On August 1, 2006, the Board of Supervisors authorized staff to begin the process to update the Conservation Element. The Conservation Element is one of seven mandatory elements that the state requires in every jurisdiction's General  Plan. The current Conservation Element, adopted in 1974, requires modernization and updating.

The 7 seven mandatory elements of the General Plan are:
Land Use Circulation Noise Safety	Open Space Housing Conservation

The County’s General Plan contains all of the required elements, plus several optional elements:

• Agriculture (part of the Ag/Open Space Element)
• Energy
• Offshore Energy
• Parks and Recreation (in process)

The Conservation Element contains policies that address natural resources such as air quality, soil conservation, mineral resources, water resources, biological resources and cultural resources. 

Watch this space for news of upcoming events, opportunities for public review and input and availability of other conservation element information.

A public workshop  about the update to the Conservation Element of the County General Plan is scheduled for Thursday, October 5, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. at the City/County Library Community Room (Corner of Palm and Osos Streets in San Luis Obispo.

You can also view the Letter to County Board of Supervisors requesting a General Plan amendment to revise the Conservation Element .

  

Water Resource Advisory Committee Meeting

The Department’s Conservation Element team held a special meeting with the Water Resource Advisory Committee (WRAC) in September 2006.  Instant polling technology by Strategic Initiatives was used to explore the inter-relations between water and other Conservation Element issues such as open space, biological resources and agriculture.

The WRAC was most concerned with water resources; however, it was discovered, through the use of instant polling, that the members clearly understood the relationship between water and other resources.  The results of the evening’s discussions will assist Department staff in ordering policy choices in the new Conservation Element.  View the results here:

     Raw results of the WRAC polling

After the WRAC meeting, the we took the lessons learned from the WRAC discussion and held a meeting with interested members of the public to discuss these issues. The public meeting used the same instant polling technology to foster discussion of the issues. Interestingly, while the results of the polling of the public was somewhat different than the WRAC membership, both groups named water as the most important resource consideration in the new Conservation Element.  View the results of the October 5th polling here:

     Raw results of the October 5th public meeting polling

 

Request For Proposals (RFP)

The Department has developed and distributed a Request for Proposals for consultant assistance with the Conservation Element update. The RFP emphasizes the need for technical assistance with such areas as biological resources, air quality, water resources and visual resources. The successful consulting firm will assist the Department with the development of new policies and programs. The RFP seeks assistance both with Plan development and CEQA document preparation.

The following is the RFP, a list of sensitive species known to occur in the county and an appendix identifying the extensive resource mapping that is part of the Conservation Element update.

Conservation Element RFP scope

Conservation Element RFP Appendix A

Sensitive Species

 

Consolidation

The first portion of the work to consolidate and update the Conservation Element nears completion. The following existing elements have been reviewed for consolidation in the Conservation Element:

1. Conservation Element (1974): This Element contains policies regarding water conservation, water pollution, flood control, air resources, and biological resources. The consultant will focus work on this portion of the consolidated element.
2. Historic Element (1974): Contains historical and archaeological resource policies. The consultant shall consider these policies, together with similar policies in the Agriculture and Open Space Element, to form the basis for the new Cultural/Historical resource chapter.
3. Esthetic Element (1974): Contains noise, odor and visual policies. The consultant shall revise all policies in this element for inclusion in the revised Element.
4. Energy Element (1994): One of the first Energy Elements developed in California, this Element addresses energy conservation and efficiency, distribution and generation. Department staff is working on the revisions to this chapter in-house.
5. Off-Shore Energy Element (1993): Revisions to this Element require the Consultant to review the existing text and propose a method for chapter placement, language revisions and updates.
6. Agriculture and Open Space (1998): The Agriculture portion of this element will not be consolidated.  The Open Space portion will be consolidted into the new COSE. 

Consolidated Document

The policies and programs found in the stand-alone elements above will be placed into the following ten chapters of the new Conservation Element:

Chapters:

I Air Quality II Biological Resources  III Cultural/Historical Resources IV Energy Resources

V Mineral Resources VI Open Space Resources  VII Visual Resources  VIII Water Resources

Proposed New Policies

In addition to the consolidation effort, many issue areas in the consolidated element need to be revised and/or updated. The following new work has already been planned:

• Add new energy policies to include “green building”.
• Add chapter on Local Response to Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
• Add new strong water conservation policies.
• Review “night-skies” policies.
• Review new native and non-native tree policies.
• Align smart growth policies

Initial Findings

As Department staff has started this update process, several issues have started to crystallize. The threats to natural resources in the unincorporated territory need to be addressed as a whole in contrast to dealing with issues individually. Protection of air quality and agricultural lands, conservation of energy use and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, protection of natural habitats and protection of our water supplies will all be part of the focus of this Conservation Element.

For more information, contact James Caruso at (805) 781-5702.

 

 

Conservation and Open Space Element (COSE) - Update in High Gear

Green Building is Coming!

In order to address the long terms goals of the General Plan, the County will adopt Green Building as a new chapter of the Conservation Element. Green building will help achieve sustainable resource use, reduce energy use and protect the environment. A sustainable community is one that meets its existing needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Consolidation Consultant on Board

The Department has contracted with the firm of PMC, Inc to help with the development of the Conservation Element update. PMC is highly respected and has worked on projects of this magnitude for many years throughout California.

The consultant and county Conservation Element teams have met numerous times to discuss the many issues surrounding the COSE update. The teams have discussed water, biological, cultural and air quality issues. Team meetings will continue after the March 2008 open houses in order to discuss the public discussions held at the open houses.

Two Open Houses Scheduled

The Department will host two open houses to discuss COSE issues with interested members of the public. The events are scheduled as follows:

Thursday, March 6, 2008 (3:00 – 8:00 p.m)

Paso Robles City Council Chamber (1000 Spring St)

Thursday, March 13, 2008 (3:00 - 8:00 p.m.)

South County Regional Center (East Branch St; Arroyo Grande)

County staff will be available at the open houses to discuss:

• Energy/Green building
• Water Resources
• Air Quality and Greenhouse gas emissions
• Biological Resources

The purpose of the open houses is to update the public on the COSE update and to elicit input into programs such as water conservation and management, green building, protection of native plants and preservation of air quality

In addition to open house activities, scoping of the COSE EIR will also be discussed.

Timeline

A Draft COSE and Program EIR will be available for public review Fall 2008. The public review period will include additional workshops. Planning Commission hearings are expected to start early 2009.

North and South County Open Houses Were Held

March 6th & March 13th

The two open houses held at Paso Robles City Hall on March 6th and South County Regional Center on March 13, 2008 were an opportunity for the department to listen to the public's concerns regarding important conservation issues. The resource maps at each of the four issue area tables drew great interest from attendees. 

Open House Maps

Open House Handouts

Open House Comments