by Barry Jantz
County to hold public input hearing July 25 on recirculated draft Environmental Impact Report
(Rancho San Diego) – Hundreds of concerned residents are expected once again to turnout next Tuesday to address concerns about the proposed Cottonwood Sand Mine, as the County of San Diego will hold a public hearing on the project’s recently recirculated draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR).
In January and February of 2022, well over 300 residents took part in virtual meetings, as County Planning & Development Services and the local Valle de Oro Community Planning Group received hundreds of comments on the proposed project, a controversial 10-year open pit sand mining operation on the site of the Cottonwood Golf Course along the Sweetwater River.
The draft EIR was updated and recently recirculated for additional public comment, in response to previous public comments received. The updated elements include the project developer now bringing offsite fill onto the site and a resulting increase in truck traffic in the area, as well as a revised section on Biological Impacts and and an added Stormwater Management Plan.
Next Tuesday’s in-person public meeting is being held during the 45-day period for the public to provide input on the adequacy of the recirculated draft EIR. During that period the County is also seeking public comments in writing until 4 p.m on August 14
, 2023.What: Public hearing on Recirculated Draft EIR for the proposed Cottonwood Sand Mine project
Where: Hillsdale Middle School, 1301 Brabham Street, El Cajon, CA 92019
Who: The public is invited to provide comments to the County of San Diego Planning &
Development Services staff. Hundreds of concerned citizens are expected to take part in the meeting and/or provide written comments during the review period.
StopCottonwoodSandMine.org board representatives will also provide comments during the meeting and be on hand for media interviews, to address the significant shortcomings in the draft EIR.
Why: The meeting is part of a 45-day period for the public to provide input on the draft EIR, which was recirculated June
29, 2023. The deadline to provide comments is August 14
, 2023.More Info on Stop Cottonwood San Mine, Org:
www.stopcottonwoodsandmine.org
Additional Information on Public Input Process:
Both the Draft EIR and the Recirculated Draft EIR can be reviewed online at
An in-person public meeting will be held on the Recirculated Draft EIR on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hillsdale Middle School, 1301 Brabham Street, El Cajon, CA 92019
Written comments on the Recirculated Draft EIR must be sent to the PDS address or
email listed below and should reference the project numbers and name, as follows:
COTTONWOOD SAND MINING PROJECT (PDS2018-MUP-18-023), (PDS2018-RP-18-001); LOG NO. PDS2018-ER-18-19-007; SCH# 2019100513
Written comments on the draft EIR must be sent to:
Planning & Development Services, attn:
The County encourages written
comments to be submitted in electronic format.
Comments on the Recirculated Draft EIR must be received no later than August 14, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.
Image Credit: Canva
