East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy
The East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy is a joint exercise of powers authority formed by the Cities of Brentwood, Clayton, Oakley and Pittsburg and Contra Costa County to implement the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan / Natural Community Conservation Plan (HCP/NCCP or Plan). The HCP/NCCP provides a framework to protect natural resources in eastern Contra Costa County, while improving and streamlining the environmental permitting process for impacts on endangered species.
The Plan will allow Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, the East Bay Regional Park District and the Cities of Brentwood, Clayton, Oakley, and Pittsburg (collectively, the Permittees) to control endangered species permitting for activities and projects in the region that they perform or approve.
The Plan also provides for comprehensive species, wetlands, and ecosystem conservation and contributes to the recovery of endangered species in northern California.
The Plan avoids project-by-project permitting that is generally costly and time consuming for applicants and often results in uncoordinated and biologically ineffective mitigation.