Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan SANTA CLARA VALLEY HCP/NCCP LIAISON GROUP MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2007 VALLEY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY 3331 NORTH FIRST STREET, CONFERENCE ROOM B-104, SAN JOSE DIRECTIONS IN PACKET 4:00 PM Note new meeting location 1. Welcome/introductions (5 minutes)---Supervisor Don Gage 2. Project Task and Budget Status Report (15 minutes)---David Zippin and Ken Schreiber a. Project Schedule b. Project Budget: 2007-08 Agency Costs Desired Outcome: Provide an overview of and answer questions regarding the status of the HCP/NCCP including extension of project schedule associated with review of policy information by elected bodies. Obtain Liaison Group comments on the project schedule and elected bodies review of information in later 2007 3. Future Expansion of the Habitat Plan (20 minutes)---Ken Schreiber Desired Outcome: Review Management Team’s recommendation that the Habitat Plan not be extended beyond the current Study Area and refer the staff report to Local Partner elected bodies for review and comments. 4. Science Advisor’s Report (30 minutes)---Wayne Spencer, Lead Scientist, Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan Independent Science Advisors Desired Outcome: Receive and discuss report from Wayne Spencer for development of the Report of Independent Science Advisors (December 2006). 5. Economic Issues (30 minutes)--- Bob Spencer, MuniFinancial a. Cost Model Overview b. Finding Base Overview Desired Outcome: Receive and discuss information on two key components of economic work. 6. Information Items (10 minutes)---Ken Schreiber a. Stakeholder Group Activities b. Environmental Review J: HCP and NCCP/Liaison Group/April 2007 Meeting/Agenda c. State Department of Parks and Recreation and Santa Clara County Open Space Authority d. Public Information and Outreach e. Liaison Group Meeting Schedule Desired Outcome: Receive and discuss information regarding the status of HCP/NCCP activities. 7. Discussion with Wildlife Agency staff (5 minutes) Desired Outcome: Share information and, when appropriate, reach common understanding regarding issues of interest 8. Public Comments (5 minutes) Desired Outcome: Receive comments from members of the public Next Liaison Group meeting is on Thursday, June 14, 2007 with the time to be determined at the April 19th Liaison Group meeting (location is anticipated to be the San Jose City Hall). J: HCP and NCCP/Liaison Group/April 2007 Meeting/Agenda SCV Habitat Plan Liaison Group Meeting Location 3331 N. 1 st Street, Room B104, Bldg B Directions: Coming on Hwy 101 From North, Take Hwy 101 south From South, Take Hwy 101 north Exit Montague Expwy. East Left on North First St. Left on River Oaks Left on First Driveway Room B104 is in Building B Coming on Hwy 880/Hwy 680 From North, Take Hwy880 south/Hwy 680 south From South, Take Hwy 880 north/Hwy 680 north Exit Montague Expwy. West Right on North First St. Left on River Oaks On Light Rail; Exit River Oaks Station. Left on First Driveway The destination is on the corner of First Street and Room B104 is in Building B River Oaks. Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan Date: April 19, 2007 AGENDA ITEM 2a TO: Governing Body Liaison Group FROM: Management Team SUBJECT: Project Schedule PREPARED BY: Kenneth Schreiber, Program Manager Purpose of this Staff Report: Provide information on the Project schedule including a revised approach for Local Partner elected body review of policy-related information in late 2007 and related extensions to the Project schedule. Next Steps After Liaison Group Review: The Management Team and consultants will incorporate Liaison Group comments and publish a revised Project Schedule. Recommendation: It is recommended that the Liaison Group review and discuss information in this staff report and provide guidance to the Management Team regarding Project Schedule-related issues. Discussion: Development of the Habitat Plan has been following a schedule (attached) provided by Jones and Stokes prior to the July 2005 initiation of consultant work on the HCP/NCCP. The schedule is very ambitious and is an attempt to complete the Habitat Plan in less time than any other HCP/NCCP undertaken in Northern California. The schedule targets development of alternative conservation strategies by May/June of 2007. Choosing a preferred strategy, including review of the alternatives by the elected bodies of each Local Partner, was to occur by early Fall 2007. Several factors will result in a delay to this schedule: • The process of developing alternative conservation strategies is linked to the development of Biological Goals and Objectives and Conservation Actions. The process that Local Partner staff, consultants and Wildlife Agency