Sec. 21-100. - Findings.

(a)

Certain types of new development projects and subdivisions within the county can have impacts on public park and recreational facilities.

(b)

The State of California, through the enactment of Government Code Section 66477 (Quimby Act) has decreed that local agencies may require the dedication of land or impose a requirement of the payment of fees in lieu thereof, or a combination of both, for park or recreational purposes as a condition to the approval of a tentative map or parcel map.

(c)

New development and subdivisions within Santa Barbara County should be required to mitigate their park and recreation facility impacts by constructing, or financing the construction of, the park and recreation facilities needed to serve new development and subdivisions.

(d)

The County of Santa Barbara is comprised of different regions, and each of these regions has different park and recreation facility needs that are impacted differently by new development and subdivisions.

(e)

Recreation demand areas have been established within the county to reflect the different park and recreation facility needs within each region, within each of the various recreational demand areas of the county, park and recreation facility costs differ due to varying land values within each region.

(f)

As provided by the Quimby Act, the County of Santa Barbara has determined that the amount of neighborhood and community park and recreation acreage per one thousand members of the population is 4.7 acres. This is based on the derived ratio of amount of neighborhood and community park and recreation acreage to the total county population indicated in the current census.

(g)

Based upon the principles and standards of the recreation element of the Santa Barbara County general plan, it is hereby found and determined that the public interest, convenience, health, welfare, and safety require that 0.0128 acres of property per dwelling unit be devoted to neighborhood and community park and recreational purposes, exclusive of and in addition to school lands used cooperatively for recreational purposes. The acres per dwelling unit factor is based on 4.7 acres required park and recreation acres per

one thousand persons in accordance with the county general plan and the average county population density of 2.72 persons per dwelling unit as per the 1990 census.

(h)

The board of supervisors further finds that the public interest, convenience, health, welfare and safety will be promoted by the adoption of park and recreation facility fees (Quimby fees) for the construction, expansion and/or improvement of existing park and recreation facilities, the need for which is caused by new development and subdivisions.

(Ord. No. 4317, § 1)