Chapter 17.41 — HCD, HABITAT CONSERVATION DISTRICT

The principal objective and purpose to be served by this classification and its application is to protect the diminishing natural ecosystem of wetlands and riparian habitats as a natural heritage to the city’s present and future residents in years to come. (Ord. 782 § 1 (part), 1994)

For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

“Ecosystem” means a system made up of a community of organisms and its interrelated physical
and chemical environment.

“Enhancement” means actions performed to improve the condition of existing wetlands or
riparian area so that the functions they provide are additional and are of a higher value.

“Functions” means the beneficial roles served by wetlands or riparian habitat including but
not limited to, water quality protection and enhancement, fish and wildlife habitat, food chain
support, flood storage, conveyance and attenuation, groundwater recharge and discharge, erosion
control, aesthetic value protection, and recreation. These beneficial roles are not listed in order
of priority.

“Riparian habitat” means an ecosystem associated with the banks and other land adjacent to
freshwater bodies, rivers, streams, creeks and surface-emergent aquifers (such as springs and
seeps). Riparian habitat is characterized by plant and animal communities which require high soil
moisture conditions maintained by transported freshwater in excess of that otherwise available
through local precipitation.

“Wetland buffer areas” means land surrounding wetlands which provides area of an appropriate
size to protect the environmental and functional habitat values of the wetland, or which are
integrally important in supporting the full range of the wetland and adjacent upland biological
community.

“Wetlands” means lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water
table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by permanent or seasonal shallow
water. For the purposes of this definition, wetlands are those lands that have all of the following
attributes:

1. At least periodically, the land supports predominantly hydrophytes;

2. The substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and

3. The substrate is nonsoil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some
time during the growing season of each year.

Examples of wetland areas include swamps, freshwater marshes, bogs, vernal pools, wet
meadows, wet pastures, springs and seeps; portions of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams; and all
other areas which are periodically or permanently covered by shallow water, or dominated by
hydrophytic vegetation, or in which the soils are predominantly hydric in nature.

(Ord. 782 § 1 (part), 1994)

The following uses, and all others determined by the planning commission to be similar, shall be permitted:

A. Enhancement, conservation or preservation of soil, vegetation, fish and other wildlife;

B. Passive outdoor recreational activities, including fishing, bird-watching, hiking, horseback
riding and bicycling, provided that they do not harm the natural ecosystem;

C. The harvesting of wild crops in a manner that is not injurious to natural reproduction of
such crops and provided the harvesting does not require tilling of soil, planting of crops, or
alteration of the wetland by changing existing topography, water conditions or water
sources;

D. The maintenance and repair (but not construction) of drainage ditches;

E. Education, scientific research and interpretative centers;

F. The construction, maintenance and repair of facilities which are necessary to protect the
integrity of the wetlands; and

G. Site investigative work necessary for land use application submittals such as tree surveys,
soil logs, percolation tests and other related activities. In every case, impacts shall be
minimized and disturbed areas shall be immediately restored.
(Ord. 782 § 1 (part), 1994)

Minimum required area for habitat conservation shall be not less than 1 acre. (Ord. 782 § 1 (part), 1994)

CHAPTER 17.42

B, SPECIAL BUILDING SITE COMBINING DISTRICT