The Calaveras County Planning Commission on July 24 approved an addendum to the Copper Mill environmental impact report and a tentative subdivision map to create 38 individual townhome lots within the Copperopolis Town Square footprint, staff said.

Madeline Swandrow, senior planner for Calaveras County, told the commission the application (tentative subdivision tract map 2023-008) would convert two undeveloped sites inside the previously approved Copper Mill project to 22 townhomes on Site A and 16 on Site B, with common areas for access roads, guest parking and utility easements. She said the proposed map stays within the Copper Mill zoning code limits and would not increase the project’s previously authorized total residential units or floor area.

The action approves an addendum to the 2005 Copper Mill EIR and the tentative map only. The applicant had also sought a concurrent modification to rescind mitigation measure TR3B (which requires two traffic signals on State Route 4) but withdrew that request during the hearing so Caltrans can review additional traffic data. “Caltrans is requiring additional data to make their determination,” Swandrow said; the commission’s approval does not include deletion of TR3B.

Why it matters: the map reconfigures previously approved development within the Copper Mill footprint rather than expanding it, but public-works and state agency requirements remain in force. The project sits in the Calaveras County Water District service area and will require a water services facility agreement and compliance with the Copper Mill mitigation monitoring and reporting program, staff said.

Key details and debate

- Project scope and caps: Swandrow said the original Copper Mill approvals (2005) established a cap of about 233,000 square feet of floor area and a limit of no more than 84 dwelling units for the development footprint. The proposed 38 townhomes are within those limits, she said.

- Traffic mitigation: The applicant originally requested deletion of mitigation TR3B (two traffic signals on Highway/State Route 4). After Caltrans asked for a traffic impact study and further data, the applicant withdrew the modification request. Swandrow said the applicant will return with the modification once Caltrans and the applicant’s engineer resolve outstanding issues.

- Water and wastewater: Mike Fletcher, identified as a managing partner for the applicant, described existing interim wastewater arrangements. He said the site currently uses a booster station and storage tank to pump sewage into trucks that haul wastewater to a treatment plant; the developer pays trucking fees he estimated at about $20,000 per month. Fletcher said the applicant and partner entities are funding upgrades, including a water booster station (design about 90% complete) and a multi-mile force main that would ultimately connect the town square to the treatment plant. He said an earlier $250,000 bond estimate grew to about $1.4 million and the applicant expects to use a bond program to fund portions of the work; he estimated the bond could be in place within six months.

- Oak-tree mitigation and monitoring: Commissioners raised the status of earlier mitigation and monitoring requirements for oak-tree replacement and biological mitigation. Staff said the Copper Mill mitigation program (including mitigation BIO-3A) had reporting periods tied to earlier construction timelines and that those reporting periods have lapsed. Commissioners asked that annual performance reporting for the biological mitigation be reinstated or revived as a condition of the current map; staff said the map’s conditions will require an approved landscape plan and applicable mitigation and monitoring when final improvements commence.

- On-site work already completed: Swandrow and the applicant said substantial grading and infrastructure work from the original approvals has already been completed, including streets, utilities and some buildings. The tentative map will create legal lot parcels for individually sold townhomes; Fletcher said each townhome will be sold as an individual lot.

- Fire, grading and stormwater: The record includes comments from the Copperopolis Fire Protection District requesting specific fire equipment and conditions. Commissioners discussed county code sections (including references to state fire-safe standards) and a procedural transition in which some grading and stormwater permitting responsibilities moved from Public Works to the Building Department; staff said the underlying code requirements still apply regardless of the implementing office.

Formal action and next steps

The planning commission voted to adopt Planning Commission Resolution 2025-009 (as amended) to approve the addendum to the EIR and tentative subdivision tract map 2023-008. The motion passed with no recorded opposition; the commission announced that an appeal of the decision may be filed to the Board of Supervisors within 15 calendar days.

What was not decided

The commission did not act on the applicant’s requested modification to remove the traffic-signal mitigation (TR3B). That request was withdrawn pending further analysis and Caltrans review; staff and the applicant said the modification will return to the commission after Caltrans provides its determination.

Context and background

The Copper Mill project was approved by the Board of Supervisors in February 2005 and included a general plan amendment, zoning amendment and a development agreement that established the Copper Mill zoning code and mitigation monitoring program. A subsequent map in 2007 subdivided part of the project footprint and, according to staff, mass grading and partial construction occurred afterward. The current map reconfigures undeveloped lots inside that approved footprint rather than expanding the project.

Appeal and implementation

Planning staff said the tentative map approval carries standard conditions, including prior to final map submittal requirements for water and wastewater approvals from Calaveras County Water District, compliance with mitigation monitoring, submittal of a final landscape plan and any required improvement plans. The applicant indicated work on the water booster station and force main will proceed in coordination with the county and CCWD.