Published: November 15, 2005





By CHRIS NICHOLS



An environmental review of a proposed 253-home Tulloch Reservoir development will begin soon.

The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors yesterday approved a contract allowing developer John Lemke, of Copperopolis, to begin the review on the 58-acre Sanguinetti Estates, planned just east of the reservoir. It would sit south of the intersection of Sanguinetti and O'Byrnes Ferry roads.

The environmental review must be completed, and the board must approve it, before construction can begin.

Supervisors approved the start of the review without discussion.

The review will address the project's anticipated effect on animal and plant wildlife, traffic congestion and the area's water supply. It will also suggest ways the developer can lessen those impacts.

Leonard Charles & Associates, of San Anselmo, will complete the review. Lemke will pay the company no more than $149,395 to complete the study.

Lemke could not be reached for further details on his project.

The lengthy reviews can take from six months to a year or more to complete.

They have increasingly been required by the county's Planning Department, especially for large residential and commercial developments.

A completed review for Copper Mill, for example, will be reviewed by the county's Planning Commission on Thursday. That commercial project is planned for 27 acres near Highway 4 and Little John Road in Copperopolis.



Contact Chris Nichols at cnichols@uniondemocrat.com or 588-4585