109
Draft
May 27, 1999

VI. RECOMMENDED POLICIES

This chapter on recommended policies establishes a policy framework for this Outdoor Recreation Plan. This framework includes goals, objectives and related policies that are recommended for the successful implementation of this Plan. This policy framework was developed by the Citizens Advisory Committee based on the many discussions that occurred and the analysis that was completed as part of this project.

NOTE: The following are recommended policies that may form the basis of a General Plan Amendment. These recommended policies are advisory is nature. Reference to the existing General Plan policies, County Ordinances and State Government Codes within the following text is intended to provide background information for the draft policies.

• GOAL 1: DEVELOP A LONG-RANGE STRATEGY FOR ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PARKS, PRESERVES, TRAILS, PUBLIC ACCESS, AND RELATED OUTDOOR RECREATION FACILITIES.

Objective 1.1: Acquire sufficient land for new parks, preserves, trails and public access, and outdoor recreation facilities, hereafter referred to as outdoor recreation facilities, to meet the needs of County residents of and visitors to Sonoma County.

Policy 1.1a: Acquisitions of land for parks, preserves, trails and related outdoor recreation facilities are desirable to occur in advance of growth and development in order to improve the quality of life of the residents of Sonoma County.

Policy 1.lb: Recognize that land acquired for outdoor recreation facilities contribute to the visitor serving businesses of Sonoma County and that lands acquired will enhance the economy of Sonoma County.

Objective 1.2: Identify locations for outdoor recreation facilities.

Policy 1.2a: The location of proposed parks, preserves, trails and related outdoor recreation facilities on the Outdoor Recreation Plan Map should be considered to be schematic only. In the case of the trail symbols, the intention is to reflect a point of departure and a point of arrival. Recreation facilities may be located on any suitable lands in the general vicinity of the mapped symbols.

NOTE: Prior to acquisition a referral will be made to PRMD for a determination of General Plan consistency. Prior to acquisition of land suitable for recreation facilities, PRMD will provide a preliminary indication of whether the proposed acquisition is consistent with the needs and schematic map recommendations regarding outdoor recreation facilities in the General Plan, and with any other applicable General Plan goals, objectives or policies. The preliminary indication wil identify any amendments of General Plan Land Use or Open Space maps necessary to depict the acquisition in its actual, rather than schematic, location.

Policy 1.2b: The Plan generally identifies opportunities to link existing and proposed recreation facilities on publicly owned lands. Appropriate linkages on public property may include parks, maintenance roads along flood control channels in public ownership, navigable rivers, bikeways, existing rights of way, and other public lands.

Policy 1.2c: The Plan generally recommends avoiding the use of roads in developing trail alignments. Multi use trail alignments on or along roads are not considered a preferred option, except for Class II and III bikeways which are within the road right-of-way or in areas currently designated LIA, LEA, and DA until or unless there is specific interest or expressed consent expressed by a willing property owner/seller. If no other option is available, a trail may be placed on or beside a road only if the following criteria have been adequately addressed and the alignment approved by the Department of Public Works and Transportation.

• Traffic volumes are sufficiently low (number of cars per day)
• There are adequate sight distances for traveling vehicles
• There is adequate availability of right of way
• There is adequate separation of pedestrians and equestrians from vehicles
• There are adequate signs notifying motorists of pedestrians and equestrians

Objective 1.3: Provide for flexibility in locating trail corridors.

Policy 1.3a: Proposed trail alignments that connect desired points and generally follow the route shown on the Outdoor Recreation Plan will be considered consistent with the General Plan if the Outdoor Recreation Plan is adopted as a General Plan Amendment. The process for determination would be pursuant to the note above.

Policy 1.3b: Where a trail alignment is not predetermined by a relationship to established publicly owned corridors such as abandoned railroad rights-of-way, flood control channels, or similar facilities, the Board of Supervisors may direct the preparation of a study or a plan for the trail, taking into account, costs, a preliminary environmental assessment and any other factors it deems relevant to alignment and feasibility.

Policy 1.3c: Trail easements to be acquired should be wide enough to allow for creating buffer spaces between neighbors and the trail and to allow trails to provide a positive visitor experience and minimizing environmental damage.

Objective 1.4: Acquire land for recreation facilities.

Policy 1.4: The Outdoor Recreation Plan Map symbols for outdoor recreation facilities define general areas where it is recommended that the County consider:

i) Seek private land owners who are willing to sell land or interests in land for outdoor recreation facilities.

ii) Where there are subdivisions of land in excess of fifty units, acquire land for outdoor recreation facilities in preference to payment of park mitigation fees whenever possible, as a condition of approval. Nothing shall prohibit the dedication and acceptance of land for park and recreation purposes in subdivisions of fifty (50) parcels or less, where the subdivider proposes such dedication voluntarily and the land is acceptable to the County.

iii) Consider requiring dedication in fee or by easement for trails as a condition of approval of subdivisions. There must be a need identified on the Outdoor Recreation Plan Map or the project must block an existing access or result in the need for additional recreational opportunities. Locate and fence trails to minimize impacts on agricultural uses.

iv) The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors may also consider the dedication of property for outdoor recreation facilities as part of a development application in exchange for density bonuses, clustering and other optional design and improvement standards within the same development application. The location of the proposed property to be donated should be consistent with recreation needs as expressed in the symbols shown on the General Plan.

Objective 1.5: Use existing infrastructure and minimize impacts on the environment of constructing access road improvements.

Policy 1.5: Locate proposed outdoor recreation facilities (trail heads, parks and preserves) in locations that are accessed by publicly maintained roads.

