The Board of Supervisors finds and determines as follows:
A. The
preservation of vegetation communities and natural areas within the
southern portion of Sacramento County which support species covered
by the SSHCP is necessary to protect and promote the health, safety
and welfare of all the citizens of the County by reducing the adverse
direct, indirect and cumulative effects of urbanization and development
and providing for permanent conservation of habitat for species covered
by the SSHCP.
B. It
is necessary to establish a mitigation fee to ensure that all new
development within the County pays its fair share of the costs of
acquiring and preserving vegetation communities and natural areas
within the County and the region which are known to support plant
and wildlife species covered by the SSHCP.
C. A proper
funding source to pay the costs associated with mitigating the direct,
indirect and cumulative impacts of development to the natural ecosystems
within the County and the region, as identified in the SSHCP, is a
development impact fee for residential, commercial, and industrial
development. The amount of the fee is determined by the nature and
extent of the impacts from the development to the identified natural
ecosystems and or the relative cost of mitigating such impacts.
D. The
SSHCP and the Nexus Study, a copy of which is on file in the Clerk
of the Board of Supervisor's office, provides a basis for the imposition
of development impact fees on new construction.
E. The
use of the development impact fees to mitigate the impacts to the
County's and the region's natural ecosystems is reasonably related
to the type and extent of impacts caused by development within the
County.
F. The
costs of funding the proper mitigation of natural ecosystems and biological
resources impacted by development within the County and the region
are apportioned relative to the type and extent of impacts caused
by the development.
G. The
facts and evidence provided to the County establish that there is
a reasonable relationship between the need for preserving the natural
ecosystems in the County and the region, as defined in the SSHCP,
and the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts to such natural ecosystems
and biological resources created by the types of development on which
the fee will be imposed, and that there is a reasonable relationship
between the fee's use and the types of development for which the fee
is charged. This reasonable relationship is described in more detail
in the SSHCP and the Nexus Study.
H. The
cost estimates for mitigating the impact of development on the County's
and the region's natural ecosystem and biological resources, as set
forth in the SSHCP, are reasonable and will not exceed the reasonably
estimated total of these costs.
I. The
Board of Supervisors finds that the benefit to each development project
is greater than the amount of the fee to be paid by the project.
J. The
fees collected pursuant to this Ordinance shall be used to finance
the acquisition of the natural ecosystems and certain improvements
described or identified in the SSHCP.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
SSCA is hereby appointed as the Administrator of this Ordinance.
SSCA is hereby authorized to receive all fees generated from the SSHCP
Mitigation Fee within the County, and to invest, account for and expend
such fees in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance and
the Mitigation Fee Act.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
As used in this Ordinance, the following terms shall have the
following meanings:
A. "Accessory
Dwelling Units" according to the State of California legal definition
as following: (1) The second unit is not intended for sale and may
be rented; (2) The lot is zoned for single-family dwellings; (3) The
lot contains an existing single-family dwelling; (4) The second unit
is either attached to the existing dwelling and located within the
living area of the existing dwelling or detached from the existing
dwelling and located on the same lot as the existing dwelling; and
(5) Are ministerially amended by each jurisdiction's local codes.
B. "Board
of Supervisors" means the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sacramento,
California.
C. "County"
means the County of Sacramento, California.
D. "Development"
means a human-created change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filing,
grading, paving, excavating, and drilling.
E. "Development
Project" or "Project" means any project undertaken for the purpose
of development pursuant to the issuance of a building permit by the
County pursuant to all applicable ordinances, regulations, and rules
of the County and state law.
F. "Ordinance"
means this Ordinance of the County of Sacramento, California.
G. "Revenue"
or "Revenues" means any funds received by the County pursuant to the
provisions of this Ordinance for the purpose of defraying all or a
portion of the cost of acquiring and preserving vegetation communities
and natural areas within the County and the region which are known
to support threatened, endangered or key sensitive populations of
plant and wildlife species.
