County Supervisors Vito Chiesa, Jeff Grover, and Jim DeMartini were among Board Members to overturn a Stanislaus County Planning Commission approved golf driving range on the north side of Taylor Road in Turlock.
The area between Taylor Road and Keyes Road was agreed 22 years ago to be a green belt urban buffer between Turlock and Keyes. The area has been a no build area except for along Highway 99.
The Stanislaus County Planning Commission approved the golf driving range in March 2009 where it would be a direct neighbor to adjacent farms.
Teri Nascimento, a neighboring farm owner, filed an appeal quickly after. Concerns with conflict between development and farming were major issues.
City of Turlock officials and staff also had issues with the lack of consideration for the City’s issues. Mayor John Lazar got the approval of his Council colleagues to engage in discussion with Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors about a formal agreement between the county and the city. Opening the door to future growth in the green belt area and holding Taylor Road as a northern border were concerns of the City of Turlock.
District 2 County Supervisor Vito Chiesa’s represented area included Turlock and he had stated previously that his mind was not made up because he could see both arguments.
Supporters of the project included people saying that Turlock needs a place for kids to golf and that it is a good project to transition agricultural land and developed land.
Developer Dennis Wilson of Horizon Consulting stated that there have been other driving ranges approved in the same type of zoned land in rural areas.
On Tuesday night, Turlock’s representative Vito Chiesa and two other Supervisors (Jeff Grover and Jim DeMartini) made up their mind in favor of preserving the green belt as they voted down the golf driving range.
