Mosaic Project DEIR Community Responses
Dear Forum Editor,
The Forum article (and subsequent letters to the Editor) about the Mosaic Project Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) presented to the Castro Valley MAC on Nov. 16th missed the point of the resident’s concerns.
The Project’s merits and educational programs were not being questioned or challenged. Public concerns were addressing an inadequate Draft EIR that was presented with inaccurate assumptions and analysis. The DEIR failed to provide studies and evidence to support its conclusions. It ignored or overlooked potential state laws as well as County ordinances and was not conducted in a way to allow informed discussion and decision making. These omissions included;
Water Resources: No study was given to show sufficient well water for the facility and no analysis was done to prove that the entire canyon’s wells would not go dry due to the high demand of the Mosaic Project facility. The State Water Board governs public water systems and there are requirements regarding the proposed “Public Water System” that were not addressed.
Fire Hazard: Leasing land and placing a school-camp in a densely forested, Tier 3 - High Fire Threat district is careless. The DEIR suggests that our school district would be responsible for evacuating the 150 children and staff. However, no fire escape routes exist.
Septic: There is no public sewer system. The school would rely on a “test” septic system over a shallow ground-water basin only 35 feet below the dispersal field to service the 150 students and residents year-round. The location also borders a creek leading to the Bay and home to wildlife. This was not addressed in the DEIR.
Zoning: The DEIR ignored Alameda County zoning rules, Measure D land- preservation ordinances, and Williamson Act Agricultural designations concluding that the residential outdoor school would have “no impact on existing land use restrictions.”
Existing Businesses: The immediate neighboring property is governed by Federal, State and County laws, regulations and ordinances. An alcohol license could be revoked or non-renewed due to proximity of schools and youth facilities, thus putting the winery out of business. The DEIR did not address proximity to a winery or that agricultural operations require a buffer-zone around schools and youth camps. These laws and zoning requirements are enforceable and would be detrimental to the existing neighboring business.
The proposed land is simply not able to sustain the scope of the project. The DEIR did not properly examine the feasibility of the project, choosing instead to pursue a good cause…but in a bad location.
Thank you.
–TwiningVine Estate Winery
