Biological Resources

The County shall ensure that discretionary development that could potentially impact sensitive biological resources be evaluated by a qualified biologist to assess impacts and, if necessary, develop mitigation measures that fully account for the impacted resource. When feasible, mitigation measures should adhere to the following priority: avoid impacts, minimize impacts, and compensate for impacts. If the impacts cannot be reduced to a less than significant level, findings of overriding considerations must be made by the decision-making body.

The County shall identify sensitive biological resources as part of any land use designation change to the General Plan Land Use Diagram or zone designation change to the Zoning Ordinance that would intensify the uses in a given area. The County shall prioritize conservation of areas with sensitive biological resources.

Based on the review and recommendation of a qualified biologist, the design and maintenance of road and floodplain improvements, including culverts and bridges, shall incorporate all feasible measures to accommodate wildlife passage.

When considering proposed discretionary development, County decision-makers shall consider the development’s potential project-specific and cumulative impacts on the movement of wildlife at a range of spatial scales including local scales (e.g., hundreds of feet) and regional scales (e.g., tens of miles).

Development within the Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Corridors overlay zone and Critical Wildlife Passage Areas overlay zone shall be subject to the applicable provisions and standards of these overlay zones as set forth in the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance.

The County shall require discretionary development on hillsides and slopes, which have an average natural slope of 20 percent or greater in the area where the proposed development would occur, to be sited and designed in a manner that will minimize grading, alteration of natural land forms, and vegetation removal to avoid significant impacts to sensitive biological resources to the extent feasible.

The County shall require that discretionary development and County-initiated projects balance the preservation of streams, wetlands, and riparian habitats with the need to adequately protect public safety and property from flooding hazards by incorporating natural or nature-based flood control infrastructure, (e.g., wetland restoration, soil conservation, vegetated levees), when feasible.

The County shall require discretionary development that includes new or modified road crossings over streams, wetlands and riparian habitats to include bridging design features with bridge columns located outside the riparian habitat areas, when feasible.

The County shall consult with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Audubon Society, California Native Plant Society, National Park Service for development in the Santa Monica Mountains or Oak Park Area, and other resource management agencies, as applicable during the review of discretionary development applications to ensure that impacts to biological resources, including rare, threatened, or endangered species, are avoided or minimized.

The County shall require discretionary development that is proposed to be located within 300 feet of a wetland to be evaluated by a County-approved biologist for potential impacts on the wetland and its associated habitats pursuant to the applicable provisions of the County’s Initial Study Assessment Guidelines.

The County shall require discretionary development to be sited 100 feet from wetland habitats, except as provided below. The 100-foot setback may be increased or decreased based upon an evaluation and recommendation by a qualified biologist and approval by the decision-making body based on factors that include, but may not be limited to, soil type, slope stability, drainage patterns, the potential for discharges that may impair water quality, presence or absence of endangered, threatened or rare plants or animals, direct and indirect effects to wildlife movement, and compatibility of the proposed development with use of the wetland habitat area by wildlife. Discretionary development that would have a significant impact on a wetland habitat shall be prohibited unless mitigation measures are approved that would reduce the impact to a less than significant level. Notwithstanding the foregoing, discretionary development that would have a significant impact on a wetland habitat on land within a designated Existing community may be approved in conjunction with the adoption of a statement of overriding considerations by the decision-making body.

The County shall require landscaping associated with discretionary development, or subject to the California Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO), to be water-efficient and include native, pollinator-friendly plants consistent with WELO guidelines, as applicable. The planting of invasive and watch list plants as inventoried by the California Invasive Plant Council shall be prohibited, unless planted as a commercial agricultural crop or grown as commercial nursery stock.

The County shall continue to work in partnership with agencies, organizations, and entities responsible for the protection, management, and enhancement of the county's biological resources.

The County shall support programs that encourage awareness and respect for the natural environment.

The County shall establish and support a countywide target for the County, cities in Ventura County, agencies, organizations, businesses, and citizens to plant two million trees throughout the county by 2040.