Riverside County board moves forward on fee lands amendment

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors moved forward unanimously Tuesday with a general plan amendment that involves fee lands in unincorporated parts of the region. 

As defined by the county, fee lands constitute parcels of land within a tribal reservation's boundaries that are not owned by the tribe or tribal members — in other words, privately-owned reservation land within the county's land-use jurisdiction. Supervisor Jeff Hewitt has called the parcels a "gray area."

The amendment would assign those fee lands an "agricultural" designation, which staff says would lead to shorter processing times and reduced application fees for most simple residential or agricultural developments. It would also emphasize collaboration between tribes and the county, and ensure that new proposed development is consistent with surrounding land-use plans, according to a staff report. 

After Tuesday's approval, the board must adopt a general plan amendment resolution. 

This week's public hearing was continued from a Board of Supervisors meeting held last last month, in order for county staff to further coordinate with area tribes and address any lasting concerns. At the time, Robert Flores, principal planner of the county's planning department, reported that more time was needed to ensure that tribes understood and could ask questions about the scope of the amendment. 

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"I know that we had to take a step back and make sure that we consulted with the tribal governments, and I appreciate you doing that. They appreciate it as well," Supervisor V. Manuel Perez told Flores on Tuesday. 

"I received a phone call from The Desert Sun asking, 'Do I feel comfortable and confident that we did our due diligence?'" Perez added, referring to a request for comment made Monday. "My hope is that they're watching this so that we can say, 'Yes, we feel very confident and comfortable in the fact that we did our due diligence.'" 

It's unknown how many fee land parcels, which can be almost any size, there are across the county's reservations, Flores told City News Service. Some of the parcels could be on the perimeter of reservations and previously sold off by tribes, he added. 

Amanda Ulrich writes for The Desert Sun as a Report for America corps member. Reach out on Twitter at @AmandaCUlrich or via email at amanda.ulrich@desertsun.com.