It seems like every day there is a new development being discussed for a large parcel here in the Morongo Basin, especially in the unincorporated county areas like Joshua Tree, Landers, Morongo Valley, and Wonder Valley.
Many proposed large-scale developments face quick-opposition from neighbors, and most proposals never make it past the planning stages. Some developments like the AutoCamp in Joshua Tree take the process all the way through to the end and can make a big impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
On a recent Z107.7 Up Close Show, host Gary Daigneault asked San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair and our local Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe about the land use permitting process. He proposed a hypothetical private campground, and asked Rowe what the approval process would look like.
Here is that conversation:
Gary: “So Dawn, I just (hypothetically) bought 20 acres of commercial property in Joshua Tree and I want toto put in a private campground… how do I go about getting that permitted?”
Dawn Rowe: “If it’s located on the highway that gets more technical because you’re going to introduce Caltrans. But the first thing that you would do is you would ask for a pre-development meeting with our Land Use Services Department, and you’re going to have to do entitlements. You are going to have – you know – maybe some curb and gutter work. There are state laws that impact (developments), and we deliver the bad news to folks on the state’s requirements and we do the enforcement of the state.
They’ll tell you what you need to go through and then you make the decision if you want to get what we call a “Conditional Use Permit” for something like a campground.
Gary: “By-the-way, this is a fictional scenario… I don’t want to get hate mail.”
Dawn: “And then you would begin the process. It will include traffic studies, air quality studies, how many cars are going to be coming and going, what will the impact on the neighbors be?
Your neighbors will get a notice that says that you’re thinking of doing this and they will be told when the planning commission hearing will be so that they can come and give their opinions. It’s a very public process, we post on our website the different projects that are under review for application.
Then you probably spend an awful lot of money and more time than you imagine. I tell people it’s exponential in both time and money in what it takes to get our projects through. Eventually after a Planning Commission hearing, you’ll end up with a permit that will have conditions attached to it.”
Rowe went on to describe some of the major challenges facing new developments in the hi desert:
Dawn Rowe: “Trying to find ways that allow the movement of Emergency Services vehicles at our local level to not be in violation of the state law… so that’s probably our greatest challenge.
The Joshua tree is another example. The state lists species for threatened or endangered status and then the county or other entities – the cities – figure out how we work to permit housing, industrial, commercial, and multifamily projects.”
You can listen to their full conversation by downloading the Z107.7 Up Close Show as a podcast or listen to it below:
