RESOLUTION NO. 2025-74
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GONZALES
AMENDING THE MITIGATION MONITORING AND REPORTING PROGRAM FOR
THE VISTA LUCIA PROJECT TO CONFIRM COMPLIANCE WITH THE
MONTEREY COUNTY LOCAL AREA FORMATION COMMISSION’S (“LAFCO”) RESOLUTION NO. 24-03 AMENDING LAFCO’s POLICY FOR PRESERVATION OF
OPEN SPACE AND AGRICULTURAL LANDS BY ADDING POLICY
IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES REGARDING AGRICULTURAL MITIGATION
ACTIONS FOR CITY ANNEXATIONS OF FARMLAND, AND RELATED POLICY
REFINEMENTS
WHEREAS, on September 2, 2025 the City Council of the City of Gonzales (“City”) approved an amendment to the Gonzales General Plan, adopted the Vista Lucia Specific Plan, approved Tentative Map 2023-01 for the Vista Lucia Project, and approved initiation of a request to annex the Vista Lucia Project area to the City to facilitate the development of up to 3,498 residential units, two commercial/residential mixed-use centers, donation of certain educational sites, and 79 acres of recreational facilities (the “Vista Lucia Project” or “Project”); and WHEREAS, concurrent with approval of the Project, the City Council also certified the final environmental impact report for the Project (the “EIR”), adopted all required findings under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), as well as adopted the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Project (“MMRP”); and WHEREAS, on September 15, 2025, the City adopted Ordinance No. 2025-138 and Ordinance No. 2025-149 approving the pre-zoning of the Vista Lucia Project area and a Development Agreement by and Between the City of Gonzales and Cielo Grande Ranch, LLC; and
WHEREAS, by way of history, following the City’s issuance of the Notice of Preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Vista Lucia Project on March 18, 2020, amendments thereto, and multiple comment periods ending in October 2021 (collectively, the “NOP”), the City’s environmental consultants began preparing the EIR; and WHEREAS, the EIR determined that compliance with the City of Gonzales Municipal Code Section 12.150 (the “City Mitigation Ordinance”), which requires the applicant to set aside conservation easements, purchase offsite conservation easements, purchase banked agricultural mitigation credits, pay in lieu fees, or implement other mitigation acceptable to the City, would reduce the impacts to farmland to a less than significant level; and WHEREAS, in February of 2024, LAFCo adopted Resolution No. 24-03 Amending LAFCo’s Policy for Preservation of Open-Space and Agricultural Lands by Adding Policy Implementation Guidelines Regarding Agricultural Mitigation Actions for City Annexations of Farmland, and Related Policy Refinements (“LAFCo Agricultural Implementation Guidelines”); and
WHEREAS, during the Planning Commission’s and City Council’s hearings concerning Project Approvals, the City received both written and verbal comment from LAFCo representatives requesting that the City modify the Project’s EIR to require compliance with the LAFCo Agricultural Implementation Guidelines; and
WHEREAS, in response to LAFCo’s request, City responded by noting that a provision in the Project Development Agreement required compliance with the LAFCo Guidelines and by adding a new condition of approval to TM 2023-01 mandating Guideline compliance for this and all subsequent Project Maps; and
WHEREAS, notwithstanding the City’s foregoing actions, at LAFCo’s request City and LAFCo desire to confirm that the Vista Lucia Project will comply with the LAFCo Guidelines by amending Mitigation Measure 5-1 in the MMRP to refer to compliance with the same; and WHEREAS, there are no changes proposed to the EIR or the conclusions or analysis contained therein; instead, the amended MMRP simply reflects the fact that the Vista Lucia Project will comply with the stricter LAFCo Agricultural Implementation Guidelines rather than the City Mitigation Ordinance.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GONZALES does hereby resolve, declare, determine, and order as follows:
1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and are incorporated herein as findings.
2. Mitigation Measure 5-1 in the MMRP shall be amended as follows:
Mitigation Measure 5-1. The applicant shall mitigate the impacts of converting 767 acres of Prime Farmland and Farmland of Statewide Importance by implementing one or a combination of the mitigation options included in the LAFCo Agricultural Implementation Guidelines City’s farmland mitigation ordinance (Ordinance No. 2023- 136). The applicant shall specify in writing to the City the mitigation option(s) to be implemented and comply with all applicable requirements of Ordinance No. 5414. The proposed mitigation option(s) are subject to review and approval by the City Council prior to its decision to approve the project. The mitigation option(s) shall be completely implemented by the applicant prior to City approving any activity resulting in interference with agricultural practices on the property subject to conversion. Mitigation shall not be required for planned uses that are except from mitigation requirements per Section
12.150.040(D) of the ordinance including schools, trails, public parks, and land planned for residential products that would be available to very low- and low-income residents. The City shall not issue any grading permit, building permit, or encroachment permit until mitigation has been completed.
3. The amendment in Section 2 above is not a “project” pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378 because it is an administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. Moreover, the EIR for the Vista Lucia Project was
certified on September 2, 2025 and amendment of the MMRP does not change any of the analysis or conclusions contained therein, nor does it result in new or more severe environmental impacts; indeed, since the LAFCo Agricultural Implementation Guidelines are stricter that the City’s Ordinance, compliance will result in fewer environmental impacts than previously anticipated.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Gonzales at a regular meeting duly held on the 20th day of October, 2025 by the following vote:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS:
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Jose L. Rios, The Honorable Mayor
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Mary Villegas, Deputy City Clerk