To address GHG emissions associated with electricity consumption by industrial buildings, which were not quantified in the GHG Inventory and Forecasting due to utility privacy rules, the County shall implement a program to adopt a Building Energy Saving Ordinance, no later than 2025, for industrial buildings over 25,000 square feet in size, modeled after the local benchmarking ordinances adopted in other local jurisdictions in California (CEC 2019). The County shall prepare reports showing the energy performance of industrial buildings relative to similar buildings in California and the United States and make these reports available to the public by request. The County, through its building department shall provide recommendations on energy efficiency retrofits and green building strategies to improve energy performance to property owners and tenants subject to the reporting requirements.
RMA
HAZ-CC Revise the Construction Noise Threshold Criteria and Control Plan
The County shall revise the Construction Noise Threshold Criteria and Control Plan within one year of 2040 General Plan adoption to consider all potential vibrationinducing activities and include various measures, setback distances, precautions, monitoring programs, and alternative methods to traditional construction activities with the potential to result in structural damage or excessive groundborne noise. Items that shall be addressed in the plan include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Ground vibration-producing activities, such as pile driving and blasting, shall be limited to the daytime hours between 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays or 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
- If pile driving is used, pile holes shall be predrilled to the maximum feasible depth to reduce the number of blows required to seat a pile.
- All construction equipment on construction sites shall be operated as far away from vibration-sensitive sites as reasonably possible.
- Earthmoving, blasting and groundimpacting operations shall be phased so as not to occur simultaneously in areas close to sensitive receptors, to the extent feasible. The total vibration level produced could be significantly less when each vibration source is operated at separate times.
- Minimum setback requirements for different types of ground vibrationproducing activities (e.g., pile driving and blasting) for the purpose of preventing damage to nearby structures shall be established. Factors to be considered include the specific nature of the vibration producing activity (e.g., type and duration of pile driving), local soil conditions, and the fragility/resiliency of the nearby structures. Established setback requirements (i.e., 100 feet) can be breached if a project-specific, site specific analysis is conducted by a qualified geotechnical engineer or ground vibration specialist that indicates that no structural damage would occur at nearby buildings or structures.
- Minimum setback requirements for different types of ground vibration producing activities (e.g., pile driving and blasting) for the purpose of preventing negative human response shall be established based on the specific nature of the vibration producing activity (e.g., type and duration of pile driving), local soil conditions, and the type of sensitive receptor. Established setback requirements (i.e., 300 feet) can be breached only if a project-specific, site-specific, technically adequate ground vibration study indicates that the buildings would not be exposed to ground vibration levels in excess of 80 VdB, and ground vibration measurements performed during the construction activity confirm that the buildings are not being exposed to levels in excess of 80 VdB.
- All vibration-inducing activity within the distance parameters described above shall be monitored and documented for ground vibration noise and vibration noise levels at the nearest sensitive land use and associated recorded data submitted to Ventura County so as not to exceed the recommended FTA levels.
- Alternatives to traditional pile driving (e.g., sonic pile driving, jetting, castin- place or auger cast piles, nondisplacement piles, pile cushioning, torque or hydraulic piles) shall be considered and implemented where feasible4 to reduce vibration levels.
4 “Feasible” means that this mitigation measure shall be applied to future discretionary projects under the 2040 General Plan when and to the extent it is “capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, legal, social, and technological factors” as determined by the County in the context of such future projects based on substantial evidence. This definition is consistent with the definition of “feasible” set forth in CEQA (Pub. Res. Code, § 21066.1) and the CEQA Guidelines (§ 15164). The County shall be solely responsible for making this feasibility determination in accordance with CEQA.
COS-HH Cultural Records Research
As part of a discretionary application process, project applicants (Ventura County for County projects) shall initiate a records search and Sacred Lands File search with the South Central Coastal Information Center.
COS-II Cultural, Historical, Paleontological, and Archaeological Resource Assessment Procedures
For discretionary projects, the County shall require the following:
- Projects shall be designed to protect existing resources and shall avoid potential impacts to the maximum extent feasible1.
- If determined necessary by the County, an archaeological or paleontological and/or Native American monitor shall be retained to monitor ground-disturbing activities during construction.
