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Regular-General Government # 41.
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| Board of Supervisors |
General Services |
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| Subject |
| Receive an update on the progress of the Off-Highway Vehicle Planning Grant project. (No general fund impact) (Yarris/Anderson) |
| Recommended Action |
| Receive an update on the progress of the Off-Highway Vehicle Planing Grant project. |
| Strategic Plan Goal(s) |
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Robust Economy |
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| Reason for Recommended Action/Background |
In September 2019, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division awarded the County a $152,310 planning grant to complete a market analysis and feasibility study to determine and identify off-highway vehicle recreation opportunities in unincorporated Yolo County. The presentation will provide an overview of the progress made on the implementation of this grant and outline the next steps in the planning process.
Background
The Board received multiple presentations from November of 2015 through February of 2016 related to OHV recreation in and along Cache Creek. Public comments were submitted in favor of OHV use as well as opposing OHV use in Cache Creek. The Board thoughtfully discussed the issues and impacts and endeavored to provide the following:
- Adoption of Ordinance #1465 (Sec. 10-12.103 of Yolo County Code) that prohibits motorized vehicles in Cache Creek from 7 pm to 6 am, year round;
- $100,000 for increased and targeted OHV enforcement by the Yolo County Sheriff's Office; and
- Direction that Natural Resources and Parks Division staff work to find a suitable location for a sanctioned OHV park.
Per the Board's 2016 policy direction, staff from the Parks Division and the Natural Resources Division have diligently worked towards securing State Parks funding for an OHV park feasibility analysis and location siting report. In 2018, the County held two public meetings to solicit input and gain insight into the preferred types of OHV facilities and services desired in Yolo County and to guide staff in the preparation of a grant application to State Parks. The County held a public meeting on February 21, 2019 in Woodland to provide an overview of the draft State Parks grant proposal and let the public know how they can stay involved in the process moving forward. Additionally, the County released a survey to help guide discussion on future steps in the OHV planning process. The OHV park survey was the County's most popular survey ever released at that time, with 1,486 people voluntarily participating to provide input into the amenities and features they would like to see in a future OHV park.
On March 4, 2019, the County submitted its preliminary planning grant to the California State Parks OHV Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program. Based on the feedback received at multiple public meetings and from online survey results, the County focused its application on two objectives. First, the County is proposed to prepare a market analysis to ascertain if there is enough community and stakeholder support for OHV opportunities in Yolo County. Second, assuming demand is sufficient for OHV opportunities, the County will prepare a feasibility study to examine two different scenarios: (1) improving access to existing OHV trail riding opportunities within the unincorporated County; and (2) creating a small-medium sized OHV park in the unincorporated County. No potential site(s) have been identified to date.
In October 2019, the County was awarded $152,310 from California State Parks to fund the planning activities described above; a market analysis and feasibility study for creating a sanctioned OHV park for public use. The County released a survey in September 2020 and held two public workshops, one in October and one in November, to gather input about OHV riding preferences. The County's consultant team used information collected from these outreach efforts to guide the market analysis report. The consultant team is working on the feasibility analysis and despite delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a draft of the final report is expected to be complete within the next few months. |
| Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies) |
| The Yolo County Parks Division has partnered with the County Administrator's Natural Resources Division and Yolo County Sheriff's Office. The Parks, Recreation, and Wildlife Advisory Committee has been updated on the progress of the planning grant and is supportive of planning efforts. Additionally, an OHV stakeholder group has been involved in the implementation of the grant, consisting of members from the Parks Division, Natural Resources Division, Sheriff's Office, Tuleyome, Cache Creek Conservancy, and American Motorcyclist Association District 36. |
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