Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) area Open Space Land Use Designation (General Plan) and Rural Agriculture (RA) Zone

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1 Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) area Open Space Land Use Designation (General Plan) and Rural Agriculture (RA) Zone A] Inconsistent Zoning Summary: The entire area constituting of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) site is approximately 2,800 acres, all of which have a General Plan land use designation of Open Space. Seven assessor parcels located within this site are zoned entirely (or in part) Rural Agriculture (RA-5 ac), which is not consistent with the General Plan (see Exhibit 2). One of these seven parcels is split zoned RA-5 ac and, where the portion of the parcel zoned RA-5 ac is not consistent with the General Plan. Exhibit 6-1 includes a location map of all seven parcels indicating current zoning, and the adjacent zoning in the area to provide context. Zoning for the SSFL parcels, along with ownership and acreage information is provided in Table 6-1 below. Table 6-1: Number of Inconsistently Zoned Parcels in SSFL, by Ownership General Plan Designation Index Numbers (1) Zone Ownership Number of Parcels Open Space 6, 10, 11 RA-5 ac United States of America 3, 4, 14 RA-5 ac Boeing North American Inc 15 RA-5 ac/ Boeing North American Inc (Inconsistent portion) Total of Parcel (2) TOTAL (1) These index numbers denote the reference number given to the parcel for the purposes of this project, included within all the maps and tables. See Exhibit 3 for a list of APNs associated with the index numbers. (2) The GIS database was used to calculate the acreages where only a portion of the parcel was identified as inconsistent. For all other acreages, the Assessor s database was utilized. B] Recommendation: The recommended zoning for all seven parcels identified with inconsistent zoning in the SSFL area is Open Space (). This recommended zoning is based on the following: The proposed OS zoning is consistent with the General Plan land use designation of Open Space. While the Agricultural Exclusive (AE) zone is also consistent with the General Plan, that zone is not appropriate in this location, as the property is not characterized as agricultural land listed on the Important Farmland Inventory. In addition, the prior use of this site for missile testing makes it a poor candidate for agricultural use. County of Ventura Planning Commission Hearing PL and PL Exhibit 6 - Parcels in Santa Susana Field Laboratory

2 The proposed OS zoning with the 160-acre parcel size is consistent with surrounding zoning patterns, which is also zoned. Additionally, with the limited access to this area, most of which is graded and remote like other open space areas in the county, and with the biological or cultural resources on the site, the recommended zoning is most appropriate for these parcels. Existing uses on the property will continue to be governed by the Special Use Permit (SUP-0248) issued on April 20, All uses on the SSFL site will remain non-conforming with or without the recommended rezone. A comprehensive list of all recommended zone changes for all seven parcels, as well as a map indicating the proposed zoning classification (in context of their surrounding parcels) is included in Exhibit 3. Also see the supporting documentation and analysis described in Section C, below. C] Supporting Documentation: 1. Inconsistent Zoning Summary: Parcels: The entire SSFL site has an Open Space Land Use designation. The current zoning within SSFL is as follows: Open Space () Zone: Rural Agricultural (RA-5 ac) Zone: Total : 1, Acres (consistent) 1, Acres (not consistent) 2, Acres The seven inconsistently zoned parcels consist of Areas I, II, III and IV of the SSFL site where the Boeing Co. owns all land zoned and 1, acres of land zoned RA-5 ac. The U.S. Government (NASA) owns the remaining acres of land zoned RA-5 ac. Recommended zones for all seven parcels are listed in Table 6-2 below. Table 6-2: Recommended Zoning for SSFL parcels, by APN Index Nos.* Assessor Parcel No. General Plan Designation Current Zone Proposed Zone Total Parcels owned by the U.S. Government/NASA Open Space RA-5 ac RA-5 ac RA-5 ac Parcels owned by Boeing North American Inc Open Space RA-5 ac RA-5 ac RA-5 ac /RA-5 ac * These index numbers denote the reference number given to the parcel for the purposes of this project, included within all the maps and tables Page 2 Zoning Compliance Project (PL )

