Laserfiche WebLink
File Number: 18-439 <br />contiguous parcels to qualify for a contract. <br />Analysis <br />To implement AB 551 and AB 465, Alameda County is preparing to adopt an ordinance <br />establishing one or more Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones and regulations for administration of <br />contracts in late 2018. <br />Based on the outcomes from a series of community meetings beginning in 2014, the County <br />determined the need to establish two Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones. Zone 1 would include the <br />communities of Ashland, Cherryland, and San Lorenzo. Zone 2 would include the portion of <br />Fairview that is located within the County’s Urban Growth Boundary. Tonight, the City Council will <br />only consider Zone 1, which includes Ashland. At community meetings held in May and June <br />2017, Cherryland and Fairview residents continued to support the inclusion of their communities <br />in the program. The San Lorenzo Village Homes Association Board expressed reservations <br />about including San Lorenzo Village in the program due to conflicts with the Association’s <br />CC&Rs, which prohibit agricultural uses on vacant residential properties, and concerns about <br />safety and potential nuisances from agricultural uses. To respond to the Board’s concerns, <br />Alameda County staff will recommend that Zone 1 should be amended to include only those <br />portions of San Lorenzo that are outside of the boundaries of the Village Homes Association. <br />Alameda County Planning staff reviewed aerial photos of unincorporated area vacant parcels <br />adjacent to the San Leandro city limits and did not find any that would meet the contract <br />requirements under State law. Therefore, County staff determined that the impact of any new <br />agricultural activities that might result from the County’s proposed ordinance on property within <br />San Leandro city limits would be minimal. <br />Under the proposed ordinance, agricultural uses would be allowed in the urban area only where <br />such uses are already permitted by zoning. The County Zoning Ordinance allows “field crops, <br />orchards and gardens” as primary uses in all residential zones so the owner of a parcel in a <br />residential zoning district would be eligible to enter into a contract if all other requirements are <br />met. Agriculture-related uses are not permitted in commercial zoning districts, so owners of <br />parcels in commercial zoning districts would not be eligible to enter into contracts. <br />The proposed ordinance also includes rules and regulations for the implementation and <br />administration of the Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones and the related contracts. AB 551 dictates <br />some contract requirements; initial contract term must be at least five years, the property under <br />contract must be at least one-tenth of an acre but not more than three acres, and the entire <br />property must be dedicated to commercial or non-commercial agricultural use. In addition to the <br />state mandated requirements, the draft ordinance creates application and contract approval <br />processes; and includes site inspection requirements. <br />If an unincorporated area lies within the sphere of influence of a city, AB 551 requires that the <br />County obtain the consent of the city before an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone can be <br />established in that area. Therefore, the County must obtain the consent of the San Leandro City <br />Council before the Ashland community can be included in an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone <br />(the consent of the Hayward City Council would be required before the communities of Cherryland <br />Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 9/11/2018