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Chapter 2 Land Use and Covered Activities 2.1 Introduction This chapter examines existing land use conditions and land use plans in the study area, and describes activities covered under the Plan. The land use component of this chapter provides an overview of the major land use and open space management agencies operating within the study area and provides a brief description of each agency’s mission and jurisdiction. The description of land use provides the necessary context for the covered activities upon which the impact analysis (Chapter 4) is based. This chapter provides history and context for future development in the study area, reviews existing land-use conditions and relevant land use plans; presents the criteria used to determine land use categories for the Plan; discusses significant existing open spaces in the study area and open space type classification; and describes the projects and activities within the permit area that will be covered under the incidental take permits. 2.2 Land Use and Jurisdictions 2.2.1 Existing Conditions Santa Clara County encompasses 835,449 acres (1,305 square miles), 519,506 acres (810 square miles, or 62% of the County) of which are included in the study area of this Plan. The fertile Santa Clara Valley (Valley) runs the entire length of the County from north to south, ringed by the rolling hills of the Diablo Range on the east and the Santa Cruz Mountains on the west. Salt marshes, tidal wetlands, and mostly abandoned salt ponds lie in the northern part of the County, adjacent to San Francisco Bay (County of Santa Clara 2006a) (see Figure 1-1 for the regional location of the Plan study area). The Valley is generally split into two geographic regions, the North Valley and the South Valley. The North Valley is extensively urbanized and houses approximately 90% of the County’s residents. Thirteen of the County’s fifteen cities are located in the North Valley, while the remaining two cities, Gilroy and Morgan Hill, are located in the South Valley. The South Valley remains predominantly rural, with the exception of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, small unincorporated community of San Martin, and scattered residential areas generally having parcels of five acres or smaller that were created in or before the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan August 2012 2-1 05489.05 Chapter 2. Land Use and Covered Activities 1960s. Low-density residential developments are also scattered along the Valley floor and foothill areas (County of Santa Clara 2006b). Once known as the “Valley of Heart’s Delight,” orchards and other agriculture dominated this area in the early to mid-20th century. Over the past several decades, the County has transformed into “Silicon Valley,” a major global center of high-tech development and the Internet boom of the 1990s. The population growth of the County reflected this dramatic shift in local industry. Between 1980 and 1990, Santa Clara County grew by 202,506 people (16%). Similarly, between 1990 and 2000, the County grew by an additional 185,008, a 12% increase in population. Between 1990 and 2000, most of the population growth in Santa Clara County occurred in San José and in the North Valley cities (Campbell, Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Saratoga, and Sunnyvale). Although North Valley cities experienced a larger increase in population numbers, the South Valley cities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy experienced a larger- than-average percentage increase in population (County of Santa Clara 2006b). The County’s current population of over 1.7 million is one of the largest in the state and is the largest of the nine Bay Area counties. Its population constitutes approximately one-fourth of the Bay Area’s total population and the County provides more than 25% of all jobs in the Bay Area. Nearly 92% of the County population lives in its cities (County of Santa Clara 2006a). Of the fifteen cities located in Santa Clara County, only Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San José are covered by the Plan. It is predicted that the County’s population will continue to grow, but at a slower rate than in the recent past. Moderate rates of growth in employment and housing development may account for this slowdown in population growth (County of Santa Clara 2006b). According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, Santa Clara County’s population is projected to reach 1,855,500 by 2010 and 2,073,300 by 2020 (Association of Bay Area Governments 2005). The Association of Bay Area Governments develops population projections for Bay Area cities and counties every two years. City populations generally include the full Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)-defined sphere of influence. In 2005, the cities of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San José had a total population of 1,079,500, 62% of the County’s population. The population of these cities is projected to reach 1,310,400 by 2010 and 1,455,800 by 2020, 62% and 63% of projected County population, respectively. The population of Santa Clara County exclusive of the cities was 15,400 (Association of Bay Area Governments 2005). As early as 1970, the County and cities of the Valley anticipated this type of rapid growth and began implementing policies that would help guide development, curtail sprawl, and protect the abundant natural resources of the region. A critical policy was and is that urban growth would occur within cities and not in unincorporated Santa Clara County. After several decades, the County remains keenly aware of the need to guide development so that social, economic, and environmental resources are protected. Many of the policies in the current Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan August 2012 2-2 05489.05 Chapter 2. Land Use and Covered Activities County general plan address land use issues involving the rural unincorporated areas of the County over which the County has direct land use authority. The overall direction of these policies is to maintain the scenic rural character of these areas and to promote conservation and productive use of their natural resources for agriculture, ranching, watershed, public recreation, and wildlife habitat. An important cornerstone of the County general plan is a vision of “compact development” as an overall approach to managing future growth. Compact development means that most future growth is directed into appropriate locations within existing urban areas, particularly along transit corridors and closer to employment centers rather than sprawling outward into the hillsides and the rural countryside. The Cities of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and San José maintain a strong commitment to protect the natural and agricultural resources surrounding their respective cities. Reflecting this vision, Morgan Hill and San José, have adopted an ultimate buildout line (termed the “planning limit of urban growth” for the purposes of this Plan). Gilroy’s General Plan 2020 urban expansion line may be extended in future general plan updates (for additional detail, see Section 2.4 Projects and Activities Not Covered by this Plan). More detail on each city’s development and open space policies, and planning limit of urban growth boundaries is provided below. Background information for each of the Local Partners is provided below. Gilroy Gilroy, known as the “Garlic Capital of the World,” is located close to the southern border of Santa Clara County where U.S. 101 intersects with State Route (SR) 152. Gilroy is known for its rural residential environment, its award- winning parks, and for its “urban forest,” for which the City has won Tree City USA awards annually since 1979 (City of Gilroy 2006a). The City of Gilroy adopted its most recent general plan on June 13, 2002 (City of Gilroy 2002a). This document is a statement of community values and priorities, projecting out to the year 2020. The vision for Gilroy’s future emphasizes a compact pattern of development, surrounded by open space and working agricultural lands, helping to retain the City’s small-town character and rural atmosphere. In addition to the general plan, Gilroy recently developed the Hecker Pass Specific Plan to “protect and enhance the Hecker Pass Area’s rural character, open space, and agricultural uses” (City of Gilroy 2005b). The City of Gilroy anticipates buildout of the city will occur within the existing general plan boundary over the course of the Plan permit term. Therefore, the City’s general plan boundary will be used to represent the City’s planning limit of urban growth for this Plan. The general plan boundary is the area of evaluation in the City of Gilroy General Plan that represents a 20-year Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan August 2012 2-3 05489.05 Chapter 2. Land Use and Covered Activities development time frame. The general plan was adopted in 2002 and represents a buildout to 2020 (C. Casper pers. comm.). Population, Housing, and Employment The population of Gilroy was 47,671 people in 2005 and is projected to reach 64,600 in 2020 and 66,400 in 2030, an increase of 36% and 39% over 2005 values, respectively1. Households in Gilroy numbered 15,450 in 2005. The number of households is projected to reach 18,350 in 2020 and 19,050 in 2030, an increase of 19% and 23% over 2005 values, respectively. Jobs in Gilroy numbered 22,430, or 2.1% of total jobs Countywide, in 2005. The number of jobs is projected to reach 32,690 in 2020 and 34,950 in 2030, 2.8% and 2.6% of projected jobs Countywide, respectively (Association of Bay Area Governments 2005). Conservation and Open Space Policies The City of Gilroy has adopted several policies related to protection and conservation of open space.

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