FRESNO COG AG AD-HOC COMMITTEE REPORT TTC / PAC FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016
COMMITTEE CHARGE As identified by the Fresno COG Policy Board, the charge of the Committee is to identify potential policies and actions to minimize the loss of farmland associated with the construction of transportation facilities, for consideration by individual local agencies.
PAST MAJOR DATES November 21, 2013 The Fresno COG Policy Board directs PAC to form a sub-committee to analyze and provide recommendations on SCS-related policy proposals submitted by interested community groups (including a natural and working lands policy) May 29, 2014 The Fresno COG Policy Board, as recommended by the PAC subcommittee, directs COG staff to form an ad-hoc committee to ensure proper vetting of proposed policies and activities associated with ag mitigation discussions July 22, 2015 The Ag Ad-hoc Committee takes first action on seven individual items, including a recommended policy, implementation activities, and additional general recommendations. Complete consensus not reached. November 2015 Fresno COG Staff reports to TTC, PAC and the Policy Board regarding complete consensus amongst the Ag Ad-Hoc Committee for the seven individual items presented in July.
OVERALL IMPACT
OVERALL IMPACT Lead Agency Projects Acreage Total # % of Total Total # % of Total Caltrans 34 2 5.95 2 Clovis, City of 252 17 121.77 31 Fresno County 123 8 68.18 17 Fresno, City of 888 59 149.75 38 Kerman, City of 13 1 1.97 0 Kingsburg, City of 74 5 21.16 5 Reedley, City of 66 4 5.09 1 Sanger, City of 18 1 1.43 0 Selma, City of 24 2 2.89 1 Firebaugh, City of 1 0 0.00 0 Fowler, City of 4 0 3.07 1 Mendota, City of 1 0 0.00 0 Orange Cove, City of 2 0 0.00 0 Parlier, City of 1 0 0.00 0 San Joaquin, City of 4 0 14.70 4 TOTALS 1505 100 395.96 100 *Numbers reflect RTP expansion projects that require new right-of-way impacting agricultural lands
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Recommended Policy It is the policy of the Fresno Council of Governments that the construction of transportation projects minimize the loss of farmland.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Implementation It is recommended that member agencies submitting projects for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) shall indicate that the agency will address the recommended FCOG policy at the project level. It is recommended that member agencies be responsible for addressing the above recommended policy in their project specific environmental review. It is recommended that at the scoring/programing level of project review, Fresno COG shall address agricultural land impacts by establishing scoring criteria (established within the appropriate scoring committee) to minimize the loss of prime farmland, unique farmland, farmland of statewide importance and farmland of local importance consistent with the recommended policy.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS General Recommendations COG Assistance It is recommended that the Fresno COG assist member agencies, when requested, with mapping resources related to agricultural lands. It is recommended that Fresno COG shall assist member agencies by maintaining, through resources such as the Planners Tool Kit or county data bases, information about agricultural land preservation best practices. The Committee delivers the above recommendations for the Policy Board s consideration, which are intended to directly address the agricultural resource mitigation measure identified in the 2014 RTP/SCS EIR, which reads: Develop a methodology to help implementing agencies quantify the conversion of prime farmland, unique farmland, farmland of statewide importance, and farmland of local importance associated with their proposed projects; and
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS General Recommendations Future Activities It is further recommended that Fresno COG staff make a presentation at both the TTC and PAC (scheduled for January 2016) to discuss current methodologies, ratios, policies and efforts utilized by local agencies within Fresno County, and further work to identify specifics with member agency technical and administrative staff, to analyze and further address the additional language found within the certified 2014 RTP/SCS EIR regarding agricultural resources, which reads: Develop a methodology for implementing agencies to consider preservation ratios to minimize loss of prime, unique, and statewide importance farmland; and coordinate efforts to provide a mechanism for preservation activities. Let s discuss current practices throughout Fresno County
PRACTICES IN FRESNO COUNTY Each agency references existing programs, activities and/or documents that encourage preservation and/or conservation activities within their General Plans and associated Environmental Impact Reports Activities intended to preserve, protect or mitigate for loss are addressed on an individual project level, by the agency with land use jurisdiction over the project area
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENT LANGUAGE Blueprint Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas. Support actions that encourage environmental resource management. Model Farmland Conservation Program for Fresno County Focus on preserving strategic farmland as the highest priority. Of the 2.2 million acres of agricultural land in Fresno County, only 25 percent falls into the very high and high strategic farmland categories.
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENT LANGUAGE Landscape of Choice Encourage and facility compact growth and urban infill to accommodate anticipated population increases that have a beneficial impact in reducing the consumption and conversion of agricultural and natural land to urban uses. Recommend all Cities adopt Agricultural elements in their General Plans. Avoid the rezone of land for rural residential development until the current inventory of designated land is exhausted. Encourage an orderly outward expansion of new urban development that causes the fewest impacts to important agricultural land. Encourage a forum where multi jurisdictional land use planning between the County and its Cities can be achieved.
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENT LANGUAGE Greenprint Conservation Vision: Identify strategies and priorities for stewarding and conserving the Valley s precious and finite agriculture resources and plan for the Valley s long term sustainability. Outreach Vision: Increase awareness of the resources. Enhance relevance and secure resources.
Williamson Act COMMON PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES Provides relief of property tax to owners of farmland and open-space land in exchange for a ten-year agreement that the land will not be developed or otherwise converted to another use Right-to-Farm Preserve agricultural operations and promotes a goodneighbor policy between farm and other landowners through educating adjacent non-farming landowners about common agricultural practices, and affirming a local agency s commitment to agriculture
COMMON PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES Easements / Land Mitigation A voluntary agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits the uses of the land to protect its conservation or agricultural values Requiring equal-value resource land to be purchased and granting a farmland conservation easement to or for the benefit of the local agency and/or a qualifying entity approved by the agency, onto that land (or payment of an in-lieu fee equating to the value of said land). The most common ratio for such activity is 1:1 Growth Boundaries / Annexation Ratio Requirements Regulations that protect areas from development until a certain ratio of land within the agency has been urbanized
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS General Recommendations Future Activities It is further recommended that Fresno COG staff make a presentation at both the TTC and PAC (scheduled for January 2016) to discuss current methodologies, ratios, policies and efforts utilized by local agencies within Fresno County, and further work to identify specifics with member agency technical and administrative staff, to analyze and further address the additional language found within the certified 2014 RTP/SCS EIR regarding agricultural resources, which reads: Develop a methodology for implementing agencies to consider preservation ratios to minimize loss of prime, unique, and statewide importance farmland; and coordinate efforts to provide a mechanism for preservation activities.
RECOMMENDED ACTION Staff Recommendation Fresno COG staff recommends that the TTC/PAC accept the January 2016 Whitepaper detailing the background of the recommended policy, implementation activities, and additional general recommendations formulated by the Ag Ad-hoc Committee. Furthermore, Fresno COG staff recommends that the PAC recommend the Policy Board adopt the recommended policy, implementation and general recommendations notated within the document; and accept the documentation regarding preservation ratios and/or activities considered to be best practice for consideration by their individual agencies.