On March 12 the Placer Conservation Authority approved a dedication of open space from WP Vineyard LLC to add land along Dry Creek into the PCCP reserve system. The board authorized staff to finalize a conservation easement and related documents; the board chair was authorized to sign final documents.

Jeremy Sutter, PCA Real Estate Services Manager, described the transaction as part of a larger 221.7-acre project (roughly 446 residential lots) and said that about 50 acres of open space were set aside for stream avoidance. The south portion under consideration is roughly 27.4 acres, of which 25.1 acres are creditable for the land-acquisition portion of land conversion fees. At an estimated land-acquisition value of $9,126 per acre, Sutter said the resulting credit amount is $229,062.

Sutter said the PCA will take a conservation easement on the property and that the underlying fee-title holder (for example an HOA or county) will remain responsible for general maintenance; PCA will hold the easement and be responsible for maintenance as it relates to the reserve system. “We will take the conservation easement, put it in the reserve system, and be responsible for the maintenance as it relates to the reserve system. But the overall general maintenance will be responsible for the underlying fee title holder,” Sutter said.

The board voted to approve the resolution and determined the action exempt from CEQA Guidelines sections 15308 and 15313. A board member noted this action is separate from an earlier Board of Supervisors vote on the larger project and said the dedication adds land useful for the Dry Creek Trail and regional preservation goals.

Staff said additional work remains to confirm the appropriate fee-title holder for long-term maintenance and to record the conservation easement after closing.