Title
a. Receive an update on the Fort Ord Recreational Habitat Area Trail Master Plan and Open Space Management Strategy
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Fort Ord Committee:
a. Receive an update on the Fort Ord Recreational Habitat Area Trail Master Plan and Open Space Management Strategy
SUMMARY:
The draft Fort Ord Recreational Habitat Area Trail Master Plan and Open Space Management Strategy (Trail Master Plan) has been presented to the Board's Fort Ord Committee (FOC) a number of times since fall 2014. Since the Trail Master Plan was last presented to the FOC on April 23, 2015, staff has made minor corrections to the draft Trail Master Plan presented (April 21, 2015 version), and will be adding minor clarifying language to the plan prior to bringing it forward to the Board of Supervisors for preliminary acceptance, subject to final revisions following environmental review and other consultation.
DISCUSSION:
The Trail Master Plan must be found consistent with the Fort Ord Multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which is still being drafted. FORA is the lead agency to prepare the environmental impact report (EIR) that evaluates impacts of the draft HCP, which includes evaluating the species "take" impacts associated with the trails and management strategy identified in the Trail Master Plan. Once the EIR is certified (projected in 2016), staff will make any revisions as are needed to the Trail Master Plan based on the environmental review.
The Trail Master Plan must also be consistent with the Base Reuse Plan and, once the Trail Master Plan is adopted by the County, the County must submit it to FORA for certification of consistency with the Base Reuse Plan. FORA has convened a staff level Trails Working Group that has met twice to discuss developing a Fort Ord regional trails blueprint (a summary map showing existing and planned trail alignments on former Fort Ord lands). County staff participated in these meeti...
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