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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8.2 Open Space Plan CITY CLERK File # D~[2]nJ-[2]!OJ AGENDA STATEMENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: February 7,2006 SUBJECT: Report on status of Open Space Plan Report by, Diane Lowart Parks & Community Services Director ATTACHMENTS: RECOMMENDATION: ~e ~ . Receive Report FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None DESCRIPTION: During Fiscal Year 2004-2005 the City Council adopted a Ten Year Strategic Plan, which identified six strategies that the City should pursue during the next ten years. Strategic Goal 4A is "Establish Open Space Area in Western hills". The following three objectives have been developed to accomplish this strategy: . Work with EBRPD to complete negotiations for land acquisition in the western hills for an Open Space Area. . IdentifY and secure sources of funding for land acquisition in the western hills for an Open Space Area. . Upon completion of land acquisition in the western hills, complete an Open Space Master Plan and appropriate CEQA documents. The adopted Fiscal Year 2004-2005 City Council Goals and Objectives ranks the first two objectives above as high priority and the third objective as medium priority. The adopted Goals and Objectives also includes the following high priority objective: . Report on status of Open Space Plan-Progress Report. This report has been prepared in order to accomplish this objective. BACKGROUND: In October of 1999 the City entered into an agreement with Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS) for purposes of assisting Staff with the Western Dublin Open Space Preservation Study. A Report titled Open Space Preservation Options for the Western Dublin Extended Planning Area (Options Report) was presented to the City Council in June 2000. This Study explored options for preserving open space in the Western Dublin Extended Planning Area. The Options COPY TO: Page 1 of3 ITEM NO.-B2 G:\COUNCILlAgenda Statementsl200612-7 Open Space.doc Report documented open space resources in the Area and identified options for preserving open space and estimated costs of the various options. A follow-up Implementation Report was then prepared and presented to the City Council in April 2002. As a result, the Council selected Option 1 which was to preserve open space by acquiring the Nielsen and Milestone properties and directed Staff to explore the possibility of creating a Dublin Hills Regional Park in cooperation with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). In July 2002 the City Council approved a Contract Amendment with EPS to assist in the preparation of a Dublin Hills Regional Park Agreement with EBRPD; a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with EBRPD was subsequently adopted by the City Council in December 2002. The MOU defines how the two jurisdictions could collaborate towards creating the open space preserve while at the same time completing the Regional Trail that the District has been pursuing through land acquisitions along the ridge for a number of years. Ultimately this trail will connect Pleasanton Ridge with Las Trampas and other District regional open space and parks. The MOU commits the City and the District to study the feasibility of how the open space would be accessed and used; specifically the location of staging areas and lateral trails providing access to the regional trail from Dublin and the potential for access and active recreation in the Martin Canyon area. The MOU also requires the City and District to pursue options for funding land acquisition and improvement and maintenance costs, including State grants and local sources. CURRENT STATUS: The EBRPD is completing land acquisitions for the proposed Dublin Hills Regional Park and Calaveras Ridge Trail extending from the south along the prominent ridgeline that bisects Dublin's Western Extended Planning Area northward to the Contra Costa County line. The regional park and trail are included in the EBRPD 1997 Master Plan. The EBRPD has made substantial land acquisitions in the area as part of its efforts to establish the regional park and trail. In order to complete the proposed Calaveras Ridge Trail, it will be necessary to acquire the Nielsen property. (A map of the completed and proposed property acquisition and proposed regional trail alignment and staging area will be presented at the meeting.) The Schaefer Ranch project as approved includes 355+/- acres of open space of which approximately 68 acres will be dedicated to EBRPD. The project includes a trail staging area to be constructed by the developer along Dublin Boulevard east of Schaefer Ranch Road. The Plan also includes a trail system to be built to EBRPD standards. The staging area and trails would be located within land dedicated to EBRPD, or within easements dedicated to the EBRPD over land dedicated to the Geologic Hazard Abatement District. The future trail system includes the extension of a trail from the staging area under the 1-580 under crossing to Dublin Canyon Road for future connection to Don Castro Regional Park to the west and Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park to the southeast. The plan also includes trail connections to the EBRPD Calaveras Ridge Trail, to the California Highlands development, and to the City of Dublin's Martin Canyon Open Space. The environmental regulatory permits for the project required that the developer secure 248-acres of off- site land for preservation in an open space conservation easement. The permits further require planting approximately 1,900 new trees within the conservation easement. Although the conservation easement will not be accessible for recreational purposes it will serve as visual open space. The Nielsen property is the remaining piece that needs to be acquired to complete the Calaveras Ridge Trail. Acquisition of this property in the northern most area of the Dublin Hills Regional Park would provide the link to the Las Trampas Trail in Contra Costa County. Acquisition of the Nielsen property would also provide the opportunity to develop lateral access trails from existing neighborhoods within the City of Dublin. The EBRPD has indicated a willingness to be a partner with the City in the acquisition and purchase of the Nielsen property. As a result, EBRPD Staff commissioned an appraisal of the Nielsen property for the purpose of determining the current value and as a starting point for the negotiations with the Nielsen's. In an initial meeting with the Nielsen family, the family members voiced preliminary support for the appraisal and acquisition of the property by the District. However, in August 2003, the Nielsen family asked the District to discontinue work on the appraisal. This was followed by a letter in April 2004 indicating that they were not interested in selling their land at this time. The District also explored the other options with the family including selling the property to the District and retaining a grazing lease or retaining the property and granting a trail easement to the District. Neither option was acceptable. Based on the experience of EBRPD, an acquisition of this type sometimes takes years to accomplish. Consequently, the District has kept in touch with the Nielsen family to reiterate the interest of the City and the District to acquire the property. The most recent contact was in September 2005 and the family indicated that they are developing their cattle operation on this property and are not interested in selling at this time. Periodic contacts will be made with the Nielsen family to ascertain their interest in selling the property. At such time that acquisition of the remaining parcels to be included in the Dublin Hills Regional Park is completed, a master planning process will be undertaken. Development of the master plan will be a cooperative effort, reflecting the close proximity of the regional open space to Dublin. Trail and other regional open space development will occur in accordance with funding availability and the capital improvement programs of the City and District. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report on the status ofthe Open Space Plan for Western Dublin.