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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Resolution 664 RESOLUTf'~'N NO. 664 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SARATOGA ADOPTING A CONSERVATION ELEMENT FOR THE GENERAL PLAN WHEREAS, the City of Saratoga has available various natural resources, within both the City and its Sphere of Influence, that are critical to sustain the City's everyday life besides being valuable as scenic or cultural amenities; and WHEREAS, with increasing urbanization a greater demand has been made on these resources (land, water, air, plant and animal life) for economic reasons; and WHEREAS, the City of Saratoga prides itself in said resources, it has completed studies in order to formulate a Conservation Element including goals and policies; and WHEREAS, said goals and policies along with recommended actions will be followed in the implementation of the Open Space Element; and WHEREAS, on June 11, 1973, the City of Saratoga Planning Commission recommended to the City Council for adoption the attached Conservation Element; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Saratoga adopts the attached Conservation Element (Exhibit "A") and incorporateszit into the City of Saratoga General Plan. The above and foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Saratoga at a regular meeting held on the Z~I~L day of , 1973, by the following vote: AYES: Councilmen Smith, Owyer, Bridges, Diddon and Kraus NOES: ABSENT: None ~~~. MAYOR ATTEST: CITY CLERK" "" "' i'~ EXHIBIT "A" CONSERVATIO~ ELEMENT City of Sarat°oga 1045 Sansome S~reez, San Francisco, California 94111 Adopted by Planning Commission - June 11, 1973 INTRODUCTION purpose of the Element. ~- The City,.of Saratoga has always had available to it various natural resources. Hany are critical to sustaininS the City's everyday life while others have cone to be valued as scenic'or cultural amenities. These re- sources are primarily those of the land, the water, and the air, together with the plant and animal life forms they support. With increasing urban- '.ization, a Sreater demand has been made on these resources for functional and economic, reasons, often without knowledge or regard as to the conse- quences. }~ny cities across the country have come ~to realize too late that natural resources can be damaged beyond furthe, value or entirely used up. Saratoga, fortunately has not yet made unreasonable demands upon its local resources, which still retain much of their origina! integrity, .Before any .serious damage does occur, the City should take positive action. to guarantee the continued use and enjo)nnent of its natural resources. Thus, it is'the purpose Of the Conservation Element by way of the policies it .Sets forth, to insure the conservation and guide the development and utilization of Baratoga's natural resources. CONSERVATION POLICIES '~\~ GOALS Conservation policies are intended to broadly define the attitudes of Saratoga residents toward the conservation of their environment. These policies provide a framework for determining the need for protecting and utilizing the natural resources of thE°City and its Sphere of Influence; so that the current and future generations may enjoy them. Saratoga is unique in .that it. provides a suburban residential city in a rural, natural setting. -The primary goal of the Conservation Element is to preserve this singular characteristic. ,.., Saratogj shall discourage premature development of outlying areas of the. City and its Sphere of Influence. · Mineral extraction in the City and its Sphere of Influence shall be regu- lated to minimize physical and visual damage to the existing environment. · ..- Any development in areas subject to natural hazards shall be especially .... 'designed to protect the.environment, ~nhabitants,'and genera.ipublic. . The City shall encourage flood control methods that preserve the creeks in their natural state. Cit ' . To' preserve the y s many creeks as nearly as possible in their natural .- state, the Cit~ shall consider the drainage implications of development· . . The City shall consider the impact of development on the quantity and quality of water within the City and its Sphere of Influence. . New development, both in the City and its Sphere of Influence, shall have adequate sewage disposal systems. · The impact ~n air~quality shall be evaluated in connection with develop- ment and highway construction. . The need to conserve valuable areas of natural vegetation shall be con- sidered in City open spaces, recreation and development policies. . To protect the rural atmosphere of'Saratoga, the City shall consider the visual impact of new developments. · . Possible impacts on wildlife habitats shall be considered when areas are proposed for development or active recreation. · Ih the development of a site the C~ty shall consider any historical and archeological values of the site and buildings located on it. ~ The City shall protect significant landmarks. Relationship to Other Ele~.lents --, Several of the new mandatory elements overlap considerably in their areas of concern. This overlapping should notbe see~'As unnecessary redundancy but rather as further justification for .the findings and reconz~..endations set forth in each of the General Plan elements. Individually, and taken as a whole, .. these new elements establish policies which ultimately influence the general development recommendations made by the traditional Land Use and Circulation Elements. Review and Revision .This Element is a required section of th~ Saratoga General Plan under. California State law, AB 966. It is to be adopted by the City Council no -. later than June 30, 1973. Even though adopted, it is'intended to be prelimi- nary in the sense that it needs to he revised and Coordinated with the other . ~lan Elements to be prepared during 1973. The current'planning progra~ will ,. culminate in a composite, ComprehenSive General' Plan that'will include open space recommendations, as well as other proposed uses for land within the City and its Sphere of Influence. Recommended Action Action plans will be implemented by the Planning Commission and City · Council to accomplish the goals and/or poliCieS.as herein set forth.