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Home My Public Portal About20131105 - Agenda Packet - Board of Directors (BOD) - 13-30 Midpeninsula Regional • Open Space District Meeting 13-30 SPECIAL MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello 17 100 Montebello Rd. Cupertino,CA 95014 Tuesday,November 5, 2013 SPECIAL MEETING BEGINS AT 3:00 P.M. AGENDA 3:00 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT—STUDY SESSION ROLL CALL&INTRODUCTIONS PUBLIC COMMENT 3:05 Ridge Vineyards Property Exchange Presentation and Site Tour District Staff will present an overview of a proposed exchange of property rights(both fee and easement)with Ridge Vineyards at Monte Bello Open Space Preserve and lead a driving tour of the site. The purpose of the meeting is informational only. No formal District action will be taken on the matter. The tour will depart from Ridge Vineyards Tasting Room located at 17 100 Montebello Road,Cupertino,CA following the staff presentation. 4:30 ADJOURNMENT TO ADDRESS THE BOARD: The President will invite public comment on agenda items at the time each item is considered by the Board of Directors. You may address the Board concerning other matters during Oral Communications. Each speaker will ordinarily be limited to three minutes.Alternately,you may comment to the Board by a written communication,which the Board appreciates. Consent Calendar:All items on the Consent Calendar may be approved without discussion by one motion.Board members,the General Manager,and members of the public may request that an item be removed from the Consent Calendar during consideration of the Consent Calendar. Please note the presentation will begin at approximately 3:00 pm at Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello located 17100 Monte Bello Rd,Cupertino. Although prior notice of attendance is not required,it would assist the District with planning if members of the public that would like to attend notify the District in advance by calling Jean Chung at(650)691-1200. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,if you need assistance to participate in this meeting,please contact the District Clerk at(650)691- 1200.Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the District to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. Written materials relating to an item on this Agenda that are considered to be a public record and are distributed to Board members less than 72 hours prior to the meeting,will be available for public inspection at the District's Administrative Office located at 330 Distel Circle,Los Altos,California 94022. CERTIFICATION OFPOS'I'1N(,OF A(,ENDA 1,Jennifer Woodworth,District Clerk for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District(MROSD),declare that the foregoing agenda for the Special Meeting of the MROSD Board of Directors was posted and available for review on November 1,2013,at the Administrative Offices of MROSD,330 Distel Circle,Los Altos California,94022. The agenda is also available on the District's web site at httv://www,opensvaQe.o Signed this I'day ofNovember,2013 at Los Altos,California. 91" UisDistrict Clerk [oil OpenSpace I Wdpen nsula Regional Open Space Mstrict FACT SHEET Proposed MROSD Ridge Vineyards Property Exchange Background The project area is located along Monte Bello Road,within and along the perimeter of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's(MROSD)Monte Bello Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains,west of Cupertino,CA. Cresting at approximately 2,657 feet,the project area is highly visible from public open space and county parkland in the upper Stevens Creek watershed. At its highest point,the project area is also highly visible from the Santa Clara Valley floor to the east. In recent years,large visible estate residences have been developed on private land across Monte Bello Ridge, altering the scenic natural character of the area. Monte Bello Ridge sits on a rare patch of limestone,left behind by San Andreas Fault movement. This locale is the home of renowned American vineyards,where some of California's defining wines are made. For more than a century,these coastal ridges have been a magnet for wine pioneers. Immigrants first headed up the slopes in the 1860s,and by the 1880s were planting vineyard sites. Ridge Vineyards' Montebello facility is a privately-owned vineyard and winery originally established as Monte Bello Vineyards in 