Santee council reviews draft MSCP Subarea Plan in workshop focused on long-term habitat, river maintenance and permitting certainty

City planning staff and consultants gave a workshop Aug. 13 on the draft Multiple Species Conservation Program Subarea Plan, a framework intended to give the City of Santee long‑term regulatory certainty for species protection and to streamline approvals for maintenance and development projects. The session included a 45‑minute presentation and a public comment period, followed by council questions about cost, timing and local control.

The draft plan, presented by Marnie Borg, principal environmental planner, and Sean Skaggs of consultant firm Evan Mosher & Skaggs, would assemble a managed preserve and conservation strategy covering plants and animals of regional concern, provide federal and state “take” authorization for covered activities, and create criteria to distinguish “hard‑line” projects (with known footprints) from future development. The consultants said the draft would result in about…