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Consent-Community Services # 12.
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| Board of Supervisors |
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| Subject |
| Adopt resolution of acceptance of Parcel Map No. 5175 to divide an approximately 202.39-acre agriculturally zoned parcel into two separate approximately 101.19-acre parcels; the project site is located approximately 3.5-miles north of the City of West Sacramento, on the west side of Old River Road (APN 042-310-008). Applicant/Owner: Ross and Julie Peabody. (No general fund impact) (Echiburu/Tschudin) |
| Recommended Action |
- Adopt resolution of acceptance of Parcel Map No. 5175 (Attachment B);
- Instruct the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to verify that the Tax Collector has signed the map; and
- Authorize the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors to sign and transmit Parcel Map No. 5175 (Attachment C) to the County Clerk-Recorder for filing.
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| Strategic Plan Goal(s) |
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Flourishing Agriculture |
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| Reason for Recommended Action/Background |
On July 11, 2019, the Planning Commission approved a Tentative Parcel Map (TPM) request to divide an existing approximately 202.39-acre agricultural parcel into two separate parcels to facilitate the expansion of the existing organic farming operation, which would be owned and managed separate from the traditional row-crop farming operation.
The project site contains soils identified as prime farmland, and the proposed division will not remove any land from agricultural productivity. There is no development proposed with Parcel Map No. 5175, although approval of a parcel map on parcels zoned for agricultural uses would allow for the construction of an additional home site that could include one farm dwelling and one ancillary dwelling. Due to the potential for home site development, TPMs are subject to the Yolo County Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Communities Conservation Plan (HCP/NCCP), a 50-year regional plan to protect endangered species and natural resources. The HCP/NCCP requires that parcel maps on agriculturally zoned parcels mitigate for 2.5-acres of land on any newly created parcel(s), which is the assumed footprint of an agricultural home site. Property owners may satisfy the mitigation requirements in one of three ways. For a parcel map that creates one additional parcel, the applicant may choose to pay the land cover fee for the loss of 2.5-acres, purchase 2.5-acres of credit from a Yolo Habitat Conservancy-approved mitigation bank, or dedicate land in lieu of paying the per acre fee by putting land under a conservation easement.
During project review, Planning staff coordinated with the applicant to discuss the various ways to satisfy the HCP/NCCP's mitigation requirement, and encouraged the applicant to consult with the Conservancy regarding the property's eligibility for establishing a conservation easement in lieu of paying the per acre fee. While discussions to establish an easement with the Conservancy were underway, the applicant agreed to a condition that would prohibit the construction of any additional residential dwellings during the Planning Commission's consideration of the project on July 11, 2019 (Attachment D). This allowed the applicant and Conservancy to continue efforts to establish a conservation easement on the resultant parcels after the Commission approved the TPM.
The applicant and Conservancy have agreed to enter both resultant parcels into separate conservation easements upon approval of Parcel Map No. 5175. The resultant "Parcel 1" would be restricted from development, meaning that the residential footprint contained on the resultant "Parcel 2" and adjacent parcels would be the extent of the residential development potential on the project site. It is anticipated that both resultant parcels involved in the parcel split are eligible to establish individual conservation easements. Upon recordation of the final Parcel Map, the Yolo Habitat Conservancy intends to acquire separate easements for both resultant parcels.
While division of agricultural land is generally discouraged in the unincorporated area of the County, the project supports policies in the Agricultural and Economic Development Element aimed at diversifying local crop production and supporting young emergent farmers, while also satisfying land use policies related to maintaining parcel sizes that are large enough to remain agriculturally viable. Additionally, policies in the General Plan call for coordination between the Yolo Habitat Conservancy and farmers that will lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. Approval of Parcel Map No. 5175 would facilitate an organic farmer's expansion of their operation and increase the farm-to-fork local preference for value-added crops; and the Yolo Habitat Conservancy will be able to acquire approximately 200-acres of permanently protected land that serves as habitat to both protected and non-protected species in the County. If executed, these will be the first two conservation easements established since adoption of the HCP/NCCP.
Staff recommends approval of Parcel Map No. 5175 because it supports General Plan goals and policies aimed at protecting agricultural land, encouraging creation of valued-crops, and supporting emergent farmers. |
| Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies) |
| The Planning Commission approved Tentative Parcel Map No. 5175 on July 11, 2019. The Yolo Habitat Conservancy has worked with the applicant and planning staff throughout the process to enter both resultant parcels into conservation easements. The Office of the County Counsel has reviewed and approved the Parcel Map Acceptance Resolution to form. |
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