COS-B Update Initial Study Assessment Guidelines

The County shall update the Initial Study Assessment Guidelines to identify a range of mitigation measures for protected biological resources. This will include updating Section 4, Biological Resources, to include the following California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) policy language regarding compensatory mitigation: “When there is no other feasible alternative to avoiding an impact to a wetland habitat, the County shall require the discretionary development to provide restoration and/or replacement habitat as compensatory mitigation such that no overall net loss of wetland habitat results from the development. The restoration and/or replacement habitat shall be “in kind” (i.e. same type and acreage) and provide wetland habitat of comparable biological value. On-site restoration and/or replacement shall be preferred wherever possible. A habitat restoration and/or replacement plan to describe and implement such compensatory mitigation shall be developed in consultation with all agencies that have jurisdiction over the resource.”