land use
williamson act
The California Land Conservation Act, known as Williamson Act, was created when the Assembly Agriculture Committee undertook a study in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture that led to the passage of legislation in 1965.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to not implement Senate Bill 863 (SB 863); a bill that would have given the County the option to reduce the term of Williamson Act contracts by 10%, thereby reducing the benefit to the property owner. While SB 863 has become an important step to save the Williamson Act from an uncertain fate, Sacramento County Board of Supervisors understands that this program is vital to our family farmers and ranchers in Sacramento County.
Background information;
Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill restoring the Williamson Act funding to a quarter of its former funding for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. In the 2009-2010 budget, the Governor reduced the Williamson Act funding from $38 million to $1,000 and left counties responsible for holding up their end of agreements with landowners. The 2010-2011 budget includes $10 million to reimburse counties. In addition, AB 2530 was passed. This bill, beginning January 1, 2011 until January 1, 2015, authorizes a county, in any fiscal year in which payments authorized for reimbursement to a county for lost revenue are less than 1/2 of the participating county’s actual foregone general fund. To implement both the $10 million general fund and AB 2530, Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 863 into law. This new statute means that participating Williamson Act counties will receive their proportionate share of a $10,000,000 General Fund appropriation and they will be able to implement AB 2530 as an urgency measure. Sacramento County will receive $139,644 in 2010-2011 compared to $525,077 in 2008-2009 budget years. The funding for Williamson Act in this current fiscal budget with Governor Brown is unchanged from the previous years. Sacramento County currently supports the Williamson Act and has been accepting new contracts.
sphere of influence
The Elk Grove General Plan identifies two areas designated as Urban Study Areas that are envisioned as areas in which urbanization, to some extent, could occur. Various SOI Amendments have been submitted for consideration to LAFCO. The General Plan does not identify a formal land plan for these areas but lays out policies to guide the study of future development in cooperation with the public and other agencies and parties.
The City of Elk Grove submitted a Sphere of Influence amendment application to LAFCo (Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission). LAFCo rejected the application.
Letter to LAFCo Commissioner’s March 12, 2012
The City of Elk Grove submitted a Sphere of Influence amendment application to LAFCo regarding a new Multi-Sports Complex. This is still under consideration.
habitat mitigation
Habitat mitigation is the preservation, enhancement, restoration or creation of a wetland, stream, or other habitat conservation area which offsets, or compensates for, expected adverse impacts to similar habitat types due to land development activities or other projects.
South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan
Under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts, local jurisdictions using the SSHCP can permit their own projects or extend permit coverage to private applicants for projects that are described in the SSHCP as covered activities. These permits normally are issued on a project-by-project basis by agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The SSHCP as part of this process will:
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Analyze biological resources and identify conservation strategies for covered species
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Forecast the extent and location of urban and suburban growth
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Reconcile potential future growth with conservation strategies
The integration of endangered species and Section 404 permitting into one streamlined local permitting process will be the first of its kind under existing federal regulations.
The SSHCP and a related Aquatic Resources Program (ARP) will also set up an abbreviated process for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting under Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act. The integration of endangered species and Section 404 permitting into one streamlined local permitting process will be the first of its kind under existing federal regulations. This proactive, coordinated approach to planning, permitting and conservation reduces costs and uncertainty.
Sacramento Regional Trail Network
In early 2020 SACOG embarked on the Sacramento Region Parks and Trails Strategic Development Plan. SACOG staff began by working with cities, counties, and planning partners to map all the parks, open space, multiuse trails, and informal trails in the region. This collaboration allowed staff to see existing and proposed connections between residents and our regional parks and trails, and to see if there were differences in access for regionally-identified disadvantaged communities.
The draft regional trail network also includes 95 miles of locally-identified trail study corridors that would look at creating trails or trail-like connection to complete the regional trail network. Trail study corridors are not identified in approved local planning documents but would be looked at in future studies and local plans.
If you have any questions or comments about the Draft Regional Trail Network, please send them to Hannah Tschudin through email at htschudin@sacog.org