A coalition of environmental organizations, coordinated by People for Land and Nature (PLAN) and including Los Altos Hills residents Mary Davey and former state senator Rebecca Morgan, has launched a citizen initiative aimed at preserving hillsides, ranchlands and agriculture in Santa Clara County. The group needs to collect 36,040 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November state ballot.

The Initiative for the Conservation and Preservation of Hillsides, Ranchlands, and Agricultural Lands proposes to amend the county general plan to reduce the number of developable parcels in rural areas. It places additional safeguards on scenic views, streamside corridors and sensitive wildlife habitat. The initiative covers unincorporated county lands and does not apply to cities or areas within their urban service boundaries.

“The initiative builds on the progress we made in the 1980s and 1990s,” said former Santa Clara County supervisor Dianne McKenna, who oversaw the last major update to the county general plan. “It provides stronger protections for hillsides, ranchlands and agriculture.”

Those joining McKenna include former San Jose mayor Susan Hammer, Morgan and Davey of Midpeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing.

“The initiative was crafted to avoid having a negative impact on the county’s affordable housing needs,” according to Davey. “Thousands of acres of land that border urban areas and are most suitable for housing are excluded from the initiative.”

For more information, visit www.OpenSpace2006.org.