Impact of Wine Country Plan to Be Studied

A plan that will guide future development in Wine Country will be studied for its impact on the local environment and quality of life.

The was finalized during a meeting Thursday at by the .

The plan outlines how businesses will be allowed to run in the region and what development will be permitted.

To read the plan,

The county's next step is to develop an environmental impact report based on the plan, said Mitra Mehta-Cooper, a principal planner for the county.

The report should be done between Nov. 15 and Dec. 1, and it will then be released to the public for at least 45 days -- and possibly 60 days, depending on when it goes public and how the holidays will interfere with that schedule.

The report will be available online and at Temecula's public libraries. The public will be asked to comment on them, Mehta-Cooper said.

After the comments are collected, the county will revise the plan and send it to the Riverside County Planning Commission for a vote.

How long revising the plan will take was unknown, Mehta-Cooper said. "It depends on how extensive the comments are."

The plan already met with opposition, even as it was being finalized at the last advisory committee meeting.

Committee members complained about residents getting too little say in many decisions that ended up in the plan. To read about the complaints, .

The plan is too restrictive on special events, which might hurt wineries' business, other critics said. To read about the concerns, click here.

Some residents feel the plan allows too much development and endangers the rural feel of the region. To read about those concerns, .

The plan should reach the planning commission for a public hearing in the spring of 2012, and by the summer, it should reach the Riverside County Board of Supervisors for a final vote by the summer of 2012, Mehta-Cooper said.