The project site is in the foothills east of the Mayacamas Mountain range in Lake County, 2.5 miles northwest of the City of Lakeport, west of Highway 29, and southwest of the Town of Upper Lake. The site consists of 12 parcels comprising a total of 862 acres. Clear Lake, California's largest natural freshwater lake, is approximately 1.3 miles to the east of the site entrance, and two tributaries on the site drain to it.

The Cristallago project site has previously been the subject of ongoing environmental, technical and planning review since 1983. The northern portion of the site was formerly proposed with a project known as "Las Fuentes", a 477-acre housing and golf course development project. Las Fuentes was approved for 574 single-family residences, 200 timeshare units, an 18-hole golf course, and a 100-room motel, and had an approved General Plan of Development until 1989. The property's Planned Development (PD) zoning designation remained in place until the adoption of the North Lakeport Area Plan in 2002.

The southern portion of the site includes the previously proposed Black Rock Ridge Golf Course, also known as Spider Mountain; which was approved with a use permit in 1994 and rezoned out of Exclusive Agriculture and into an Open Space zoning designation with recreational uses. Construction of the golf course began in 2000 and came to a halt due to a lack of funding available. The 390 acres that made up Black Rock / Spider Mountain are currently within the Williamson Act contract. As a condition of the approval, the County of Lake required the former golf course developers to file a "Notice of Non-Renewal" with the State to remove the property from the Williamson Act. This requirement allows for the eventual termination of the contract restrictions. The current expiration date of the Williamson Act is March 2010. Only golf course uses, as previously determined to be consistent with the amended Williamson Act Contract for the property and approved under the previous use permit, will be pursued until such time that the contract expires.

The proposed Cristallago Development project is a Master Plan for a mixed-use, residential, commercial, and resort community, with the following components:

• Entrance Way and Commercial area with olive oil press, sales office, and visitor's center. Organic olive tree plantings would be used to buffer the residential areas from the golf course, at the entryways, and in project landscaping areas; and would be used to produce Cristallago brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• 650 single family residential homes covering 157 total acres at a total density of 5 units per acre, with lot size distribution as follows:
  • 506 lots from 6,000 square feet (sf) to 9,000 sf
  • 100 lots from 15,000 sf to 20,000 sf
  • 44 lots from 25,000 sf to 40,000 sf
• 18-hole "Jack Nicklaus Signature" golf course and 25,000 sf clubhouse with lunch grill, bar and pro shop. The applicant has executed a contract with Nicklaus Design LLC for the design of the golf course and for the right to bear "Jack Nicklaus Signature" status.
• "Tuscan Hillside Village" (Village) a neighborhood commercial area (approximately 10,000 sf), providing basic services to the resort guests and property owners. Examples of these retail sites would be a coffee shop, movie rentals, deli or small community market.
• The project's resort units would be clustered in and around the Village, proposed to be perched on the hillside overlooking the 18th fairway. A full service fitness center and adult swimming pool is also proposed at the center of the Village.
• The Village would contain a traditional 65-room hotel with a restaurant seating 75 patrons, and also would include a 7,000 sf multi-use conference facility that would provide the capability to accommodate smaller business conferences and weddings.
• Community activity center with family pools, small water slides, barbeque area, playground, and tennis courts.
• Full service "Vista Spa", on top one of the highest points on-site, with an unobstructed 360-degree view of Clearlake and Scott's Valley. The Spa is intended to be available primarily for Cristallago resort guests and residents but would also have some public access.
• 567 acres of open space, of which 366 acres is proposed as a nature preserve, integrating recreational and project open space with walking and bicycle trails
• Access to the project would be provided from two locations, the intersection of Park Way Road and Hwy 29 interchange; and one mile north of the interchange on Hill Road. A main road through the project would interconnect the two main entrances. Within the project, looped local residential streets would connect residential areas to the main road. Two long residential roads would need to be constructed to access homes sites at the north and west perimeters of the project. The proponents would install secondary fire accesses at those locations.
• As part of the development application, the applicant is asking Lake County for an access easement across County property, adjacent to the project site to north, in order that access to the Robin Hill and Rodman Slough lakeside area, in the form of a jogging / biking / golf cart path, can be provided. This trail system would provide a connection with the proposed Rodman Slough park trail system. This area is a highly regarded wildlife viewing area and would be considered an important amenity to the project.
• 325 resort units - Resort properties would likely be sold under condo-hotel, timeshares, and fractional programs. Refer to Table 2 for details on the proposed resort units.

Conceptual Rendering of Proposed Project