City staff and consultants updated the council on a revisited Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) on Nov. 5 that focuses on protecting an urban kit fox population and other local species. Phil Burns and Brad Norton (ICF) outlined a plan that is narrower in land acquisition terms than earlier proposals and that emphasizes localized refugia, den protection, monitoring and urban design measures to support movement and connectivity.

Norton said the updated approach would cover three species — kit fox, burrowing owl and Bakersfield cactus — and would retain covered activities important to city operations (urbanization, maintenance activities and other permitted uses). He said the plan would seek a 30‑year permit term and would scale down long‑term land acquisition compared with prior drafts.

Key program elements include a den protection program, disease and treatment monitoring, environmental education and a set of urban design and management guidelines to improve connectivity (for example, modifications to walls and corridors to allow kit fox movement). The plan also assumes phased or split fee payments to reduce early cash‑flow burdens on development.

The council voted to receive and file the report and to approve the consultant agreement to continue work. Staff projected an administrative draft in early 2026, public release and comment in 2026, and final NEPA/CEQA compliance and permit decisions in 2027.