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.”
RMA
COS-C Update Tree Protection Ordinance
The County shall update existing Tree Protection Regulations in the Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance to further enhance conservation of our urban forests and the preservation of the County’s oak woodland resources. Updates shall include incorporation of Board-adopted recommendations from the Ventura County Oak Woodlands Management Plan (2007), which includes tree replacement offsets for ministerial development projects that remove protected trees. The County shall also re-evaluate and modify, if necessary, mitigation ratios for tree removal and oak woodland impacts for discretionary development projects, evaluate existing protections for invasive, non-native trees and consider the degree to which they provide habitat for a species during critical life stages (e.g., colonial roost sites, breeding sites, etc.). In addition, the evaluation shall also include anticipated effects of climate change on the urban forest environment
COS-D Research Feasibility of Updating Vegetation Maps
In partnership with other natural resource agencies and organizations, the County shall explore the feasibility of updating vegetation maps for unincorporated areas to facilitate the accurate analysis of potential impacts of development on vegetation communities and other sensitive biological resources. If necessary, the County shall develop or modify regulations and development standards to ensure adequate protections for vegetation communities.
COS-E Update Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance Standards for Vegetation Communities
Based on the results of Implementation Program COS-D, (updated vegetation mapping), the County shall develop or modify regulations and development standards to ensure adequate protections for vegetation communities and other sensitive biological resources, if necessary.
COS-F Evaluate Increase to Standard Setback from Wetland
The County shall evaluate whether a standards 200-foot setback from wetlands should apply to development in order to improve water quality, reduce the impacts of flooding and provide adequate protection for sensitive biological resources.
COS-G Identification of Critical Habitats
The County shall continue to partner with state and federal agencies to identify those areas of the County that are considered to be critical habitats of endangered, threatened or rare species as well as for other significant biological resources.