This section of Skyforest has only 1 point of entry – Sycamore Drive. This is a narrow road.

The proposed parking lot has space for 75 cars which would be a significant increase to the number of cars currently used here. In the event of an emergency, our ability to leave the area will be seriously impeded by event guests.

Fire crews will also find it much more difficult to access the area on such a narrow road with so much oncoming traffic.

Skyforest residents are served by a small municipal water company that serves about 170 homes.

The Castle is already the second largest user of water in the area, after SkyPark. Expanding the Castle’s commercial operations would put an even greater strain on our infrastructure.

This would increase the frequency of repairs and the related cost, which is shared by a relatively small number of homes.

Large events will drain water from the holding tanks that service this area at a greater than normal rate.

This will adversely affect the water pressure in our system, which will in turn affect the ability of fire crews to put out fires which we believe are more likely given the increased number of people.

There are several significant flow lanes that run through this property – natural channels along which rain and snowmelt flow downhill.

Previous construction projects at the Castle have already disturbed these flow lanes. The owners tried to build a new driveway to the back of the property, but abandoned the idea midway. Residents speculated this was because the hillside was too steep, a problem that would have been identified before construction if plans and permits had been drawn up.

The video below shows the flow of water after a recent storm, down the channel created by the abandoned driveway. As you can see, water flows uninterrupted down the steep grade cleared by the Castle owners, causing debris and mud to build up on adjacent properties after storms and heavy snowfall.

Paving over tens of thousands of square feet of forest floor and removing 35 large trees will only exacerbate this problem, potentially causing more damage to neighboring properties.

The parking lot will require paving over almost 35,000 square feet (0.79 acres) of forest floor and cutting down 35 trees, some over 50ft tall. This will have a permanent impact on the wildlife in this area.

An independent arborist has evaluated the site and, in his professional opinion, the damage will extend beyond just those 35 trees. According to him, the root systems of trees at the Castle and adjacent properties are intertwined. Cutting the roots of trees along the property line, as proposed, will likely result in the death of trees on adjacent properties.

Larger animals like coyotes, bears and deer have well-established feeding/hunting paths which residents are familiar with. Disturbing these will force animals to find new paths, potentially bringing them even closer to homes.

The neighborhood is already disturbed by noisy events at the Castle. Residents on adjacent properties have told us that on nights when Castle events are held, they can’t use certain bedrooms because the noise makes sleep impossible!

If approved, this expansion of Castle operations will make the problem much worse.

In particular, homes on Sycamore Drive will hear much more noise from the venue if 35 trees are cut down, as these currently provide some sound proofing from events.

We estimate that an additional 75 cars will more than double the number of cars in the area. In the past, Castle guests have been caught speeding along Sycamore Drive.

The additional traffic not only poses a safety risk to pedestrians and animals, it will increase air pollution in the area significantly.

The parking lot will need to be adequately lit until all guests have left the venue. In the past, events at the Castle have lasted until the early hours of the morning, meaning increased light pollution will nearby residents are trying to sleep.

Skyforest is exposed on the south side of the mountain, which makes it incredibly windy.

There are relatively few man-made structures in this section of Skyforest to block the wind. Cutting down such a large area of forest will reduce wind protection significantly.

According to an independent arborist, severing the roots of trees along the property line, as proposed, will likely kill trees in adjacent properties due to intertwined root systems. According to his report (which can be viewed in the Documents section below), the roots stabilizing a neighboring sequoia tree could be affected, which may lead to it falling and causing damage to the adjacent property.

This type of damage is in addition to the mudslides/debris build up mention earlier, caused by construction projects which have interfered with natural flow lanes in the area.