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Committee approves transfer of Rancho Diana conservation funds and management to regional habitat plan
Summary
The Planning and Development Committee voted by voice on Oct. 28 to transfer $1,507,396 and related management of the Rancho Diana property into the South Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan program to expand permanent protection of aquifer recharge lands and sensitive habitat.
The Planning and Development Committee voted by voice to approve a staff recommendation on Oct. 28 to transfer $1,507,396 and related operational responsibility for the Rancho Diana property into the South Edwards Plateau Habitat Conservation Plan (SEPHCP) conservation program. Staff described the transfer as a step to perpetuate protection of sensitive aquifer recharge lands and wildlife habitat at Rancho Diana.
An assistant director of development services summarized background: the city acquired Rancho Diana in 2001 to protect the aquifer and sensitive species, and the city has previously worked with partners to establish protected reserves including Government Canyon and, more recently, the Cranebad Cave acquisition. Staff said the Rancho Diana parcel appears on presentation maps as roughly 1,152 acres and that the broader conservation effort covers a larger acreage set enrolled in the program. The staff recommendation included a transfer of $1,507,396 from SEP funds and a reimbursement to the parks department related to earlier purchases.
Staff described the operational controls within the SEPHCP program, noting that development impacts are managed through a credits system: projects that affect habitat can purchase credits and must stop work if construction crosses permitted limits until biologists determine appropriate mitigation steps. Staff said the program is voluntary and not mandatory for all projects in the region; developers within the service area may apply for credits and are subject to review by a coordination committee that votes on approvals.
A parks representative told the committee the Rancho Diana parkland is closed to public access to protect sensitive species and for public safety. Committee members asked for documentation showing prior projects that used credits; staff said they have recorded projects ranging from small utility works to TxDOT and that they would provide a list of approximately 40 properties already enrolled in the program.
The committee chair called for a motion and the item passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
