Gary Patton Land Use Reports
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The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP by Gary Patton, Executive Director of The Planning and Conservation League. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors. |
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Monday, October 24, 2005 – The Monterey County Land Use Scene In California, new growth and development is happening everywhere, from the coast, to the Sierra, to California’s huge Central Valley. And virtually everywhere you look, the “negatives” that accompany this growth are at least as visible as the “positives.” “Growth” and “development” are words that tend to have positive connotations for most of us. In the land use context, however, the “negative” impacts of growth need to be taken into account as communities consider how best to strengthen their local economy, protect their environmental resources, and meet their social equity goals. New growth doesn’t automatically mean a better local economy, more affordable housing, and better services. Rapid, poorly-planned growth often makes the financial condition of local governments worse, reduces service levels and overcrowds schools, and destroys important resources (like prime farmland), without really contributing much affordable housing, and without addressing traffic, water supply, and other local problems. If you’re interested in studying the issue, I recommend a book titled, Better, Not Bigger. If you’re interested in a case study, take a look at what’s happening in Monterey County, and maybe you’ll want to get personally involved. In Monterey County, there are lots of opportunities for involvement, including a new “Quality of Life, Affordable Housing, and Voter Control Initiative,” and citizen efforts to stop the biggest (and probably most poorly?]planned) development in Monterey County history, Rancho San Juan. More Information: Better Not Bigger on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865713863/102-8058333-2113748?v=glance&n=283155&v=glance If you want to get involved in land use issues in Monterey County, I recommend you contact LandWatch Monterey County at 831-422-9390, or by email at: cfitz@mclw.org Tuesday, October 25, 2005 – Housing Opportunities In SLO County The housing market, virtually everywhere in California, is simply “out of control” in terms of its ability to provide adequate and affordable housing for working families. This is not a news flash! As loyal listeners know, my personal analysis is that we won’t actually be able to solve our affordable housing problems until we realize that a purely “market” solution won’t work, and that we need to approach housing from a “community,” as opposed to an “individualistic” or “market” perspective. In a “market,” the Golden Rule applies: “those who have the gold get the goods.” Ordinary, working families are simply “outbid” for housing in the California real estate market. Building more housing, without either controlling the price of the housing, or without providing more money to average and below average income families to bid for it, just transfers all the social costs of the new housing to the local community, with the actual housing going to upper income persons who can afford to pay the ever-escalating “market” price. If you’re a San Luis Obispo County resident and would like to find out more about some possible solutions to our affordable housing crisis, plan to attend a couple of meetings scheduled for tomorrow night (that’s Wednesday) at the San Luis Obispo County Library, or Thursday night at the Arroyo Grande City Council Chambers. On Wednesday night, October 26th, a video about Community Land Trusts will be presented at the San Luis Obispo Library, 995 Palm Street in San Luis Obispo. More information is available at: http://www.slochtf.org/clt-video.htm On Thursday night, October 27th, local experts will discuss the possibilities of “Higher Density Housing.” Get more information at: http://www.slochtf.org/files/whc-seminar-soco.pdf San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund - http://www.slochtf.org/ Wednesday, October 26, 2005 – Prunedale Grange Luncheon These Land Use Reports are pretty heavy on invitations to attend various land use policy meetings. For me, that kind of meeting is an invitation for “fun,” but many of you may not have exactly the same reaction. This morning, let me convey an invitation to a genuinely “fun” event scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, October 27th. This is the “Festive Moments” Fall Salad Bar Luncheon sponsored by the Prunedale Grange. It will be held at the Prunedale Grange Hall, 17890 Moro Road in Prunedale. Doors open at 11:30, and the cost is only $7.00 for what is billed as “fabulous food,” accompanied by a homemade crafts bazaar, and even Bingo for the gambling addicts. If this sounds like more fun than a governmental meeting focusing on land use policy, then think about heading out to the Prunedale Grange for lunch tomorrow. Naturally, there is a land use link. Prunedale might be called “ground zero” for growth in Monterey County. This unincorporated area along Highway 101, just north of Salinas, has experienced severe traffic, water quality, and water supply problems, all associated with the rapid growth that has characterized Monterey County in recent years. If the public doesn’t turn down the Rancho San Juan project, Prunedale will experience the impacts more than any other area. There will be lots of activist types at the luncheon tomorrow. Have some fun and make some contacts at the Grange! More Information If you'd like to get involved in land use issues in the Prunedale area, contact Jan Mitchell of the Prunedale Neighbors Group - janmitchell7@earthlink.net Thursday, October 27, 2005 – The UCSC LRDPThe University of California at Santa Cruz is completely independent of any local control over its growth and development decisions. The California Constitution (for some very good reasons) insulates the University from local land use controls. The Board of Regents of the University of California, appointed by the Governor, has the power to do whatever the Regents want to do, and neither the City Council nor the Board of Supervisors can contradict or supersede that authority, at least as long as the University is carrying out its academic mission. If UCSC wanted to put a Wal-Mart off Empire Grade, the County might have a chance to assert some authority, but not over the basic growth of the University as an academic institution. This does pose problems. The traffic, housing, water supply, and other impacts of University growth are felt throughout the community, but the community has no direct way to look out for community interests. There is an exception, one way to hold the University accountable for the impacts its growth might cause, and that is to use the procedures found in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to make sure that bad decisions aren’t made. A public, CEQA review of the University’s LRDP, its Long Range Development Plan, is just beginning. You can participate! The LRDP proposes very large scale growth. More Information Find out more about CEQA at: http://www.pcl.org/pcl/pcl_ceqa.asp LRDP and CEQA Documents are available at: http://lrdp.ucsc.edu Public meetings on the relevant CEQA documents are scheduled as follows:
CLUE is a community group working on the EIR and LRDP - http://santacruzclue.org/nk/html/ Friday, October 28, 2005 – Healthy Rivers, Happy FishThis weekend, Santa Cruz is the location of a statewide conference focusing on river and watershed health. The conference is called the “Healthy Rivers, Happy Fish Watershed Conference,” and it will be taking place on Saturday, October 29th at the First Congregational Church, 900 High Street, Santa Cruz. On Sunday, October 30th, there will be field trips to Little Creek and San Vicente Creek. Conference sponsors include the Sierra Club, Citizens for Responsible Forest Management, the Ocean Conservancy, and the Lompico Watershed Conservancy. The San Lorenzo Valley Water District and the County Fish and Game Advisory Commission provided financial support. This conference is intended for everyone interested in maintaining healthy streams, and fish populations, and should be very worthwhile. Topics to be covered include obstacles to fish survival in our Central Coast streams, including lack of water, excessive sediment and chronic high turbidity. How to use GIS (or Geographical Information Systems) data for aiding in-stream recovery is one of the highlighted topics. Former Assembly Member Fred Keeley will be delivering the keynote speech, which he has titled, “The One Thousand Mile Journey to Save the Fish Next to You.” If you’re a Central Coast resident, you don’t have to go a thousand miles to attend this conference. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information: For more conference information – 831-426-1697 or http://www.ventana.sierraclub.org/current/index.shtml |
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