1 Kristie Ramos, CMC
From:Rick and Wendy Sherwood
Sent:Tuesday, June 27, 2023 11:13 AM
To:Kristie Ramos, CMC
Subject:Environmental Assessment Case EA22-0020 Preliminary Development Plan Case No PDP22-005 Cotino Residential Design Guidelines
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
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We have received Notice of Public Hearing for the above development. We are unable to attend the hearing, so are sending our concerns.
We are writing to strongly OPPOSE the modification of the development review process for the above named project from discretionary to ministerial.
We were residents of Rancho Mirage for 27 years, and have lived in the Coachella Valley since 1976. We are familiar with desert weather and blowing sand. We live in Palm Desert Greens Country Club, very near the intersection of Monterey and Frank Sinatra Drive. We have lived at PDGCC since 2015.
Prior to the inception of this project, when we had strong winds (over 25‐30 mph) there would be some blow sand on our property, and it was minimal. With winds lighter than 20 mph we did not get blow sand. Only after severe wind storms (over 40‐45 mph) did we have accumulated blow sand, and this was rare.
Since the beginning of grading work on the Cotino property we have been severely impacted by excessive blowing dirt.
Now when we have breezes with gusts around 15 mph we get dust and dirt – not sand – blown onto our property in large amounts. We have noticed that this blown dirt also has increased our allergy sensitivities. Their dust mitigation – if indeed there is any ‐ has been completely ineffective.
We have spoken with our neighbors, and we all agree that the dirt situation did not exist before the Cotino construction began. Our HOA informed us that they had contacted Rancho Mirage about the horrible dust and dirt and were told that it was not coming from the Cotino project. They tried to blame somebody else. Any reasonable person would conclude that if the problem did not exist until this specific project began and immediately after the project began we started experiencing excessive blown dirt, that this project is the source of the problem.
Our understanding is that if the designation of the development review process is changed to “ministerial”, the project will not be subject to the California Environmental Quality Act, versus “discretionary,” in which case CEQA applies.
Based on our experience and that of our neighbors, the past history of this development and the current situation with their environmental impact on us, we believe more stringent environmental controls should be applied and monitored for compliance. The developers should be held accountable for the impact they already have on us. If the dust problem does not diminish we intend to file a complaint with the California EPA.
Rick and Wendy Sherwood
73285 Haystack Mountain Drive
Palm Desert CA 92260
2 Phone: 760‐408‐7322
Rick and Wendy Sherwood
[email protected]