North Auburn Wal-Mart, Costco targeted for late-September appeal with Placer supes

Sept. 28 is targeted as the date for a Placer County Board of Supervisors showdown on a possible Wal-Mart or Costco in North Auburn.While the time is still tentative, the appeal hearing on the Bohemia Retail project is being slotted in for 1:30 p.m. on that date, Clerk of the Board Ann Holman said Monday.APACE (Alliance for Protection of our Auburn Community Environment) lodged the appeal in mid-July after the Placer County Planning Commission voted to approve environmental clearances and a conditional-use permit for a 155,000-square-foot store earlier in the month.With a 90-day time limit, Oct. 14 is the cut-off date for the county board to hear the appeal. The only other regularly scheduled meeting date that would be available after Sept. 28 is Oct. 12, county associate planner Gerry Haas said.The mid-summer lull in the debate over the project ended this past weekend when Steve Cavolt, project coordinator for project developer Bohemia Properties of Roseville, ran a full-page ad in the Journal to thank supporters. Supporters identified in the ad included former Auburn-area Supervisor Harriet White, several letter writers and online comment posters, and the Placer County Contractors Association board.Cavolt highlighted the help from the contractors group, noting that the construction project would be worth $25 million to $30 million and use local resources.APACE contends the project's environmental impact report is incomplete on several important issues, including traffic, air quality and urban decay.Lee Lively, an APACE member, said his group has probably sent out about 10,000 mailers and is readying another round of mailings to local, registered voters. APACE continues to solicit donations for an anticipated court battle, if the appeal fails before the Board of Supervisors."We're attempting to alert the citizenry about what's going on," Lively said.