Staff housing and cumulative impacts

To the Editor:

Yosemite Under Canvas's 100-unit lodge and Terra Vi's 150-room resort sit across the highway from each other, and just a few miles from the approved Berkeley Camp rebuild and the proposed Yosemite Lakes expansion.

County planners are required to evaluate the impact of these proposed developments together, and in the context of existing infrastructure, yet they're skirting this obligation, which will hurt us all.

Without proper planning requirements, cumulative effects of these large projects (adding 500 lodging units and tripling existing supply) will significantly impact fire risk, traffic, public safety and housing.

One example: Planners assume no traffic impact from YUC, but they don't consider the cumulative impacts of all four projects with over 1,000 new nightly guests traversing the undivided single lane highway. Rush Creek, similar in size to just one of these developments, was rightly required to construct highway turn lanes for public safety. Nothing is being required of YUC, nor has the county required a traffic study of cumulative impacts.

Local housing impacts are also being disregarded. The developers propose renting housing for all staff, which will hurt local renters, driving prices up with increased demand and no additional supply. Cumulative impacts from the other pending developments will exacerbate this problem. Lodging developments of scale in our area must include staff housing. This was rightly required at both our lodges, and we house 150 of our staff on site.

The county Planning Commission must send back the YUC proposal for further review and inclusion of appropriate development conditions.

Brian Anderluh Rush Creek & Evergreen Lodge owner