1. Address your letter to the Moraga Town Council at the following address:

Moraga Town Council
329 Rheem Blvd.
Moraga, CA 94556

Or email your letter to: townclerk@moraga.ca.us and ask that it be circulated to all members of the Town Council.

2. Please include the following subject line at the beginning of your letter:

Re: Rancho Laguna 2

3. Letter Content and Review Process:

Under California law, any project approved by the Town must be consistent with the Moraga General Plan and the California Environmental Quality Act. The Town must analyze and address environmental impacts to air quality, hydrology and water quality, geology and soils, biological resources, land use, public utilities and community services, traffic, aesthetics, open space, etc. Here are some of the issues you may wish to address in your letter:

VISUAL RESOURCES AND RIDGELINE PROTECTION

Moraga’s General Plan includes policies stressing protection of ridgelines and scenic views. (CD1.3, CD1.4) Nevertheless, the project’s ridgeline houses would be visible from Rheem Blvd., Bollinger Canyon Rd., Joseph Dr., Birchwood Dr., St. Mary’s Rd., and the Lafayette-Moraga Trail.



Rheem Boulevard is designated a scenic corridor. Under the General Plan, views from scenic corridors are supposed to receive special protection. (CD1.3) Nonetheless, this project would build housing on a ridge which is plainly visible from the Rheem Blvd. scenic corridor.



Town staff has argued that the visual impacts of the project can be mitigated by planting trees on the top of the ridge and along Rheem Blvd. to obstruct the view of the houses. However, a row of trees with rooftops protruding above them on an otherwise open ridge is out of character with the “natural setting” and “natural features” the General Plan seeks to preserve. Furthermore, such “visual screening” planting attempts often ultimately fail.

DESTRUCTION OF STREAM AND WILDLIFE HABITAT

The project proposes to fill the creek adjacent to Rheem Blvd. with soil excavated from the ridge in order to stabilize Rheem Blvd. Most of the creek, as well as its riparian canopy of willows, oaks, and other trees, would be destroyed. Town staff and the developer acknowledge that stabilization alternatives that would preserve the creek are technically feasible, but have dismissed them as too expensive.



The Town Staff and developer have argued that a “re-created” creek can be constructed on top of the filled creek to mitigate the loss of the natural creek. However, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which is responsible for regulating creeks, has described this approach as “at best, experimental” and “not acceptable as mitigation.” (RWQCB, 9/26/06 Comments on Draft Environmental Impact Report)



The Regional Water Quality Control Board has also described the elimination of the natural creek as a “significant impact” that is inconsistent with the California Environmental Quality Act. (Ibid.)



The Town’s Draft Environmental Impact Report notes that the creek, trees, and grasslands that will be eliminated by the project are habitat for many species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians including the threatened California red-legged frog. The General Plan also includes a provision protecting wildlife areas. (OS2.1) In spite of these facts, Town staff has concluded that the project would not adversely affect wildlife areas.



It is estimated that the project will require removing 73 large native trees from the site. The General Plan includes a provision to “preserve and protect trees.” (OS2.9) Nevertheless, the Town staff concluded that the project would “contribute to the beauty and environmental quality of the Town” because new trees will be planted after the project is built.

For more information about the project, the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and other documents are available for public review at the Moraga Planning Department (329 Rheem Blvd.) and are posted on Moraga’s website at http://www.moraga.ca.us.