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Time Set 9.
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| Planning Commission |
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| Information |
| SUBJECT |
| ZF #2018-0093: Request for a Tentative Parcel Map to divide a 156.7-acre agriculturally zoned parcel into two separate parcels. The project site is located at the northeast intersection of County Road 102 and County Road 26A (APN 042-060-006), approximately one-half mile south from the City of Woodland. Current agricultural uses on the property include approximately 113-acres of irrigated row-crops and a 43-acre pistachio orchard. No development is proposed with the tentative map. A Negative Declaration has been prepared and circulated for the project. (Applicant/Owner: Bruce Bailey/Himalaya Development, Inc.) (Planner: C. Tschudin) |
| SUMMARY |
| FILE # 2018-0093: Himalaya Development Inc. Tentative Parcel Map |
APPLICANT:
Bruce Bailey
1936 38th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98112
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OWNER:
Himalaya Development, Inc.
13747 Howen Drive
Saratoga, CA 95070 |
LOCATION:
42240 County Road 26A, Woodland, CA 95695
(APN: 042-060-006)
GENERAL PLAN: Agriculture (AG)
ZONING: Agricultural Intensive (A-N)
SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT: Supervisor Sandy (3rd District) |
SOILS:
Capay silty clay, 0 percent slopes, MLRA 17 (Ca)
Rincon silty clay loam (Rg)
Sycamore silty clay loam, drained, 0 percent slopes, MLRA 17 (St)
Yolo silt loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes, MLRA 17 (Ya)
FLOOD ZONE: A, X
FIRE SEVERITY ZONE: Non-Wildland/Non-Urban
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| ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: Negative Declaration |
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| RECOMMENDED ACTION |
That the Planning Commission:
- Hold a public hearing; and
- Adopt the Negative Declaration as the appropriate level of environmental review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Guidelines (Attachment C);
- Adopt the proposed Findings (Attachment D); and
- Approve the Tentative Parcel Map #5166 in accordance with the Conditions of Approval (Attachment E).
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| REASONS FOR RECOMMENDED ACTIONS |
The 156.7-acre project site is currently in active agricultural use as row crops and orchards, a portion of which is subject to a conservation easement. The request to divide the separate agricultural activities is proposed to protect existing and future farm operations, which supports the intent of goals and policies in the 2030 Countywide General Plan that seek to preserve farmland. The proposed Tentative Parcel Map meets the 80-acre minimum parcel size for parcels that are both irrigated and cultivated, and the 40-acre minimum parcel size for those parcels planted in permanent crops. The applicant proposes to place the newly created parcels, together with two additional parcels, into a new Farmland Security Zone contract, which is a 20-year voluntary contract to continue agricultural uses.
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| BACKGROUND |
The parcel has been historically used for agriculture, including orchards, dry-farm crops, and row-crops, as well as animal husbandry. In 2017, a Yolo Land Trust Conservation Easement was recorded on a portion of the project parcel to commit the parcel to continued agricultural productivity, while maintaining its prime soils and open space character, and providing Swainson’s Hawk foraging habitat. The portion of the property encumbered by the ‘Willow Slough’ Conservation Easement totals approximately 110.956 +/- acres of land, the unencumbered portion of the property is approximately 45.532 +/- acres, which includes a 2.537 +/- acre portion reserved as a future agricultural home-site; 43.005 +/- acres are planted in pistachios. The parcel is not currently under a Williamson Act contract.
The project parcel is considered prime farmland, and contains Capay silty clay, Rincon silty clay loam, Sycamore silty clay loam and Yolo silt loam soil types.
The purpose of the Tentative Parcel Map is to separate the area encumbered by the Yolo Land Trust ‘Willow Slough’ Conservation Easement, currently planted in row-crops, from the pistachio orchard. As indicated above, the applicant proposes entering both resultant parcels, the 43-acre pistachio orchard (‘Parcel 1’) and the 113 acres of row-crops (‘Parcel 2’), as well as two additional parcels under common ownership, into a single Farmland Security Zone contract.
A Farmland Security Zone (FSZ) is an area created within an agricultural preserve, where the property owner voluntarily enters into a contract with the County for a term of twenty (20) years as opposed to the ten (10) years for a standard Williamson Act contract.
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| PROJECT DESCRIPTION |
The project is a request for a Tentative Parcel Map to divide a 156.7-acre agriculturally zoned parcel into two separate parcels. The project site is located at the northeast intersection of County Road 102 and County Road 26A, APN 042-060-006, approximately one-half mile south from the City of Woodland. Current agricultural uses on the property include approximately 113-acres of irrigated row-crops and a 43-acre pistachio orchard.
The proposed parcel split will result in ‘Parcel 1’ containing the unencumbered 43-acre pistachio orchard and ‘Parcel 2’ containing the approximately 110-acres of conservation easement encumbered row-crops, as well as the unencumbered 2.5 acres designated for a future agricultural home-site.
The property is zoned Agricultural Intensive (A-N) and is designated as Agriculture (AG) in the 2030 Countywide General Plan. The property is not currently under Williamson Act contract, but the applicant proposes entering both resultant parcels, ‘Parcel 1’ and ‘Parcel 2’, and two adjacent parcels under common ownership, APNs 042-060-007 and 042-070-009, into a single Farmland Security Zone (FSZ) contract through a separate permit application.
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| ANALYSIS |
The defining characteristic of Yolo County is its agriculture and open spaces. The project parcel actively produces multiple crops while providing habitat value to the natural community. The purpose of the proposed tentative map is to separate the acreage planted in row-crops (and encumbered by the conservation easement) from the remaining orchard acreage to facilitate future agricultural operations. The project proposes no development. While the Yolo County General Plan generally discourages the division of agricultural land, it does allow for parcel splits provided the project supports agriculture and the resultant parcels are not diminished in their ability to produce viable crops. The project must also conform to minimum size requirements. TPM No. 5166 satisfies policies in the Land Use and Agricultural Elements that ensure the resultant parcels will be sized to maintain agricultural operations into the future, and that both resultant parcels contain soil types classified as prime farmland capable of supporting continued agricultural operations.
The applicant has also submitted an application to enter both resultant parcels into a Farmland Security Zone contract to further commit the parcels to agriculture. Although no development is proposed with the tentative map, both resultant parcels would be allowed to develop a home site, by-right, provided standard requirements are met. Prior to Parcel Map approval, the applicant will be required to mitigate for the loss of approximately 2.5 acres of habitat due to the potential for future home site development.
In summary, while Yolo County prohibits the division of agricultural land for reasons not related to agriculture, the proposal furthers the goals and policies of the 2030 Countywide General Plan that emphasize a diversified agricultural economy, the ”working landscape", and the use of conservation easements and agricultural contracts to enhance agriculture while preventing the encroachment of residential, commercial, and industrial uses.
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