West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

The Open Space and Conservation Element of the California City General Plan lists thefollowing goals and policies regarding biological resources:• Preserve and protect conservation resources of sensitive plant and wildlife species thatare unique to California City environs (California City Plan at page 43).• Protect sensitive plant and wildlife species, in accordance with State and federal laws andregulations, and provide for maintenance of supportive habitat for such species in balancewith the needs of humans (Id. at page 44).3.1.3.9 City of HesperiaThe City of Hesperia is located in the Victor Valley region of San Bernardino County,along Interstate 15, south of the City of Victorville and Town of Apple Valley. The City ofHesperia General Plan (at page L-6) indicates that most of the existing residential lots are locatedwithin the core area of the town, generally bounded by Maple Avenue and the Mojave River, andby Bear Valley Road and Ranchero Road. Within this area, lot sizes have historically rangedfrom 18,000 square feet to one acre in size. In 1991, the average residential lot size withinHesperia was approximately 39,000 square feet (CIC Research Inc., A Citizen’s Planning Surveyfor Hesperia, June 1989). Large expanses of land within the core area were subdivided into halfacre, acre and two-acre tracts prior to incorporation of the city. Many of these lots areconfigured in a way that makes further subdivision infeasible and densities are anticipated toremain fairly low (City of Hesperia General Plan at page L-9). Residential general plandesignations range from Rural Estate (0.1 to0-.4 dwelling units per acre) to High Residential (8to 15 dwelling units per acre). The general plan identifies a trend towards more traditional sizedsingle family residential (3 to 6 dwelling units per acre) in the western portions of the city westof Maple Avenue (Id. at page L-7). Specific plans for large-scale planned developments havebeen approved for the southern portions of the city in Summit Valley.General Plan Land Use Goals for the city emphasize the protection of quality of life;accommodating growth “…within the limits of the natural environment and the capacity of itsinfrastructure” and “…managing the use of land so that development occurs in an orderly andbeneficial manner…” (Id. at L-4 and 5.)The City of Hesperia General Plan goals relative to biological resources call forpreservation of sensitive or protected desert vegetation and animal species, and habitat areasthroughout the planning area; conducting a biological assessment to identify sensitive habitatareas; and a site specific assessment of the impacts of a proposed development on biologicalresources (Id. at CN-26-27). The general plan also indicates that “biological resourceconservation measures, including preparation of a habitat conservation plan for endangeredspecies, designated preserve areas, and protection of Joshuas and other unique species, will be anintegral part of planning within the City.” (Id. at CN-7.)The city has initiated a habitat conservation plan in cooperation with Caltrans, RanchoLas Flores and Summit Valley Ranch. The HCP would address potential impacts to threespecies, the arroyo toad, the southwestern willow flycatcher, and the Least Bell’s vireo. TheChapter 3 3-24