- If any materials or artifacts are discovered during ground disturbance and/or construction activities, construction shall halt until a qualified archaeologist, paleontologist, or Native American monitor can access the discovery. A report or memorandum shall be prepared by the qualified monitor documenting any findings and identifying recommendations for protection or avoidance of discovered resources. Recommendations or mitigation identified by the qualified monitor shall be implemented prior to commencing
- “Feasible” means that this mitigation measure shall be applied to future discretionary projects under the 2040 General Plan when and to the extent it is “capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, legal, social, and technological factors” as determined by the County in the context of such future projects based on substantial evidence. This definition is consistent with the definition of “feasible” set forth in CEQA (Pub. Res. Code, § 21066.1) and the CEQA Guidelines (§ 15164). The County shall be solely responsible for making this feasibility determination in accordance with CEQA. or continuing project activities and/or construction.
COS-JJ Project-Level Historic Surveys and Protection of Historic Resources
During project-specific environmental review of discretionary development, the County shall define the project’s area of potential effect for historic buildings and structures. The County shall determine the potential for the project to result in historic resource impacts, based on the extent of ground disturbance and site modification anticipated for the project. The potential for adverse impacts to historic resources shall also be determined pursuant to the requirements and protocol set forth in the Ventura County ISAG and Cultural Heritage Board Ordinance.
Before altering or otherwise affecting a building or structure 50 years old or older, the project-applicant shall retain a qualified architectural historian according to the Secretary of the Interior Standards, to record it on a California Department of Parks and Recreation DPR 523 form or equivalent documentation, if the building has not previously been evaluated. Its significance shall be assessed by a qualified architectural historian, using the significance criteria set forth for historic resources under CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.5. The evaluation process shall include the development of appropriate historical background research as context for the assessment of the significance of the structure in the county and the region. For buildings or structures that do not meet PRC 5024.1 or the CEQA criteria for historical resource, no further mitigation is required.
- If the building or structure can be preserved on site, but remodeling, renovation or other alterations are required, this work shall be conducted in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
- If a significant historic building or structure is proposed for major alteration or renovation, or to be moved and/or demolished, the County shall ensure that a qualified architectural historian thoroughly documents the building and associated landscape and setting. Documentation shall include still and video photography and a written documentary record/history of the building to the standards of the Historic American Building Survey or Historic American Engineering Record, including accurate scaled mapping, architectural descriptions, and scaled architectural plans, if available. The record shall be prepared in consultation with State Historic Preservation Officer and filed with the Office of Historic Preservation. The record shall be accompanied by a report containing site-specific history and appropriate contextual information. This information shall be gathered through site specific and comparative archival research, and oral history collection as appropriate.
- If preservation and reuse at the site are not feasible1, the historical building shall be documented as described in item (2) and, when physically and financially feasible1, be moved and preserved or reused.
- If, in the opinion of the qualified architectural historian, the nature and significance of the building is such that its demolition or destruction cannot be fully mitigated through documentation, the County shall reconsider project plans in light of the high value of the resource, and implement more substantial modifications to the proposed project that would allow the structure to be preserved intact. These could include project redesign, relocation or abandonment. If no such measures are feasible1, the historical building shall be documented as described in item (2).
1. “Feasible” means that this mitigation measure shall be applied to future discretionary projects under the 2040 General Plan when and to the extent it is “capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, legal, social, and technological factors” as determined by the County in the context of such future projects based on substantial evidence. This definition is consistent with the definition of “feasible” set forth in CEQA (Pub. Res. Code, § 21066.1) and the CEQA Guidelines (§ 15164). The County shall be solely responsible for making this feasibility determination in accordance with CEQA. or continuing project activities and/or construction.
COS-KK Implement Project-Level Security Measures
During project-level ground disturbance activities for discretionary development, in areas where paleontologically rich sites or tribal cultural resources are known to be present, project sites shall be secured during non-construction hours to ensure that the unauthorized access and the unlawful curation of fossil materials or tribal cultural resources does not occur. Such security measures may include construction fencing, unauthorized access signage, security lighting, and security cameras. For large-scale development, a security plan may be prepared prior to construction activities to detail security measures and protocol for the project site.