H. "South
Sacramento Conservation Agency" or "SSCA" means the governing body
established pursuant to the SSHCP that is delegated the authority
to oversee and implement the provisions of the SSHCP.
I. "South
Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan" or "SSHCP" means the South Sacramento
Habitat Conservation Plan, adopted by the Board of Supervisors on
[INSERT DATE], 2018.
J. "SSHCP
Mitigation Fee" or "Fee" means the development impact fee imposed
pursuant to the provisions of this Ordinance.
K. Any
capitalized term not otherwise defined herein shall carry the same
meaning and definition as that term is used and defined in the SSHCP.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Sacramento County
Code, no permit shall be issued for any Development Project unless
the SSHCP Mitigation Fee applicable to such Development Project has
been paid.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
There shall be no refund of all or part of any SSHCP Mitigation
Fee paid under this Ordinance except in cases of miscalculation of
the applicable fee. Only in cases of miscalculation of the fee will
the person or entity that paid the SSHCP Mitigation Fee be entitled
to a refund provided, however, that the deadlines set forth in Government
Code section 66020(d) shall apply to any and all requests for refunds.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
The following types of construction shall be exempt from the
provisions of this Ordinance:
A. Reconstruction
or improvements that are damaged or destroyed by fire or other natural
causes, provided that the reconstruction or improvements do not result
in additional usable square footage.
B. Rehabilitation
or remodeling to an existing Development Project, provided that the
rehabilitation or remodeling do not result in additional usable square
footage.
C. Accessory
Dwelling Units, constructed on developed residential property and
meeting all state and County requirements for such units.
D. Existing
improvements that are converted from an existing permitted use to
a different permitted use, provided that no additional area of the
property is disturbed as a result of such conversion.
E. Development
Projects which are the subject of a development agreement entered
into pursuant to
Government Code section 65864 et seq., prior to the
effective date this Ordinance wherein the imposition of new fees are
expressly prohibited, provided that if the term of such a development
agreement is extended by amendment or by any other manner after the
effective date of this Ordinance, the SSHCP Fee shall be imposed.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
The implementation strategy outlined in Chapter
9 of the SSHCP describes a land dedication process where project proponents can dedicate land towards satisfying their mitigation requirements and thereby reduce their SSHCP mitigation fees. When the dedication of land is accepted into the SSHCP Preserve System, the SSHCP Mitigation Fee will be adjusted by excluding the appropriate portion of the land acquisition component of the SSHCP Mitigation Fee. The remaining components of the SSHCP Mitigation Fee (i.e., Re-establishment/ Establishment, Endowment, and Other) will remain unchanged, as they are used to fund ongoing conservation activities that are required on all Preserve lands.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
This Ordinance and the various parts, sections, and clauses
thereof, are hereby declared to be severable. If any part, sentence,
paragraph, section, or clause is adjudged unconstitutional or invalid,
the remainder of this Ordinance shall be affected thereby. If any
part, sentence, paragraph, section, or clause of this Ordinance, or
its application to any person entity is adjudged unconstitutional
or invalid, such unconstitutionality or invalidity shall affect only
such part, sentence, paragraph, section, or clause of this Ordinance,
or person or entity; and shall not affect or impair any of the remaining
provision, parts, sentences, paragraphs, sections, or clauses of this
Ordinance, or its application to other persons or entities. The Board
of Supervisors hereby declares that this Ordinance would have been
adopted had such unconstitutional or invalid part, sentence, paragraph,
section, or clause of this Ordinance not been included herein; or
had such person or entity been expressly exempted from the application
of this Ordinance.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)
The Board of Supervisors hereby finds that in accordance with
CEQA and the State CEQA Guidelines the adoption of this Ordinance
is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 21080(b)(8) of the California
Public Resources Code and Sections 15273 and 15378(b)(4) of the State
CEQA Guidelines.
(SCC 1628 § 1, 2018)