Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP)
The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) represent an unprecedented demonstration of regional partnership rarely seen in California land use planning. In June of 2004 the City of San Jose, County of Santa Clara, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding to initiate a collaborative process to prepare and implement an HCP/NCCP for the southern Santa Clara Valley. In October 2005, the City of Gilroy and City of Morgan Hill agreed to join the Local Partners, and a Planning Agreement was signed by all six agencies. These Local Partners, in association with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries Service, stakeholder groups and the general public are developing a long-range plan to protect and enhance ecological diversity and function within a large section of Santa Clara County, while allowing for currently planned urban development and growth.
HCP/NCCP Study Area Map
The Plan will provide a framework for the protection of natural resources while streamlining and improving the environmental permitting process for both private and public development, including activities such as road, water, and other infrastructure construction and maintenance work. The plan will create a number of new habitat reserves that will be larger in scale and more ecologically valuable than the fragmented, piecemeal habitats currently yielded by mitigating projects on an individual basis.
For recent updates, documents, and information related to the HCP/NCCP, and to find out how to take part in the HCP/NCCP process, please visit the program website site by clicking on the following link: Santa Clara Valley HCP / NCCP Public Involvement Portal. For questions or comments specific to the City of San Jose’s participation in the HCP/NCCP, please contact Darryl Boyd at (408) 535-7898 or Jared Hart at (408) 535-7904.
