History of the RPV Natural Communities Conservation Plan

California's Natural Communities Conservation Planning (NCCP) Act of 1991 provides for the preparation and implementation of large-scale natural conservation plans. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) has contributed almost $150,000 from its General Fund toward the planning and implementation of its NCCP. The following is a chronology of the Plan:

1996 - The City of Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) entered into a Planning Agreement with the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop an NCCP subarea plan to encompass the entire City of RPV. The PVP subarea, although relatively small in area as compared to other NCCP subareas in Southern California, is unique in that it contains healthy concentrations of coastal sage scrub habitat (approximately 1,250 acres) and a number of coastal sage scrub species which are not found in other Southern California coastal sage scrub communities.

1996 - RPV purchased the 160-acre, privately owned "Forrestal Property" for preservation, using funds from the voter approved Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District funds, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, and the State Coastal Conservancy.

1997-1999 - City hosted monthly meetings of an NCCP planning group, made up of major landowners, local government officials, and state and federal agency, and environmental organization representatives, to help guide the subarea NCCP.

1999 - Phase I effort completed, including mapping existing vegetation communities, describing sensitive species distribution and potential habitat, and then using this information to develop three preliminary alternative preserve designs. One significant controversial issue - the future of the Upper Point Vicente property remained unresolved.

2001 - City agreed to exclude the Upper Pt. Vicente property from use as a golf course, and signed agreements with two largest landowners to purchase approximately 625 acres of the Portuguese Bend open space. Work on finalizing the City's preferred alternative recommenced.

2002 - The City's compromise preserve alternative was amended to reflect the proposed open space acquisition deal, the City Council's decision to include the City's Upper Pt. Vicente property as part of the Reserve, and to designate the PVPLC as the Manager for the Reserve. A draft plan was resubmitted to USFWS and CDFG for review, and review comments were returned to the City by the Agencies. Based on those comments, the plan was extensively revised to address the issues raised by those comments.

2003 - The NCCP plan was approved in concept by the RPV City Council and the Board of the PVPLC in early 2003. The Resource Agencies agreed that it was consistent with the NCCP Act.

2004 - The Environmental Impact Report were circulated for public comment, and the Report and the Plan were revised to respond to those comments. The Plan, EIR and Implementing Agreement were approved by the RPV City Council and the PVPLC Board in August.