1886.The Ridge Vineyards(Ridge)lands are located at the end of Monte Bello Road,high on the ridgeline. Ridge's facilities include a production winery building,land already under vineyard cultivation,as well as uncultivated, natural land. However,a portion of Ridge's production winery building and related facilities encroach onto Monte Bello Open Space Preserve(Preserve),dating from before the time of public purchase. MROSD and Ridge have long sought to resolve this encroachment issue in a mutually beneficial way that allows for the protection of the scenic and rural character along Monte Bello Ridge while conserving world-class agricultural resources. The proposed project meets these goals and would establish a partnership between Ridge and MROSD. Proposed Exchange The proposed project consists of an exchange of property interests between Ridge and MROSD,including the following property transfers: Land Exchange(Fee Title) • Ridge will convey 11.93 acres of natural open space land to MROSD. • MROSD will convey 11.93 acres of land to Ridge,resolving the winery facility encroachment and providing for future vineyard farming.Of this land,8.94 acres would be cultivated subject to a conservation easement described in the next paragraph,and 2.99 acres near the winery would be subject to Codes,Covenants,and Restrictions(CCRs) that call for unobtrusive building materials and give MROSD design review over future Ridge improvements. Agricultural and Conservation Easement Exchange • Ridge will convey to MROSD a conservation easement over 34.22 acres of private land,protecting scenic and rural characteristics and restricting non-agricultural uses,while allowing for continued vineyard farming use. • MROSD will convey to Ridge an agricultural easement over 33.91 acres of public land within the Preserve and allow the sensitive reestablishment of vineyards in areas that were historically cultivated with vineyards during the early 20th Century. MROSD staff would monitor the fanning practices according to the agricultural easement to ensure ongoing compatibility with natural resources and adjacent low-intensity recreation in the Preserve. This proposed exchange would result in a net increase of 25.28 acres of preserved open space and agricultural land,since Ridge's vineyards would be protected by easement to prevent its conversion to non-agricultural uses. Project Area Characteristics The project area slopes downward from Monte Bello Road,which defines most of the northern boundary. Monte Bello Open Space Preserve The subject portion of Monte Bello Open Space Preserve primarily consists of undeveloped open space in a natural condition,although remnants of old rootstock vines are detectable in some areas where fanning once occurred.Annual grassland with interspersed native perennial grasses carpet the rolling plateaus,and coyote brush scrub,chamise chaparral, and scrub oak chaparral grow profusely. Underneath this vegetation lie the limestone-based soils that are renowned for wine-grape growing. Public access facilities in the project area consist of an unpaved permit parking and the eastern segment of Waterwheel Creek Trail. A historic unpaved road system interconnects Ridge's vineyards to Waterwheel Creek Trail and to other old ranch roads located on the Preserve. Public use would be unaffected by the proposed exchange,although future limited farm vehicle use could occur seasonally on the trail in coordination with District rangers. Ridge Vineyards The subject portion of Ridge's land includes existing vineyards,a production winery,related agricultural facilities,and undeveloped open space. Modem vineyard fanning use on the rolling knolls extends back into the mid-20 th century,with historic vineyard farming occurring even earlier. Ridge farms the land using sustainable,organic practices,such as cover cropping,minimal tilling,and integrated pest management. Raptor roosts and bird boxes have been installed to help with insect and rodent control.The unfarmed portions of the property are steeply sloping,with rocky outcrops in between annual grassland,oak woodlands and chaparral. Funding The properties proposed for exchange have been appraised and are of equal value;therefore no funds will change hands between the parties. Next Steps California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA)environmental review is soon to be underway.The District's Board of Directors will consider the proposed property exchange at a public meeting during late 2013. Included for consideration at that time will be the conservation and agricultural easement details. Public Participation Interested parties are encouraged to contact Sandy Sommer, Senior Real Property Planner,at the District office(65 0)691- 1200 to request that their names be added to the public notification list for this proposed property exchange. `` —————• .