Ventura County Wildlife Corridor Ordinance

Ventura County Wildlife Corridor Ordinance
30% OF VENTURA COUNTY IS FACING PROHIBITIVE AND DANGEROUS REGULATIONS – THE VENTURA COUNTY WILDLIFE CORRIDOR AND ITS IMPACT – MORE THAN PUBLIC LANDS In January 2017, in a 3-2 vote, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors advised the Planning Division to study potential new restrictions and regulations covering 420,000 acres, approximately 30% of Ventura County. This includes 164,000 acres of both public and private property that cuts through the heart of Ventura County, naming it the Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Movement Corridors. Then, in August of 2018, the County of Ventura proposed to add additional restrictions and regulations. NEW REGULATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS WILL DEVASTATE LOCAL FAMILIES AND FARMS AND RESTRICT PUBLIC USE The Ventura County Supervisors plan to create a Habitat Connectivity Wildlife Corridor Overlay Zone which imposes a myriad of new regulations and restrictions for landowners. Within that zone they would identify additional overlay areas and title them “Critical Wildlife Passage Areas” that includes even more restrictions. Essentially Ventura County properties could be subject to 3 sets of zoning regulations: • The base set of zoning regulations depending on category for example, residential, commercial, rural, agricultural • The Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Movement Corridor zone • The Critical Wildlife Passage Areas The impact of this on landowners and the community will be devastating. The new restrictions and regulations on both public and private property encompass: • Fencing, installation or replacement • Lighting, installation or replacement including removal of existing lighting no longer permitted under the conditions of the new ordinance. Other lighting restrictions will be enforced including height, direction, color and hours • Eliminating non-native invasive plants • Restricting vegetation removal, including fire prevention and mitigation measures • Designation of wildlife passage areas across farmland with no scientific studies • Building of new structures and fencing on properties in the Wildlife Passage Areas would require environmental analysis or setting aside half of the land to revert to its natural state for wildlife habitat • Awarding the Planning Director the discretionary power to control (and even deny) every aspect of basic property improvements that are not specifically exempt from the ordinance • Requiring land owners to undergo a full environmental analysis of projects including, houses, barns, lighting and fences before approval • Expanding the size of “surface water area buffer zones” rendering many properties virtually unusable • Conditional Use Permits will be in jeopardy of non-renewal once they expire • Preventing land owners from making improvements or rebuilding property like fencing, barns and homes if damaged by fire or other natural disasters YOUR VOICES NEED TO BE HEARD – ATTEND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING If you are concerned about this proposed Wildlife Corridor, the changes that will be made to existing zoning, the new restrictions and regulations imposed on landowners and the threat to public safety, your voice needs to be heard. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING TUESDAY, MARCH 12TH AT 1:00 PM MAIN BOARDROOM, COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, HALL OF ADMINISTRATION 800 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura For additional information about the meeting: Chris Collier 805-766-4444 - chris.collier@rinconstrategies.com EMAIL YOUR CONCERNS You can also send an email to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors expressing your concerns: clerkoftheboard@ventura.org LINKS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Wildlife Corridor Regulations: http://colabvc.org/wildlife-corridor/ Updated Ordinance 1-31-2018: http://colabvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/HCWC-Draft-Ordinance-Planning-Commission-Errata_Att-1-on-1-30-19.pdf Link to Wildlife Corridor Map: http://colabvc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Regional-Wildlife-Corridor-Ventura-County-South-Half.png Link to find your property on the Ventura County Website: https://rma.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=92c5352af22a44a3a99dd41aa1b8d567