• GOAL 2: PLAN NEW OUTDOOR RECREATION FACILITIES TO ACCOMMODATE PUBLIC RECREATION NEEDS, WHILE RECOGNIZING THE RIGHTS OF PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS, THE NEED FOR SAFETY, AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.

Objective 2.1: Trail routes will be located, designed and developed with sensitivity to their potential agricultural, environmental, recreational, and other impacts on adjacent lands and private property.

Policy 2.la: During trail design, notify and coordinate with affected landowners to incorporate measures into trail design and related management policies to accommodate, to the extend possible, the privacy, security concerns of the landowner. Such measures could include, but are not limited to fencing or barrier planting that discourages trespassing; signage; scheduling of maintenance; and patrol scheduling.

Policy 2.1b: Prior to developing any new trail route for public use, prepare design and management plans that ensure provision of services necessary to provide for the safety and support of trail users and affected landowners.

Policy 2.1c: Develop design guidelines to ensure trails meet established safety standards and minimize user conflicts. Prior to developing new trail routes for public use, ensure that services and improvements necessary for the safety and support of the public using the trail are provided. Such services and improvements should contain, at a minimum, adequate parking and sanitary facilities. Reasonable police and fire protection will be available.

Objective 2.2: Avoid significant adverse impacts to agriculture and support the County's right to farm policy for agriculture.

Policy 2.2: The County will not acquire real property for parks or trails through condemnation where the subject land is in agricultural use or where it is reasonably feasible that the land could be put into agriculture.

Trail routes shown on the Outdoor Recreation Plan Map in areas currently designated on the County General Plan Land Use Map as Agriculture (LEA, LIA, mad DA) shall not be required (including easements) or developed outside of County road right of way until or unless there is a specific interest or consent expressed by a willing property owner/seller.

County shall provide a footnote on the Outdoor Recreation Plan Map that repeats the above policies relating to areas currently designated as Agriculture (LEA, LIA, and DA) on the County General Plan Land Use Map.

Objective 2.3: Indemnify adjacent property owners to provide assurance that they will not be liable for injuries by the public on adjacent trails.

Policy 2.3: The County indemnify all grantors of trail easements and other owners of lands immediately adjoining County trails from liability for injuries suffered by users of the adjoining trails or provide other mutually acceptable relief.

The indemnity will not apply to injuries caused by a landowner's willful or malicious conduct. The indemnity will include the costs of defending the landowner against all liability claims brought by users of County trails as well as the costs of damage awards and other costs associated with such claims.

• GOAL 3: ENSURE COORDINATION AND COOPERATIVE EFFORTS AMONG PUBLIC AGENCIES, SUCH AS THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, STATE PARKS, SONOMA COUNTY AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION AND OPEN SPACE DISTRICT, SONOMA COUNTY WATER AGENCY, AND CITIES INVOLVED IN PUBLIC ACCESS TO AND RECREATIONAL USE OF PUBLIC LANDS.

Objective 3.1: Coordinate efforts with other public agencies that provide public aceass on publicly acquired land to acquire lands in fee or in easement for outdoor recreation faculties.

Policy 3.1: County will coordinate efforts with other public agencies for the acquisition of new outdoor recreation facilities consistent with adopted plans and policies.

Prior to the acceptance of property for outdoor recreation facility purposes by the Board of Supervisors agencies shall coordinate efforts to address and resolve outstanding issues.

Objective 3.2: Encourage the land banking of lands acquired for recreation where funds are not immediately available to develop and operate these properties for public use.

Policy 3.2: Properties acquired in fee by the County or other agency for outdoor recreation may be land banked and not open to public use until the park and recreation departments develop master plans and resource management plans pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act and secure funding for development and operation and maintenance of the properties.

Objective 3.3: Encourage the use of publicly owned property to meet the needs of outdoor recreation.

Policy 3.3: Use existing public lands, such as surplus B.L.M. lands and the Sonoma County Water Agency's access roads along flood control channels, wherever possible to implement the recreation facilities proposed in the Plan.

Objective 3.4: Coordinate in the prioritization of acquisition and development of park and recreation projects.

Policy 3.4: The acquisition, planning and development of County recreation properties will be coordinated in the Sonoma County Five Year Capital Project Plan, which is updated and adopted by the Board on an annual basis.

Objective 3.5: Coordinate with the Permit and Resource Management Department to ensure that updates of the General Plan occur.

Policy 3.5: Agencies will ensure that the Permit and Resource Management Dcgartment is notified of proposed projects that may necessitate a County General Plan Amendment.

• GOAL 4: ENCOURAGE PRIVATE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE REGULAR PUBLIC ACCESS TO, AND RECREATIONAL USE OF LANDS ACQUIRED WITH PUBLIC FUNDS.

Objective 4.1: To cooperate wtth non profit organizations in managing lands for public access and recreation.

Policy 4.1: The County should cooperate with and seek the support of nonprofit organizations to effectively maximize financial opportunities, land acquisition and grant funding that would not otherwise be available to public agencies.

• GOAL 5: DEVELOP LOCAL FUNDING MECHANISMS FOR MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF PARK FACILITIES.

Objective 5.1: Encourage the joint use of recreation facilities in the unincorporated areas of the County with School Districts.

Policy 5.1: Community and neighborhood parks recognize specific needs of local communities in the unincorporated areas of the County. County shall encourage community and neighborhood park development adjacent to elementary, junior and senior high schools to benefit from shared use of land and facilities. Joint-use programs with local school districts will be pursued, where feasible, to develop necessary agreements for cost-sharing arrangements.

Objective 5.2: To ensure that the long term development and management costs of recreation facilities are supported by new funding.

Policy 5.2: The County may consider using funding mechanisms such as zones of benefit for the purposes of funding park and recreation development. maintenance and operation costs.