In a 3-2 vote on December 19, San Bernardino County Supervisors denied RoBott Land Company's appeal of the Planning Commission's earlier denial of their "campground" project in Flamingo Heights. MBCA's December 17 comments summarize the many concerns voiced by hundreds of area residents. All of the related documents are included on the County's page for this agenda item, including the video of the meeting. (Here is a timestamped list of the video of the Flamingo 640 Agenda Item). Supervisor and Chair Dawn Rowe introduced a substitute motion to replace Supervisor Hagman's motion to send the project back to the Planning Commission. Supervisors Cook and Baca joined Rowe in the majority decision to deny the RoBott Land Company's appeal. Extensive details can also be found on the Save Our Deserts FH 640 page.

The San Bernardino County Planning Commissioners listened to almost three hours of public comments almost completely against the RoBott Land Company's proposal for a Conditional Use Permit for "a campground that includes a number of facilities, including 75-camp sites, camp store, restaurant, bar, restrooms, pool, workshop buildings, helipad, and common area gardens and pathways within an approximate 25-acre portion of a 640- acre parcel." The denial of the project "without prejudice" means the company can appeal to the Board of Supervisors or resubmit a revised program later. You can view the meeting on the County's website; the public hearing on the glamping project starts at 9:22 AM. 

As reported on local radio station KCDZ, the RoBott Land Company replied in writing to questions asked at a recent Homestead Valley Community meeting with a 17-page document. Their detailed replies are to a great extent based on the acceptance and approval of San Bernardino County in their application process and their belief that the growth in visitors to Joshua Tree National Park supports their project.

San Bernardino County determined that a proposed 640-acre “glamping” type camping resort in Flamingo Heights does not require a full Environmental Impact Report. MBCA disagrees strongly and has submitted a letter to the County outlining the many significant environmental impacts unaddressed by the mitigated negative declaration that the project received. In addition to environmental consequences, the project is not compatible with the Homestead Valley Community Action Guide, a document that was developed with local input through the Countywide Plan process. This link provides more details about the project.