Ordinance No. 20201 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Creek basin. Perhaps the most notable impacts are those upon the passive recreational users of the Willow Creek Natural Area. The Nature Conservancy has been involved in managing wetlands there as an ecologically important open space since 1981. Large-scale development within the southeast field would have greater impacts on scenic quality than the current construction because it would be much closer to the Willow Creek Natural Area, and the scale of development could be larger than the existing development as well. Designating this area for Restoration would help prevent the loss of scenic quality, which is consistent with Policy 18. Development of phases 1 and 2 has had temporary negative impacts on surface water quality, as evidenced by Hyundai' s violations of water quality permits and subsequent fines. Information in the record states that runoff from the southeast field and the recent mitigation project area contribute the clearest (least turbid) water from the site to Willow Creek. Designating the southeast field for Restoration would help protect these sources of clear runoff to Willow Creek, which is consistent with Policy 18. It appears that neither forest values nor groundwater quality would be significantly changed based on the designation of the site alone, unless development led to chemical leaks on the site. It is unclear at this time to what extent a chemical spill would infiltrate into the groundwater, since no such analysis of soil structure and properties has been entered into the record. Vegetation within protected wetlands would be preserved, while vegetation within areas designated for Restoration could be enhanced by removal of nonnative species and introduction of additional native species. Information in the record makes it clear that at least 4 acres of native Wet prairie habitat are within the southeast field. Since native wet prairie is a very rare plant community (less than 0.25% of the historical extent remaining), we conclude that Protection and Restoration of wet prairie habitat would be consistent with this policy element. Designating the southeast area for Restoration would promote protection of native vegetation. The significance of this site as wildlife habitat is related to several factors: the size of its open space, the presence of prairie habitat, its location in the landscape between oak savanna hilltops and the Willow Creek Natural Area, the presence of both seasonal and permanent water features, its surface water connection with Willow Creek and the presence of a variety of plant communities close to one another. Some wildlife species require relatively large expanses of prairie (grassland) habitat (e.g., raptors, Western meadowlark). Significantly reducing the size of the prairie habitat could effectively displace these species. Although studies have shown that some larger mammals will only use an area as a travel corridor if it is sufficiently wide, little is known about the travel corridor needs of most wildlife species. Since this site provides a prairie habitat connection between the Willow Creek Natural Area to the east and the oak savanna habitat to the west, it provides an alternative to nearby forested corridors and contributes to the diversity of habitat in these corridors. Other things being equal, as the corridor gets narrower, less wildlife and fewer species will use it, and conversely, the wider it is, the more wildlife use it will get. Hyundai Site Ordinance, Exhibit C (Refinement Plan Amendment Findings) Page 19