staff have used has been far more interactive than other HCP/NCCPs. The typical process has a consultant generate sets of goals, objectives and actions with focused review by and discussion with Local Partner and Wildlife Agency staffs. For the Habitat Plan, we held a series of six intense workshops that were four to over six hours long, and involved local and Wildlife Agency staff, consultants and other outside experts. Each workshop resulted in a set of draft goals, objectives and actions that were then reviewed in a multi-hour follow-up conference call. This effort took place from December through February. There is general agreement that the resulting products are better both in content and level of understanding among the various participants. The trade off is that the goal, objective and action development process has taken several months longer than anticipated. J: HCP and NCCP/Liaison Group/April 2007 Meeting/Staff Report re Project Schedule • The second major process change relates to what information is made available to the Local Partner elected bodies for their review in 2007. The initial schedule focused on Partner review of alternative conservation strategies that would have different approaches to using the Biological Goals and Objectives and Conservation Actions. What is proposed to be added to this approach is initial information on costs and potential funding sources, details regarding impacts of covered activities, anticipated future conditions on public and private sector covered activities and the length of the permit term. Without being able to address questions regarding these four topics, expecting elected bodies to provide direction for the conservation alternative is likely to be problematic. Management Team has concluded that preparation of the Habitat Plan is best served by having a package of information for review by elected bodies later this year rather than trying to maintain the current schedule. In the longer term, review of the Draft Habitat Plan will be notably assisted by having an integrated package of information reviewed by elected bodies in 2007 rather than relying on the Draft Plan to be the initial process for addressing critical strategic issues. It is anticipated that a set of conservation strategies with related cost and possible funding information, assessment of covered activity impacts, draft conditions of approval and a permit term recommendation can be available by the October 18th Liaison Group meeting. One advantage of this time schedule is that it provides an opportunity prior to Liaison Group reviews to receive more substantial reviews by the staff of the Local Partners and Wildlife Agencies and the Stakeholder Group. The attached table of 2007 and early 2008 major work products provides Management Team, Stakeholder Group and Liaison Group meeting dates when elements of major strategic topics will be reviewed. Note that a Community Meeting originally scheduled for May 10, 2007 has been rescheduled to September 25, 2007. Obtaining local elected official responses on a Liaison Group referral on October 18th would be targeted for early 2008. The scheduled December 13, 2007 Liaison Group meeting will likely be rescheduled to late January. Jones & Stokes staff, in their role as the lead consultant with responsibility for drafting the Habitat Plan, will be following a parallel process until early 2008. One part of the work will continue developing information and draft Habitat Plan text while recognizing that some key elements can not be added until completion of the reviews by Local Partner elected bodies in early 2008. The second work element will be providing information to facilitate the schedule in the attached table of 2007 and early 2008 major work propducts. Based on this dual process, it is estimated that adoption of the Habitat Plan will shift from February/March 2009 to April/May 2009 (i.e., an addition of about two months to the original schedule). Attachments: June 2005 Schedule Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan Major Work Products---2007 and Early 2008 Table Copies: Stakeholder Group Jones & Stokes (David Zippin, Karen Molinari) MIG (Joan Chaplick) MuniFinancial (Bob Spencer, Jeff Kay) J: HCP and NCCP/Liaison Group/April 2007 Meeting/Staff Report re Project Schedule Proposed Process, Schedule, and Key Decision Points for the Santa Clara County HCP/NCCP KEY DECISIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 SCHEDULE (3.5 years) May 2005 March 2006 May 2006 July 2006 December 2006 September 2007 June 2008 September 2008 December 2008 Covered Species Preliminary Chapter 5 List Biological Goals for Species Biologically-Based Draft Alternative Conservation Strategy Conservation Strategies HCP Conservation Strategy Locations and HCP Proposed Impact Assessment