Memorandum of Understanding

■As part of future land planning, the City would establish land uses that are conceptually compatible with the principles in the Joint Vision, including variable density and transitional land uses and clustering along a portion of the SOI boundary (Figure 1);
■The City and County would identify areas of development that incorporate transitional land uses, clustering, variable density, and other land use planning tools to provide guidance in the formation of future land uses in the SOI area. This does not bind the City to a specific land plan;
■The County will refer all future land use applications in the SOI area to the City for review and comment and will agree to implement any City pre-zoning standards that may be adopted in the future; and
■The City and County will cooperatively approach the various issues addressed in the Joint Vision and, as such, the City and County agree to support any action by LAFCo to condition the approval of the SOI amendment on the adoption of the MOU.

Joint Vision

■The City and County will engage in a cooperative land use planning process that involves land owners, residents in and around the Cosumnes River Basin, and other stakeholders;
■In the area west of State Route 99, the proposed SOI boundary represents a joint City/County urban limit line beyond which no urban development will occur;
■Urbanized land uses will only occur within the Urbanization Area, defined as north of Eschinger Road and between Grant Line Road and the 100-year floodplain;
■Farmland and open space within the floodplain will be permanently protected through buffers and conservation easements;
■An “Area of Transitional Land Uses” (Figure 1) is established, which would create a viable interface between urban and rural land uses by using transitional density, density clustering, and open space easement dedications. The options are not mutually exclusive;
■Land use changes within the “Area of Transitional Land Uses” by either the City or County may be approved with the written concurrence from the other;
■Neither jurisdiction will pursue urban land uses outside of the Urbanization Area without agreement from the other;
■Preservation of open space and habitat lands will be consistent with the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan (SSHCP). Urban development within the area may not begin until the SSHCP has been adopted and includes provisions for addressing urban growth within the area;
■Passive recreation opportunities (e.g., trails, nature study areas, use of non-motor watercraft) would be provided, but selected sites will be an acceptable distance from sensitive habitat areas;
■The County seeks to create a regional trail system, and as such, the City and County agree to coordinate public access within the area;
■In protecting farmland, the following actions will be used:
■Transitional densities that provide for compatible densities and intensities of land uses proximate to agricultural activities as described above;

■Recordation of a statement identifying the proximity of agricultural operations and the County’s right-to-farm policy on property deeds;

■Mitigation for the loss of farmland within the Urbanization Area by permanent preservation (e.g., conservation easements) of existing farmland outside the Urbanization Area required for all development projects; and
■Prohibiting development within the 100-year floodplain and requiring land within the 100-year floodplain to be placed within a floodplain conservation easement in perpetuity as a condition of project approval. Alteration of the floodplain to facilitate urban development will be prohibited.