Agenda Item No. 14
CITY OF YUCAIPA
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Fermin Preciado, Director of Development Services/City Engineer Benjamin J. Matlock, Planning Manager/City Planner
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Shane Massoud, Public Information Officer and Grants Coordinator FOR: City Council Meeting of August 22, 2022
SUBJECT: Resolution to authorize staff to submit SALC Conservation Grant Request RECOMMENDATION:
That City Council adopt Resolution No. 2022-49, authorizing staff to submit formal applications for the Department of Conservation's Agricultural Conservation Acquisition grant through their Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program as part of the City's implementation of vineyards on private/public properties in the North Bench area.
BACKGROUND:
Interest has grown within the Community to facilitate the development of boutique wineries and associated land uses in addition to allowing for crop cultivation of wine grapes throughout the City.
Several small-scale vineyards have already been planted. In addition, the City is home to two -locally based wineries, which currently import grapes from other wine regions, and features another winery directly outside of the City limits in the north bench area. On July 9, 2018, the City Council awarded a $5,000 Community Activity Grant to support the efforts of the Yucaipa Valley Wine Alliance (YVWA) for their petition to the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to establish the City of Yucaipa and surrounding areas as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). This forward momentum suggests that other opportunities for additional wine making efforts will occur in the future, especially once the AVA designation is finally approved by the TTB. There are now only 2 AVA applications ahead of the Yucaipa Valley application, and while TTB staff does not expect any formal action until later this year, the petition is getting close to a decision.
As discussed as part of prior City Council meetings, winemaking presents several different elements from a land use perspective that are not currently addressed by the City's Development Code, including the establishment of a winery and the accessory uses to a winery, as well as the lack of agriculturally zoned land that would have initially fostered the vineyard development. For example, most wine regions in California were created within lands previously zoned for agriculture and that have also been historically developed for vineyards, whereas the Yucaipa Valley needs to first build this overall capacity, including the regulatory and farming infrastructure.
For the regulatory process, the implemented a two-phase approach to help better understand the best strategy for the City to encourage the development of a sustainable wine industry and how this development would fit within the City's existing built environment and regulatory context, with Phase -294-
SALE Land Acquisition Grant
City Council Meeting of August 22, 2022
I being the research and initial outreach phase, and where Phase II would be development of the actual tools for implementation. It should be noted that the Phase II project is being funded by the SALC program's planning grant. Through significant public outreach efforts and the recommendations of the Yucaipa Valley Wine County Planning Committee, comprised of a variety of stakeholders to help establish the appropriate implementation process, Council ultimately directed staff to prepare a Specific Plan. This plan would consolidate the residential capacity of the greater North Bench area and create/delineate new agricultural zoning in this new land made available to encourage and facilitate the creation of wineries while preserving/enhancing open space for trails and other passive recreational opportunities. At the regular meeting of September 13, 2021, the City Council also approved the name "Yucaipa Valley Wine Country Specific Plan" (Specific Plan) to correspond to these efforts. These planning efforts are ongoing, with several chapters of the Specific Plan that have been reviewed by the committee and where the environmental review efforts have already begun.
Aside from the regulatory context, the City has also been working to support the planting of new vineyards which is the other key element of developing that industry. For example, the City submitted a pre -application proposal in 2021 for the Department of Conservation's Agricultural Conservation Acquisition grant through their Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program, recognizing the value of helping to grow the wine industry in and around the community. However, that round was unsuccessful as the initial application was for a smaller vineyard planting that was not well ranked by the grant scoring guidelines for that cycle. However, the Department of Conservation was excited for the City's efforts, and staff participated in the grant guideline workshops to better learn he process, and to advocate for smaller scale projects that are more applicable to farmland development in the southern California region.
