Why existing PCAs are being amended?
In May 2024, the ABAG Executive Board approved reforms to the Priority Conservation Area (PCA) planning framework which had not been substantially updated since the framework was created in 2007.
A two-year PCA Refresh effort culminated in a Final Report which included reforms that add new structure to the PCAs. The added structure will ensure intentional boundaries for some PCAs that had vague coverage and will require all PCAs to meet new minimum mapping data criteria to ensure a regionally consistent framework backed by data. The goal of these reforms is to ensure a regionally cohesive set of PCA geographies that can be used across a greater array of regional planning and advocacy efforts.
What is a PCA?
PCAs are defined by two elements: (1) a mapped polygon geography, and (2) a designation as one or more of the five PCA types:
• Natural Lands
• Agricultural & Working Lands
• Urban Greening
• Recreation
• Climate Adaptation
PCAs are nominated by a local government entity; however, in the first round of PCA nominations in 2008, a handful of NGOs nominated PCAs. As part of this amendment process, the local government with land use authority over those areas will be invited to become the lead for those NGO-nominated PCAs and manage any necessary amendments.
Timeline and Process to amend PCAs.
The amendment process will occur over summer 2024. Jurisdictions can choose to complete the amendments themselves, or request MTC/ABAG staff to take the lead on mapping, providing MTC/ABAG staff with direction for the general approach they’d like to take. Both tracks will include a step for MTC/ABAG staff to verify the amended PCAs meet the eligibility criteria and for local governments to formalize the proposed amendment with the signature of a planning director, parks director, city administrator, or city manager. The ABAG Executive Board will take the final step to designate the package of proposed PCA amendments later this year.
Figure 1: Timeline and Process to Amend Existing PCAs.
Following this phase of work to amend the existing PCAs, ABAG will open a call for new PCA nominations that will be open to all Bay Area jurisdictions.
Outlining the general approaches to amend PCAs.
Most of the 185 existing PCAs will need to be amended to meet the criteria of the updated framework.
Amendments to PCAs will change the drawn extent of a PCA polygon geography and/or alter which PCA types are associated with the PCA. PCAs will be amended using one of the four approaches below:
1. adjust the PCA geography area,
2. reclassify the PCA types, sometimes removing or swapping PCA types,
3. split the PCA into two, or
4. combination of the above.
Evaluating flags for existing PCAs.
To support the amendment process, MTC/ABAG staff have evaluated each PCA across three criteria outlined in the PCA Refresh to inform the amendment needs of each PCA. The three evaluation criteria are described below. The attached spreadsheet outlines which PCAs meet or do not meet each evaluation criteria. When a criteria is not met, MTC/ABAG staff have included additional information.
1. Intersection with jurisdiction boundaries. The PCA Refresh defined Natural Land and Working Land PCA types as areas outside city limits or urban growth boundaries and defined Urban Greening as a PCA type specific to areas within city limits or urban growth boundaries.
Recreation and Climate Adaptation can span either space. The first evaluation step was to determine if this condition was met for each PCA. For Natural Land and Working Land PCAs, is the geography fully outside urban growth boundaries and/or city limits? For Urban Greening PCAs, is the geography fully inside urban growth boundaries or city limits?
2. Intersection of PCAs and Eligibility Maps. In addition to whether a PCA falls inside or outside jurisdiction boundaries, eligibility maps further identify where regional data supports the PCA type designation. To preserve a greater share of existing PCAs, and to enable more flexibility to reflect some datasets have coarse boundaries (in particular urban greening), a 75% threshold was set to meet this requirement. 75% of the PCA must overlap with the eligibility map. An online mapping viewer includes existing PCA boundaries and eligibility maps.
3. Intersection between PCAs. Many PCAs overlap with other PCAs which makes using the geographies challenging for certain analysis, research, and planning. As part of the amendment phase, PCAs with overlapping segments should be adjusted to limit coverage to a single PCA.
In addition to providing an evaluation of each PCA, MTC/ABAG staff have completed a visual scan of the PCA and have drafted an amendment option as a way to meet the new PCA framework criteria. This option is shared as a starting point to consider your amendment approach. Local jurisdictions are responsible for determining the approach they would like to take which may be different than the approach identified in the spreadsheet.
Office hours with MTC/ABAG staff are available to discuss your questions.
MTC/ABAG staff are available to assist local jurisdictions with amendments over summer 2024. If you have questions about the amendment process you can email Michael Germeraad or schedule a 30 minute meeting to discuss your amendment approach.
Form to document the PCA amendment(s).
The amendment will be formalized using the attached form which will require a director or higher signature from the lead local agency/jurisdiction. Two versions of the form are available, one which can be filled out for a single PCA at a time. The other enables multiple amendments with a single signature. 11 Where does this PCA Type Exist Natural Lands Agricultural and Working Lands Urban Greening Recreation Climate Adaptation In Locations Supported by Data? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Inside City Limits or Urban Growth
Boundaries?
No. No. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Outside City Limits or Urban
Growth Boundaries?
Yes. One caveat is that eligible
Natural Lands are inclusive of
tidal areas (e.g. tidal wetlands,
polder management, and
non-urbanized upland migration
areas.)
Yes. No. No. No.
What Activity is Supported by this
PCA type?
Natural Lands Agricultural and Working Lands Urban Greening Recreation Climate Adaptation Protection and Preservation
Activities.
Yes. Yes. No. No. No.
Enhancement Activities. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
What Approach is used to
integrate equity into PCAs?
Natural Lands Agricultural and Working Lands Urban Greening Recreation Climate Adaptation Place-Based Approaches. No. No. Yes. Yes. No.
Programmatic Approaches. Yes. Yes. No. No. Yes.
WHERE DOES THIS
PCA TYPE EXIST?
IN LOCATIONS SUPPORTED BY DATA
INSIDE CITY LIMITS OR UGB 2
OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS OR UGB 2
WHAT ACTIVITY IS
SUPPORTED BY
THIS PCA TYPE?
PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION
ENHANCEMENT
WHAT APPROACH IS
USED TO INTEGRATE
EQUITY INTO PCAS?
PLACE-BASED APPROACHES
PROGRAMMATIC APPROACHES
NATURAL
LANDS
AGRICULTURAL /
WORKING LANDS
URBAN
GREENING
CLIMATE
ADAPTATION1 RECREATION
3 1 The new Climate Adaptation PCA type is an overlay — a PCA type that can be added to any other PCA type. The intent is for there not to be any stand-alone Climate Adaptation PCAs, but rather, Climate Adaptation PCAs that are at least one other PCA type. 2 Where Urban Growth Boundaries exist, they are used; elsewhere, City limits are used. In some rare cases, Urban Service Limits are used. 3 Eligible Natural Lands are inclusive of tidal areas (e.g. tidal wetlands, polder management, and non-urbanized upland migration areas.) within UGBs and City Limits when the lands are non-urbanized.
FIGURE 4 - PCA TYPE CHARACTERISTICS
Criteria for the five PCA types that set where the PCA type exists, what activity is supported by the PCA type, and what approach is used to integrate equity.