We have also had calls from property owners who have been asked to sell their property and have asked us to tell them what is happening.  We have not received processing fees, additional information, or an application from the developers to date.  All the information known to Inyo County is posted on this web page. Property owners are encouraged to ask anyone who contacts them for a potential sale or to join in on a development application for more information directly from the offerer.

Due to lack of staff to handle general interest calls, the Planning Department is not accepting calls from interested consultants or general information calls. All known Charleston View information is posted on this website. If you are interested in consulting with the County, you may mail VIA the USPO your firms' qualifications to the Planning Department and your qualifications will be put on file for use in future RFP's.

Phase I - Development of an BOS approved Planning and Development Framework, included local and state agency pre-application meetings and a BOS workshop for final development management plan approval.

Phase II - Technical studies to investigate quantity, source and sustainability of water; flood issues, endangered and sensitive species, cultural resources, etc. Establishment of County vision for development, Establishment of regulatory framework and governance concept. The outcome of Phase II would be a supportable development density range based on results of scientific studies.

Phase III - General Plan Amendment and Area Plan, Environmental Impact Report, Environmental Impact Study (if necessary), in cooperation with developer project concepts.

Phase IV - Specific Plans from Developers, Infrastructure and Facilities Master Plans and Preliminary Engineering.

Phase V - Subdivision Map applications

The Planning Director sent the developers a letter on July 21, 2005 requesting that a check for $140,000 before or on August 8, 2005, to cover County costs for Phase 1. The County has received a letter from one developer and they have declined to pay the full cost of Phase 1. The County will cease assisting the developers until a check is received. No further meetings benefiting the developers will be held until the developers are able to cover the costs of this phase. Previously scheduled pre-application and BOS meetings will be rescheduled after we have received the developer deposit.

The Planning Department may consider some interim recommendations to the Board of Supervisors aimed at controlling the impacts of development on the existing 1946 Charleston View Subdivision.

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors has approved a contract with Economic & Planning Systems Inc, a land use economics firm, to assist the County in developing a financing and management plan for the Charleston View area.

Individual development proposals are as follows:

1. First developer – 2000 to 4000 units on 1700 acres, mixed development of second homes, workforce/family housing, golf course, possible RV park, and neighborhood commercial.
   
2. Second Developer – between 10,000 and 11,000 acres, 40,000 to 50,000 units. No target demographic specified, assume golf course, regional commercial, some job creating industrial, etc.
   
3. Third Developer – 1,200 acres, 5,000 to 10,000 units, active senior and workforce/family mixed, town center commercial, golf course.

The second and third developers are Las Vegas-based. The first developer represents an Asian investment group and has hired Las Vegas firms to do planning and engineering for their development. The interest in the area is very high and other potential developers have called the Inyo County Planning Department office for information.

Test water wells are currently being drilled in the area.¹  Water availability is unknown. Analysis and documentation of ground water management issues across state lines will be required for any developer. Environmental impacts of ground water extraction on nearby state, federal and other protected lands will also be a study area.

Under California state and Inyo County law, development is required to study and document environmental impacts, mitigate those impacts, and to provide all infrastructure needed to serve new development. The landowners in the immediate vicinity and other affected districts, agencies, and governments including the State of Nevada and Nye County must be publically noticed at various points in the process of development review. A summary of California and local land use law principles is available in Inyo Planning Department Document, planning101.pdf (301 kb), "An Overview of California Land Use Planning and Regulation."  Please see the Inyo County Planning Department website (www.inyoplanning.org) for our online General Plan and ordinances.

We have met with developers and pre-application investigation is underway. We have not received any plans or applications, and don’t expect to receive formal applications for some time.

The County will most likely require one master EIR, processed in phases. Effective development coordination among the individual developers is necessary to ensure the proposed new city is properly planned, including the proper phasing of necessary infrastructure and services. Structuring the financing of all infrastructure and services will be a major component of the County’s work. Planning and environmental review for these projects can take anywhere from three to six years. It is unlikely any construction can occur for at least four years. The developers will be expected to pay for the staff and consultant costs for planning these developments.

The County is obligated and will ensure that all service providers and affected agencies will be included in the process at appropriate times.

With development of this scope, it is appropriate for the County to take an active role in the development process prior to the reception of formal applications. The Planning Director is currently planning to:

1. Meet with Board of Supervisors to recommend actions needed to prepare for large-scale development.
2. Upon receipt of developer funding, assemble team of consultants to begin planning coordination for Charleston View areas, including service and infrastructure planning, land use relationships, ground water management options, environmental and land use law compliance, etc. This team will work together with private development consultants to achieve a coordinated and sustainable development plan.
3. Conduct workshop (winter of 2006) with Board, Planning Commission, district boards and other agency staff to review service and infrastructure concerns and develop plan to address future needs.

For water well information:
     Inyo County Environmental Health Services Department: (760) 878-0264

For road or infrastructure information:
     Inyo County Public Works Department (760) 878-0201

For complaints regarding zoning violations:
     Inyo County Planning Department (760) 878-0263

Please DO NOT call the Planning Department for general information, you will be referred back to this webpage. We do not have any more information than is already on this page. When we have a phone number for a general information recording, we will post it on this website.