On Tuesday, October 21, 2008 the Board of Supervisors took final action on the Sanborn County Park Trails Master Plan Project and Final Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND)(Agenda item #33).  At the meeting, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Resolution for the Mitigated Negative Declaration based on the findings that the Mitigated Negative Declaration was prepared in accordance with law and reflects the County’s independent judgment analysis; that the Board has considered the Mitigated Negative Declaration and all comments received during the comment period; and, that there is no substantial evidence in the record that the project, as mitigated, will have a significant impact on the environment. The Board also adopted the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program and approved the project.  The Board identified the Clerk of the Board and the Department of Parks and Recreation as the location and custodian of the documents or other materials that constitute the record of proceedings upon which this decision is based.  After the IS/MND was adopted, a Notice of Determination (NOD) was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder’s office and a copy of the recorded NOD was sent to the State Clearinghouse.

Previously, the expanded Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Sanborn Trails Master Plan was agendized for the September 23, 2008 Board of Supervisors meeting.  At that Board meeting, the agenda item was moved to the consent calendar and approved by the Board at its morning session.   Since there were public speakers present to address the agenda item, the Parks Department has re-agendized the expanded IS/MND for the Trails Master Plan for the October 21, 2008 Board meeting to afford the Board of Supervisors an opportunity to receive public comments and for staff to respond to comments on the environmental documents prior to the Board's consideration of this project.

Project Background

Sanborn County Park currently has roughly 19 miles of trails accessible to both hikers and equestrians.  In addition, the Countywide Trails Master Plan of 1995 identified an alignment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail connecting the western portion of Lexington Reservoir with the Lake Ranch area at Sanborn, the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail connecting the western portion of Lexington Reservoir through El Sereno Open Space Preserve to the northeast portion of Sanborn, and the Sanborn Connector Trail connecting Sanborn with Bohlman Rd.  The multi-use vision of all of these trails necessitated the formation of this project to ensure that the safety, enjoyment, and educational benefit for all park users is taken into account when planning these new additions to the trails system and assessing the condition, sustainability, and use of existing trails.

Background of Sanborn County Park

The first land acquisition for Sanborn County Park, 68 acres, occurred in 1962.  In 1977, following other acquisitions, the 1,653 acre Sanborn County Park was dedicated and officially opened. An additional 1,796 acres have been added since 1977, making it the fifth largest of Santa Clara County’s Parks at 3,449 acres.  A mix of chaparral, oak, bay, redwood, and douglas-fir are found in this diverse park.  Common animals include rabbits, raccoons, coyote, black-tailed deer, bobcat, kestrel, redtailed hawk, hummingbirds, jays and wrens.

Desired Project Outcome

The desired outcome for the Sanborn Trails Master Plan is a comprehensive long-term plan for management of a multi-use trails system at Sanborn County Park. The strategies developed to implement the plan should be consistent with the mission of the Santa Clara County Parks Department and where applicable, promote partnership with other interested agencies to achieve implementation.

Objectives

The Trails Master Plan will:

• Define a vision for the Trails System at Sanborn County Park consistent with current County and Department policies

• Identify short range and long term goals for implementation of the vision

• Update trail use to be consistent with the Countywide Trails Master Plan developed in 1995

• Identify areas suitable for new trail routes and how they can be integrated into this mountainous park

• Identification of partnership agencies, their roles, objectives, jurisdictions, and support specialties for management of public open space

• Possible beneficial partnerships with regulatory agencies and other groups to implement common objectives

Project Manager
John Falkowski, GIS Technician
john.falkowski@prk.sccgov.org
(408)355-2232