3 On June 16, 2015, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) requested assistance from the County of Ventura (County) in determining an appropriate land use designation for parcels in the SSFL site. The Planning Director responded with a letter dated July 20, 2015, which clarified that it was unlikely the land use designation (Open Space) would change, as that change would require a vote of the people pursuant to Save Open-space and Agricultural Resources Ordinance (SOAR). Furthermore, the letter explained that re-zoning the above-mentioned parcels to be consistent with the General Plan would be better aligned with the long-range planning objectives of the County. 2. Zones Consistent with the General Plan: Pursuant to the Ventura County General Plan, two zoning classifications are consistent with the Open Space land use designation: OS (Open Space), which has a 10-acre minimum, and AE (Agricultural Exclusive), which has a 40-acre minimum. Surrounding zoning patterns, physical constraints or resource issues: The OS-160 ac zone is recommended to be the ideal zone for the inconsistently zoned parcels, as zoning patterns identify adjacent parcels similarly zoned OS with a minimum parcel size of 160 ac (See Exhibit 6-1). The zone would also be consistent with the purpose of Open-space lands 1 and with the preservation or management of resources on this property. Although one of the adjacent parcels is zoned AE-40 ac, it is not reasonable to re-zone these parcels to AE as none of the parcels are classified in the Important Farmland Inventory. The SSFL site is a mix of rocky and steep slopes with remote areas that include the testing sites. Previous environmental documentation determined that the site contains both biological and cultural resources. With the topographic constraints of the inconsistently zoned parcels, the zoning of OS with a much larger parcel size of 160 acres would be the appropriate zone. Finally, allowable uses per the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance are similar for both OS and AE zones, but more uses are allowed in the OS zone than in the AE zone. 3. Current permits and uses on the site: The existing permit for the SSFL site dates back to April 20, 1954, when the entire site was granted a Special Use Permit (SUP-0248) for expansion of the fuel testing 1 Per California Law: GOV Code, Title 7. Planning and Land Use, Division 1. Planning and Zoning, Chapter 3, Article Open Space Lands: Parcels within the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) area Page 3

4 site and establishment of additional testing facilities for propellant and fuel materials. The exhibits as part of the Special Use Permit included a description of the the parcels and identified the allowable uses within the SSFL site. One condition in SUP-0248 outlines that this use is limited to the duration of the ownership or operation by North American Aviation, Inc., or any of its subsidiaries, or by the United States of America, or any agency thereof, or by any or all of them. The permit also includes a recommendation that, in the event this use is discontinued in the future, the land be rezoned to be consistent with the zoning patterns around it, so that it can be optimally used in the future. When the Special Use Permit (SUP-0248) was issued, the use was allowed by the existing A-I zone (All-Inclusive). In 1957, the A-I zone (All-Inclusive) was renamed as the Agricultural (A-1) zone, unrestricted (ORD. 0498). Thereafter, in 1965, the site was rezoned to RA-5 acres (Rural Agricultural) (ORD. 1699). Once rezoned to RA, the permitted use was no longer allowed by the zone and thus became a legal, non-conforming use. As per Article 5 of the current NCZO which lists the permitted uses in each zone, the current use can be classified as Laboratories; Research and Scientific, which is only allowed in M1, M2 and M3 zones. With the recommended zone change for the seven parcels in the SSFL area to, the existing uses would remain non-conforming. 4. Discussions with Landowners: Planning Staff met with representatives of the SSFL sites (NASA, and Boeing North American Inc.) in April and July 2017 to discuss the proposed zone changes for this site. Subsequently, Planning staff provided a detailed summary of the project and the proposed rezones to each landowner. Page 4 Zoning Compliance Project (PL )

5 Legend 11 Santa Susana Field Lab Parcels with Index # OS-160 ac/mrp Urban General Plan Designations Parcels Current Zoning Classifications AE-40 ac (Agricultural Exclusive, 40 ac min) OS-10 ac (Open Space, 10 ac min) (Open Space, 160 ac min) RA-5 ac (Rural Agricultural, 5 ac min) 11 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AE-40 ac BLACK CANYON RD NORTH AMERICAN CUTOFF RD OS-10 ac WOOLSEY CANYON RD (Rural Exclusive, 1 ac min) City of Simi Valley Urban UNITED STATES OF AMERICA RA-5 ac Open Space Los Angeles County Existing Community Existing Community Existing Community Ventura County Resource Management Agency Information Systems GIS Services Map printed on 6/30/2017 Source: Pictometry, November 2016 Current Zoning Santa Susana Field Laboratory ,250 2,500 Feet É Disclaimer: this map was created by the Ventura County Resource Management Agency Information Systems GIS, which is designed and operated solely for the convenience of the County and related public agencies. The County does not warrant the accuracy of this map and no decision involving a risk of economic loss or physical injury should be made in reliance therein.