DISCUSSION:
The City has submitted three separate grant applications as part of this year's Department of Conservation's Agricultural Conservation Acquisition grant that is part of their Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program. Two of these grants are located within the City as part of expansion of the Valley of Vines Vineyards along Pendleton Road and North Cork Vineyard and Winery along Yucaipa Ridge Road. Another grant was also submitted for an area in the County of San Bernardino, named Bears Den Ranch, directly north of the City's El Dorado Park. It should be noted that the Bears Den Ranch application will also include a trail easement to connect El Dorado park to existing trails found further north along the Yucaipa Ridge. The pre -application review was well received by the Department of Conservation staff and found that all three would likely be eligible for grant funding. The next stage of the process is to submit the formal application, which would include the incorporation of the Department's feedback as well as a resolution from the City Council formally authorizing the submission of the grant application.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item. The grant award amount requested by the City will be based on 75% of the appraised value of the conservation easement, and the private individuals would be responsible for the remaining 25%.
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SALC Land Acquisition Grant
City Council Meeting of August 22, 2022
Attachments: Resolution 2022-49
Approved by:
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RESOLUTION NO.2022-49
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YUCAIPA,
CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING, SUBMISSION, AND EXECUTION OF THE
GRANT FUNDS FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF
CONSERVATION, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE LANDS CONSERVATION
PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the Legislature and Governor of the State of California have provided funds for the program shown above; and
WHEREAS, the California Department of Conservation has been delegated the responsibility for the administration of this grant program, establishing necessary procedures; and WHEREAS, said procedures established by the California Department of Conservation require a resolution certifying the approval by the potential grantee's governing board before submission of said application(s) to the State; and
WHEREAS, the Applicant/Grantee, if selected, will enter into an agreement with the State of California, California Department of Conservation, to carry out the project; and WHEREAS, the City of Yucaipa proposes to implement three projects to allow for crop cultivation of wines grapes throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, this grant will help facilitate the establishment of Yucaipa Valley Wine Country, a regional endeavor to create permanent agricultural land through viticulture infrastructure within the City of Yucaipa. This endeavor also builds upon the SALC Planning Grant that the City is currently using to develop efforts to implement the Wine Country.
WHEREAS, the SALC Acquisition grant funding will facilitate the proposed Vines of the Valley project, which is one of three that, if funded, will establish a total of 16 acres of permanent agricultural land; and
WHEREAS, the SALC Acquisition grant funding will facilitate the proposed North Cork project, which is one of three that, if funded, will establish a total of 16 acres of permanent agricultural land; and
WHEREAS, the SALC Acquisition grant funding will facilitate the proposed Bears Den Ranch project, which is one of three that, if funded, will establish a total of 5 acres of permanent agricultural land; and
WHEREAS, the City of Yucaipa has the legal authority and is authorized to enter into a funding agreement with the State of California, California Department of Conservation; and WHEREAS, the City of Yucaipa intends to apply for grant funding from the California Department of Conservation, Sustainable Agriculture Lands Conservation Program; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YUCAIPA, AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. That pursuant and subject to all of the terms and provisions of the California Department of Conservation, Sustainable Agriculture Lands Conservation Program, the City of Resolution No. 2022-49
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Yucaipa, City Manager, or designee is hereby authorized and directed to prepare and file an application for the submittal of an acquisition grant application with the California Department of Conservation, Sustainable Agriculture Lands Conservation Program.
Section 2. The City of Yucaipa, City Manager, or designee is hereby Authorize entrance into a grant agreement with the Department for the project and agree to accept the template terms and conditions, available in Appendix F of the Guidelines, if the project is awarded funding;
Section 3. The City of Yucaipa, City Manager, or designee is hereby authorized and directed to certify that no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest exists for any member of the applicant's City Council as relates to the project; and Section 4. The City of Yucaipa, City Manager, or designee is hereby authorized to execute tasks, such as signing documents, related to the application, grant agreement, and acquisition, if the project is awarded funding.
CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly adopted by the City Council of the City of Yucaipa at the meeting held on August 22, 2022, motion by [NAME] and seconded by [NAME], motion passed by the following vote:
AYES: [#]
NOES: [#]
ABSTAIN: [#]
ABSENT: [#]
ATTEST:
Jennifer Crawford
City Clerk
Resolution No. 2022-49
David Avila
Mayor
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