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Adopt 2 resolutions nominating Cache Slough and the Dixon Agricultural Service Area as new Priority Conservation Areas and direct staff to submit these resolutions to the Association of Bay Area Governments and Metropolitan Transportation Commission for their adoption
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Resource Management recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt 2 resolutions nominating Cache Slough and the Dixon Agricultural Service Area as new Priority Conservation Areas (PCA), and
2. Direct staff to submit these resolutions to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for their adoption.
SUMMARY:
ABAG is currently accepting resolutions from local counties and cities who wish to propose new PCAs within its jurisdiction. The Board approved both the Cache Slough area and Dixon Agricultural Service Area as new PCAs at its meeting on September 10, 2019. As required by ABAG, Solano County submitted Letters of Interest to ABAG on September 13, 2019. To finalize the nomination process, local agency adopted resolutions must be submitted by January 16, 2020.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item and with submission of the resolutions are nominal and absorbed by the Department’s FY2019/20 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Background
A complete background discussion on the PCA program can be found in the attached link to the staff report from September 10, 2019, should the Board wish to review.
On September 10, 2019, the Board considered multiple potential PCA sites, including those recommended by staff at the time and those discussed in the Solano Transportation Authority (STA) PCA Study that was conducted in 2016. After taking public testimony, the Board ultimately decided to propose the Cache Slough area and the Dixon Agricultural Service Area as new PCAs and propose a boundary adjustment to the Tri City and County Area PCA to incorporate lands of the future Pacific Flyway facility. Letters of Interest reflecting this direction were submitted to ABAG/MTC on September 13, 2019.
In order to finalize the nomination process, Board adopted resolutions reflecting the proposed new PCAs must be submitted to ABAG/MTC by January 16, 2020. Boundary adjustments to existing PCAs are not required to have resolutions submitted.
Proposed New PCAs
The following provides a brief description of the two new PCAs that the Board authorized on September 10, 2019.
Cache Slough
The Cache Slough area is located in the southeastern portion of Solano County. The boundaries are generally described as the unincorporated area of Solano County within the legal Delta boundary as defined by the 1959 Delta Protection Act, except for Ryer Island. Cache Slough is within the Primary Zone of the Delta Protection Commission’s Land Use & Resource Management Plan pursuant to the 1992 Delta Protection Act. The Solano County General Plan designates the area as Agriculture with a Resource Conservation Overlay and a Priority Habitat Area. The Cache Slough area is approximately 65,586 acres (or 102.5 square miles). The existing land uses in the area are predominately cattle ranching and crop production. Designation of this area as a PCA may provide for future funding to utilize for infrastructure improvements and preservation of agricultural lands.
Dixon Agricultural Service Area
The Dixon Agricultural Service Area is an area northeast of the City of Dixon, and was originally included in the STA PCA Study in 2016, though on September 10, 2019, the Board chose to nominate a more limited boundary as reflected in the County’s General Plan and zoning ordinance. The Solano County General Plan provides a more refined boundary of approximately 500 acres. The General Plan limits this area to agricultural service and processing uses that serve the area’s farming economy and provide more “value-added” aspects to the local agricultural economy. Protection and promotion of this area as an area limited to agriculture, with an emphasis on agricultural processing and service uses greatly enhances and strengthens the local agricultural economy.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to adopt and submit resolutions, for either proposed PCA. This alternative is not recommended because nominating these two areas as PCAs reflects the Board’s direction at its meeting of September 10, 2019.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
ABAG is the approving agency for any newly proposed PCAs.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION