Wetland Protections
When I came into office three years ago, I began pushing for revisions in the classification system and stricter scrutiny of proposed impacts on wetlands. We started updating our Wetlands Code on December 14, 2021, by reviewing our existing ordinance. I voiced my concerns about how we apply our current language in wetland protection, define classifications, and review our development process.
After a series of public work sessions and multiple stakeholder meetings, we successfully passed a new ordinance in 2023, which took effect in 2024. Wetlands are our most biologically important land, yet for decades they were not well-protected in Orange County. This led us to work on a comprehensive set of conservation updates. Our new ordinance now does a better job of identifying and defining wetlands, establishes wider buffers for development, has a more streamlined permitting process, and much more.