As a statewide organization representing more than 800
private engineering and land surveying firms and some 18,000 professionals, ACEC
California is often asked to engage in efforts related to new zoning
regulations and regional and urban planning.
There are a lot of legislative attempts to bring clarity to
planning processes but because of the sheer weight of legislation already on
the books, it takes an extremely well-crafted bill to make the grade. A bill,
now before the Assembly, which aims to protect agricultural land, may be well
intentioned but doesn’t make the grade.
California should be sympathetic to the desire to guard
against and mitigate for the loss of important farmlands. In fact, some good, tested programs are
already on the books. The Williamson Act
provides a property tax reduction incentive to farmers who want to commit land
to agricultural use. The California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a finding of significant impact
if a project converts farm or forest land to another use. And SB 375, establishes a
framework for regional planning agencies to integrate transportation, housing
and land use plans into performance targets for greenhouse gas emission
reductions.
Any additional legislation needs to be accretive to this
body of law, not contradictory or duplicative.
Through this lens, ACEC California works to ensure that present and
future legislative efforts to add to this body of law be balanced, focused, and
funded.
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