� Los Altos �% t Of 7-` . .... . 1 %• Russ n�.,a' r •j Rid 35 p Area of sk line Detail Ridge Vineyard's Fee Title Transfer Private To MROSD Ridge Vineyards r' �erwheei t Winery <SIP C„� 4 o °Ro �0¢T — oq . MROSD Fee Title % Transfer to , Ridge Vineyards , r , a T m 7 «' U o `m C U e o M C 6 a ito s % Monte Bello _ o open Space Preserve ., n e `o T T \ i Fee Exchange Midpeninsula Regional ® Ridge Fee Title � es MROSD Preserves - Other Public Agency Open Space District Transfer to MROSD (MROSD) ® MROSD Fee Title Other Protected Open Space Transfer to Ridge or Park Lands Private Property June, 2012 - Ridge Vineyard Land Trust ® MROSD Conservation Miles Lim or Agricultural Easement 0 0.215 o While the District strives to use the best available digital data,this data does not represent a legal survey and is merely a graphic 111UStFatiOn of geograp rc eatures. QL "� jol d�t 40 % Ridge Vineyard's R us S i a n Conservation Easement Rid g ss Y -% to MROSD Area of �`` ` OSP Sky ine ~ Detail' Private k . OSP 1" � _ � Ridge Vineyards t� s t 0 d - � dJerwheei I finery c', . Rod mod NI Vail i w I — ` - i MROSD Agricultural E - Y /... Easement to Ridge Vineyards � T Y = m Z O Y U _ o cu Q o co tl m ° Monte Belto o Open Space Preserve �..� / a S ee Z) /A Easement Exchange Midpeninsula Regional Ik ® Ridge Conservations MROSD Preserves - Other Public Agency Open Space District Easement to MROSD (MROSD) QMROSD Agricultural Other Protected Open Space Private Property Easement to Ridge or Park Lands .... (�'� MROSD Conservation r .... MROSD, CCFtR's Land Trust Y 7 June, 2012 or Agricultural Easement nGlr•. � • Ridge Vineyard o While the District strives to use the best available digital data,this data does not represent atoga[survey and is merely a graphic r ustration of geographic features. Jennifer Woodworth From: Ana Ruiz Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 11:31 AM To: Yoriko Kishimoto Cc: Cecily Harris; Curt Riffle; Jed Cyr; Jennifer Woodworth; Larry Hassett; Nonette Hanko; Pete Siemens; Sheryl Schaffner; Steve Abbors; Jennifer Woodworth; Kevin Woodhouse Subject: FW: ridge Dear Director Kishimoto and Board: Please see below responses to questions from Director Kishimoto regarding today's meeting at Ridge. Responses are shown in blue text. Ana Ana Ruiz, AICP Assistant General Manager aruiz(a)openspace.orci Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District • 330 Distel Circle, Los Altos, CA 94022 • P: (650) 691-1200 - F: (650) 691-0485 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Yoriko Kishimoto<Ykishimoto awearthlink.net> Date: Mon,Nov 4, 2013 at 11:51 AM Subject: ridge To: "Steve Abbors >" <abbors Aginail.corn> Dear Steve: I'm looking forward to seeing the swap. will the farm use(vineyard)be subject to the ag policies we developed for the row crops? (integrated pest management etc.) For new vineyards, Ridge will submit Vineyard Installation Plan and Management and Operations Plan for review by the District and Fish Friendly Farming (Third Party Reviewer) for approval before planting. These plans will include an integrated pest management plan. what is the source of water up there? For existing vineyards on the conservation easement, Ridge uses existing wells and a spring right on District land. For new vineyards, Ridge will have the night to drill up to two (2) new wells on District land. In addition, at this afternoon's workshop, staff will provide a water use analysis. * erosion control, etc.? I imagine we will hear all about it- or we will develop the policies in the future? Ridge will discuss their erosion control practices used on their existing vineyards. As discussed above, Ridge will submit an Installation Plan and Management and Operations Plan which will include erosion plan which will include erosion control measures subject to District approval. * I can assume the public be able to continue to hike/bike to Ridge? (any trail easement issue?) Water wheel Creek trail will remain in use for hikers, bikers and equestrians. Thank you-