Close to 50 concerned Redwood Valley residents attended a community meeting Wednesday evening at the Redwood Valley Grange to discuss potential options in hopes of stopping a controversial Dollar General project.
An appeal has now been filed with the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors by Ukiah attorney Brian Momsen of Carter, Momsen and Knight, who is representing the owners of the Redwood Valley Market.
An exact date of when the Board of Supervisors will discuss the appeal hasn’t been officially determined, but is expected by the end of September.
Wednesday evening served as a brainstorming session for residents who were either concerned and have come to loathe the possibility of a store in a small rural town, or those who just wanted more information on the project proposal itself.
Some ideas proposed on how to possibly stop the project included challenging the store’s probable liquor license request as unnecessary given the number of businesses in Redwood Valley that already sell alcohol, digging deeper into the issue of water and where it’s going to come from in order to fulfill the store’s need during the drought, and possibly getting an opinion on potential environmental impacts from agriculture specialists or biologists.
The county Planning Commission voted down an appeal July 16, which would have stalled the project. County staff argued the proposed facility on the empty lot near East Road and School Way doesn’t require further action under the California Environmental Quality Act because it is considered “ministerial.”
Momsen told the Planning Commission the county likely considered a 2009 Environmental Impact Report under the general plan, however, stated such a decision didn’t include the consideration of a business like Dollar General.
A representative from Cross Development, which would be constructing the project and leasing the building to Dollar General, told the Planning Commission such a store would likely need minimal water, or approximately 200 gallons per day, despite a moratorium being in place since 1989 in Redwood Valley.
