When the Yolo County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2030 Countywide General Plan in November 2009, Dunnigan was one of five areas in unincorporated Yolo County designated as a Specific Plan area (along with Madison, Knights Landing, Elkhorn, and Covell). The Specific Plan areas encompassed agricultural lands located outside the designated growth boundaries of existing unincorporated towns or other areas. The purpose of the Specific Plan (SP) land use designation is to require that a Specific Plan be adopted prior to undertaking any urban development in an SP designated area.
In February 2017, the Board of Supervisors amended the General Plan and adopted a resolution to remove the Dunnigan Specific Plan area from the 2030 Countywide General Plan. Developed areas within the Old Town area, the Hardwood Grove rural residential area, and the existing highway commercial uses around Interstate 5 retained their existing underlying land use designations and base zoning. Thus, the previous 1996 Dunnigan Community Plan, adopted in 2001 and referred to as the 2001 Dunnigan Community Plan, remained intact, but is in need of an update to meet the growing demands of the community. As part of the General Plan Amendment to remove the Dunnigan Specific Plan, the Board of Supervisors added Policy CC-3.8 to the 2030 Countywide General Plan Land Use and Community Character Element to ensure that two future growth areas in Dunnigan, previously a part of the Dunnigan Specific Plan, would be retained. Policy CC-3.8 states: The community has identified two potential future growth areas in Dunnigan to be studied and considered as funds become available; the area west of the I-5/County Road 6 interchange, between CR 5 and CR 6; and west of the I-5/CR 6 interchange and CR 7, between I-5 and CR 99W.
In 2022, the County received a Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) grant from the California Department of Conservation to create a new Dunnigan Community Plan. Planning staff held regular meetings with the Dunnigan Citizens Advisory Committee (DCAC) and distributed a community-wide survey to gather input on the plan. In January 2023, staff presented the survey results and an initial draft of the community plan to the DCAC. Staff finalized the community plan and prepared a draft Initial Study/Negative Declaration in late 2023.
The proposed Dunnigan Community Plan includes the addition of two designated growth areas and a developed portion of the original Hardwood Subdivision Map east of County Road 99W. In addition, the proposed plan updates the community goals and policies from the 1996 Dunnigan Community Plan and revises the land uses and zoning for the Dunnigan area to meet the updated policies.
The proposed 2024 Dunnigan Community Plan includes the following significant components, which are further described in Attachment A:
- Expansion of the Community Growth Boundary by ±415 acres to include the ±355 acres identified in General Plan Policy CC-3.8 (area west of the I-5/CR 6 interchange, between County Road (CR) 5 and CR 6; and the area between the I-5/CR 6 interchange and CR 7, between I-5 and CR 99W), and ±60 acres of existing rural residential development in the Hardwood Grove.
- Removal of redundant policies included in the Countywide General Plan and County-adopted Design Guidelines and an update of the remaining policies to meet current community goals. The 2024 Dunnigan Community Plan includes six Land Use Policies, three Agricultural Policies, six Transportation Policies, eight Environmental and Public Services Policies, and six Implementation Programs.
- A feasibility study to establish water and wastewater services for the community.
Staff conducted an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act and prepared a Negative Declaration determination (Att. C). The public review period ran from January 31, 2024, to March 1, 2024. A Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration was distributed to all properties affected by proposed land use designation and zoning changes and was posted in the Dunnigan Post Office. Staff only received standard comments from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Board. Formal notice and invitation to initiate consultation under AB 52 was sent to Tribes requesting notification on December 12, 2023, but no consultation request was received within the 30-day timeline. The County received a request for consultation from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in a letter dated March 26, 2024. A consultation has been scheduled for April 4, 2024. A separate notice and invitation to initiate SB 18 for the General Plan Amendment was sent on February 21, 2024. SB 18 consultation has not yet been requested, but will occur prior to taking the item to the Board of Supervisors for final action.
The DCAC unanimously approved recommendation of the plan on February 21, 2024, with a request to have staff clarify Policy D-AG-2. The policy originally sought to provide priority status under the Agricultural Conservation and Mitigation Program Ordinance to allow farmland within one mile of the Dunnigan Community Growth Boundary to mitigate for the conversion of farmland. The DCAC was concerned that this might prevent limited future growth and could be used to fulfill mitigation requirements from projects located in other parts of the county. The policy has been revised to clarify the Board of Supervisors' discretion to consider appropriate areas for agricultural mitigation related to development in the northern parts of the County near Dunnigan. This consideration shall apply only for projects located north of County Road 13. Please refer to Policy D-AG-2 in Attachment A. The revised policy was provided to the DCAC for review and the Chair indicated that the changes addressed DCAC concerns.
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