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Board rezones 2,127 acres in Bridgeville area to Timber Production Zone
Summary
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 May 13 to rezone 2,127.6 acres in the Bridgeville area to Timber Production Zone to preserve timber production and reduce the risk of parcelization.
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved a zone reclassification May 13 to change 2,127.6 acres across 12 contiguous parcels in the Bridgeville area from Agricultural Exclusive (AE) to Timber Production Zone (TPZ).
County planning staff presented the Cottrell Ranch LLC (Buck Mountain Ranch) rezoning petition and told the board the parcels have been managed for timber for more than 50 years. Planning staff said the Forestry Review Committee and the Humboldt County Planning Commission recommended approval. The board approved the Planning Commission’s recommendation and adopted the necessary findings in a recorded roll-call vote, 5-0.
County staff noted a fiscal effect: rezoning the acreage to TPZ was estimated to reduce the county’s annual property tax revenue on those parcels by about $12,200. Planning staff clarified timber can still be harvested under the current AE zoning, but TPZ narrows allowable uses and is intended to preserve large contiguous timber holdings and discourage parcelization. Board members discussed tradeoffs between short-term tax revenue, parcelization risks and long-term land stewardship.
During the public hearing, speakers described support for conserving large ranch holdings and for retaining timber production as an economic use; other public commenters noted TPZ’s limits on new cultivation uses (new cannabis cultivation on TPZ is not allowed).
Supervisor Bone moved to accept staff’s recommendation; a second was recorded and the motion passed 5-0. The board closed the public hearing and approved the ordinance amendment to Humboldt County Code §311-7 as presented.
