To the Editor:
Our community is facing a momentous decision that will affect Fish Camp for many years to come, perhaps forever. The fate of our meadow, a virgin wetland, is in the hands of the Mariposa County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
They are being asked to extend old permits again by Palm Springs Village. This developer has owned this watershed property for 2 years. They have never done a hospitality build before and are relying on the designs that were drawn up by Pacificus 15 years ago.
Fish Camp residents have been fighting this plan for 15 years? Why? What made Fish Camp oppose this development in and out of court for 15 years? If the image of a mega hotel rising out of the meadow surrounded by parking lots is not enough to make your hair stand up, contemplate polluted water. WATER. The water supply for much of Fish Camp residents will be degraded. The wells will be compromised. The environmental impact to this Yosemite watershed once initiated cannot be undone.
Are you now thinking that Palm Springs should find another place to make their venture into hospitality? It’s a long way from the desert to the Sierras.
We already have a beautiful large hotel buffered from the road by large trees. The hotel was carefully located away from residential areas and has no impact on existing wells.
What is the motivation for extending these outdated permits to rape rather than enhance the beauty of the south gate to Yosemite. BED TAX! Developers and politicians are only interested in ringing out every last dollar from our little community. What they leave in their wake is of no concern. Regulations and specific town plans are ignored. This short sighted and careless use of our natural resources will morally bankrupt us.
This time you can make the answer a good one!
There are 2 things you can do:
1. Email members of the MPA Planning Commission
2. Attend the hearing in Mariposa on the May 23rd
MPA Planning Commission
District 1 Les Marsden – CHAIR lmarsden@mariposacounty.org
District 2 Mark Becker mbecker@mariposacounty.org
District 3 Heather Bernikoff hbernikoff@mariposacounty.org
District 4 Larry Harris lharris@mariposacounty.org
District 5 Donn Harter, VICE CHAIR dharter@mariposacounty.org
Donn Harter
Thunder Ridge Co.
Public Highway Maintenance & Safety Glazing/Accessibility Codes Consulting
Phone: 559/683-2521 Mobile: 559/676-8276
Email: donnatyosemite@sti.net
P O Box 160
7573 Forest Dr.
Fish Camp, CA 93623
Very well put Donn Harter. Fish camp is a small but beautiful place that does not need a large hotel complex behind the post office.
The southern entrance to Yosemite deserves something a lot better than this old, over-sized, and discredited development. After 10 years with nothing to show, the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors granted a two-year extension that expires in June. The new owner has squandered this time, making little progress in satisfying County conditions to break ground. It is time for this abomination to quietly fade away so a better project can come forward. Urge to Supervisors to deny the requested extension.