A. Initiation of Protection for Peaks and Ridges. The designation of protected areas for certain peaks and ridges shall be initiated by the board of supervisors or the planning and zoning commission or as part of the comprehensive plan update program (refer to Section 18.89.050).
B. Criteria for Evaluation. Peaks and ridges shall be evaluated for designation as protected areas using the following criteria:
1. The peak point or ridge line lies within one mile of a public preserve;
2. The peak point or ridge line is within 300 feet of land subject to the buffer overlay zone (Chapter 18.67);
3. The peak or ridge is a dominant feature in the surrounding landscape or constitutes a significant linking element of such geographic feature;
4. The peak or ridge is an extension of a mountain, major hill or ridge, or other significant terrain feature, from a designated public preserve.
5. The peak or ridge is visible from a scenic route or a road leading to a designated trailhead;
6. The peak or ridge is visible to the community at large.
C. Level One and Level Two Designation. The board of supervisors shall designate protected peaks and ridges as level one or level two protected areas based upon their prominence and visibility to the community at large, with level one protected peaks and ridges being the most prominent and dominant.
1. A level one peak or ridge has communitywide viewshed significance based on the criteria one through six.
2. A level two peak or ridge may meet one or more of the criteria one through six. A level two peak or ridge shall include a topographic feature that has dominance in a local neighborhood area and has some degree of local viewshed significance. However, unlike a level one peak or ridge, a level two peak or ridge does not have communitywide view-shed significance or the likelihood for future inclusion into a public preserve.
3. Development is prohibited in level one protected areas, except as permitted by this chapter.
4. View mitigation standards shall be complied with for all development in level two protected areas in accordance with this chapter.
5. All protected peaks and ridges adopted prior to the effective date of this ordinance are designated as level one protected areas.
D. Public Notice Procedure for Designation.
1. Planning and zoning commission public hearing: A minimum of fifteen (15) days prior to the hearing, the planning division shall provide notice by:
a. Publication once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county seat;
b. Posting of the property or area to be considered at the hearing; and
c. Mailing written notice to all property owners of the proposed protected peak or ridge, as defined by its proposed protected area, and all property owners within a minimum 1,000 feet of the proposed protected area.
2. Board of supervisors public hearing. As required for the commission.
3. Expansion of notice. The commission or supervisors may expand the notification area to greater than 1,000 feet, which shall be noticed prior to a public hearing.
4. Failure to provide notice. Notice is based on the ownership of the property as shown on the county assessor records. The unintentional failure to give written notice to a property owner or the unintentional omission of the name of a property owner shall not invalidate an action of the commission or supervisors.
E. Map Notation. Protected peaks and ridges, and their protected areas, shall be shown on county zoning maps by their underlying zone designation plus the suffix PR-1 for level one features and PR-2 for level two features.
(Ord. 2003-17 § 1 (part), 2003; Ord. 2000-52 § 1 (part), 2000)