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AWnmen- `( <br />Orcw,oe Couvtu <br />6 vwi ro vi. me nt avA 2esource Co vvs e rvn tio vi. DepnrtmetAt <br />Mewi.oravOkvv <br />To: John Link, County Manager <br />From: David Stancil, ERC Director <br />Date: January 26, 2004 <br />Re: Completing /Updating Resource -Based Comp Plan Elements <br />For several years now, the BOCC goals have reflected the creation or updates of <br />several elements of the County's Comprehensive Plan. As we know, the <br />Planning Department has been working hard on updates to the Land Use <br />Element, and the Commission for the Environment has worked with our staff on a <br />partially- complete draft Natural Areas Element. Three of the Plan elements <br />(Natural Areas, Parks and Open Space, and Water Resources) are to be <br />developed /coordinated by ERCD. <br />However, completion of these Plan elements has been elusive, primarily because <br />we have been so focused on accomplishing results on other projects (the 1300 <br />acres acquired by Lands Legacy to date, the many parks and open space <br />projects out of the 1997 and 2001 bonds, among others). These <br />accomplishments have been notable, and satisfying. However, I feel that we are <br />now at a point where we need a touchstone for our overall planning for these <br />goals, and that we should spend some time revisiting long -range plans. <br />To this end, I would like to propose an approach that will I think meet several <br />purposes, among them: <br />• Achieving the needed updates and creation of Plan elements called for in <br />BOCC goals, <br />• Engaging the public in assessing our future course of action in the <br />conservation of natural and cultural resources, <br />• Creating Plan elements that are reader - friendly and (while still containing <br />the useful factual and scientific underpinnings upon which such plans <br />should be made) more concise, <br />• Allowing us to accomplish these tasks in a relatively shorter period of time <br />The method that I propose for accomplishing these tasks is to merge the <br />following Plan elements: <br />• Natural Areas Element (draft developed) <br />• Parks and Open Space Element Update (existing *, adopted 1988) <br />Fi .vii c nteAt ana Rtsow cz Canstiv,76on. <br />Po Box .BZ.I2 /.3oG .4 f_."ve) i Roaa <br />HillsGa�oc<gh: n/C2r� =.4 <br />