City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: October 7, 2024
Report #:2409-3475
TITLE
Adopt a Resolution to Amend Palo Alto's Baylands Priority Conservation Area to Conform to New Planning Criteria. CEQA: Not a ‘Project’ and is Exempt from CEQA Review.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the attached Resolution that seeks to amend the City’s Baylands Priority Conservation Areas (PCA) to conform to recent Association of Bay Area Governments (MTC/ABAG) planning framework changes and authorize staff to submit the amendment to ABAG.
BACKGROUND
PCAs were conceived by MTC/ABAG as part of a planning framework established in 2007 as a way of recognizing areas with significant natural amenities and/or regional recreational potential. PCAs were nominated through a voluntary, locally driven process.
PCAs are regionally significant open spaces identified for long-term protection. There are approximately 180 PCAs in the region currently. The MTC administers grants, which includes funds for investment in PCAs.
Palo Alto has two PCAs (Foothills and Baylands) which were nominated on January 13, 2020 through City Council adoption of Resolution No. 9877; and subsequently accepted by ABAG/MTC as proposed. The Foothills PCA and Baylands PCA encompass publicly owned and City designated open space lands located within Palo Alto’s jurisdictional boundaries. The current Baylands PCA stretches east of Highway 101 and East Bayshore Road between the southern City boundary and San Francisquito Creek, while the Foothills PCA is located west of Highway 280.
The PCA refresh process was launched by MTC/ABAG in early 2022 and one of the objectives of the process was to develop accurate PCA boundaries to enable their greater use in regional analysis and planning. The change in PCA planning framework is also intended to address inconsistencies in the composition of current PCAs. The amendment process began in June 2024 and will conclude when the ABAG Executive Board re-designates amended PCA’s,
tentatively scheduled for November 2024. PCAs are voluntary designations, and as such, do not take precedence over local control. Under Government Code 65080 (b)(2)(K), a sustainable communities’ strategy (Plan Bay Area) does not supersede a city’s land use authority.
ANALYSIS
The 2024 PCA framework update is the first since 2007. MTC/ABAG is requiring updates to existing PCAs to conform to the new framework criteria, to ensure consistent mapped boundaries and regional consistency and cohesion. Attachment C is a ABAG brief on the amendment requirements. ABAG staff identified amendments that would be required for Palo Alto’s Baylands PCA to meet new framework criteria. No amendments were identified as required for Palo Alto’s Foothill PCA. As a result, the new framework has no impact on the boundary or composition of Palo Alto’s existing Foothill PCA.
Baylands PCA
The Bayland PCA must be amended to meet the following requirements:
•PCAs may not encompass open waters of the San Francisco Bay. As a result, the area of the Baylands PCA that included the City limits over the Bay may not be maintained. •For PCAs within City limits, those with a natural land designation are only permitted along the shoreline or wetland areas.
•The Baylands PCA areas not designated as “natural land” can instead be designated as for recreation.
•The Baylands PCA included an area that is not designated for recreation or natural land (the Homekey site).
Staff worked with ABAG staff to provide an amendment for City Council consideration that allows the existing PCA boundaries to be maintained to the extent feasible under the new framework criteria and maximizes the allowable PCA designations to open all available funding opportunities. This results in the existing Baylands PCA having two components: 1) a Natural Land, Recreation, and Climate Adaptation PCA; and 2) a Recreation and Climate Adaptation PCA. The first component includes the shoreline and western area of the existing PCA that is a low lying tidal and wetland habitat (east side of Renzel trail). The second component includes the remaining eligible areas of the existing PCA. No other changes are proposed to the Baylands PCA other than those required by the new ABAG PCA framework criteria.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
There are no anticipated fiscal or budgetary impacts resulting from the PCA amendment request to conform to new program criteria. Continued designation allows the City to apply for funding opportunities in the future. Preparation of grant applications would require staff resources.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Requesting an amendment to an existing PCA and the accompanying resolution is not a ‘Project’ as defined by CEQA and is exempted from CEQA Review.
ATTACHMENTS
•Attachment A: Resolution Amending the Palo Alto Baylands Priority Conservation Area •Attachment B: Baylands PCA Existing and Amended Boundary •Attachment C: PCA Amendment Briefer and PCA Characteristic Types APPROVED BY:
Jonathan Lait, Planning and Development Services Director