property. Richard Rozumowicz of Area West Engineers, representing the property owner, agreed to meet with the neighbors who expressed concern and attempt to resolve the drainage problems.

There were 41 attendees, including CPAC members Hal Morris, Zack Arbios, Patrick Graham, Mary Nelson, and Jim Rogaski.

The next regular CPAC meeting is scheduled for July 13, 2004 in the Community Center. Public attendance and participation is encouraged.