TS - Manila development withdrawn for revision

Manila development withdrawn for revision

Robert Riley's plans for a Manila housing development are off the Humboldt County Planning Commission's calendar for now.
Riley's agent Jesse Buffington said the planning commission didn't feel they could make the findings to approve the project, which came before the commission Thursday night.

Buffington said it's not known at this point when the project will be back, but the revised version will have fewer houses. The exact number hasn't been worked out yet, he said.

Riley had proposed a development of 17 parcels on an 8.5-acre plot off Peninsula Drive. The proposed plan was to build two-and three-story homes on roughly 3.5 acres of the total property, with the balance dedicated as open space to be owned and maintained by the Manila Community Services District.

Petitions were circulated in opposition to the project, with particular concerns about the density and its impact on the nearby dunes.

In other business, the commission also approved establishment of a commercial stable for up to 160 horses on Eel River Drive in Loleta. The applicant, Jerry Boots, was seeking to legitimize an existing 40-horse stable established without permits and to expand the facilities to accommodate an additional 120 horses, according to the county staff report. The approved expansion will include 20 additional outdoor horse runs, a 10,000-square-foot barn for indoor stables, a 10,000-square-foot area and an 11,250-square-foot barn for hay and supplies storage, a home and a compost building.

A requisite for the project was a manure management plan to prevent contamination of wells serving five homes downhill of the stables, according to the county staff report. After the state Regional Water Quality Board rejected the applicant's first plan in 2006, a second effort was approved this year.