"The developer of a... Pebble Beach golf project backed by actor Clint Eastwood withdrew its proposal Tuesday [June 13], a day before a state agency was scheduled to vote on the plan.
The California Coastal Commission had been set to vote Wednesday on plans submitted by Pebble Beach Co. for an 18-hole golf course, a driving range, an equestrian center, 160 new hotel rooms, a conference center and underground parking in Monterey County. But the county's Board of Supervisors, which had submitted the proposal to the commission, voted Tuesday to officially withdraw it after the company said it wanted to revise the plan to address environmental concerns raised by the Coastal Commission. Commission biologists said in a report earlier this month that a proposed golf course would destroy rare pine trees and hurt an endangered orchid species [Piperia yadonii Rand. Morgan & Ackerman] in the Del Monte Forest. "We decided to withdraw it, get it redefined and resubmit," said Alan Williams, president of Carmel Development Co., which is managing the project for Pebble Beach Co. Williams said the company has already made several revisions to lessen the project's environmental impact but wanted to incorporate all the changes into a final version that will be resubmitted to the Coastal Commission. ,,, The project has been the focus of controversy since 2000, when Monterey County voters approved a ballot measure, known as Measure A, to rezone 600 acres to allow for the development. Eastwood, along with retired golfer Arnold Palmer and former Major League Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, are co-owners of Pebble Beach Co. The Sierra Club and other environmental organizations have long opposed the project, saying it threatens scarce Monterey pine habitat." source : http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/central_coast/14809164.htm?source=rss ********** regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
