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LandWatch State of Monterey County Report 1999
3.2 Land Use Efficiency

 

 

By measuring how much land is required, per person, for urban uses, the efficiency of a community's use of land can be evaluated. The figures indicate that the Monterey County's population growth is characterized by an increasingly less efficient use of land.

Between 1984 and 1996, development in Monterey County resulted in an increase in built-up urban land of 6,664 acres, a 15.6% increase. During the same period, Monterey County's population increased by 41,800 persons, a 13.1% increase. The use of land for urban purposes has been increasing faster than population growth, and each new resident is requiring more land for urban purposes than each existing resident has required in the past. For every 1,000 new residents coming to Monterey County during the 1984 to 1996 period, 159 acres of land were committed to urban uses. In 1984, only 134 acres of land were committed to urban uses for each 1000 residents (Table 4). If current trends continue, urban land uses will consume an additional 23,800 acres by the year 2020.

When compared to other counties in the state, Monterey County's efficiency in the use of land is near the bottom, ranked second to Merced County, which committed 185 acres to urban uses for every 1,000 new residents. San Benito County committed 109 acres for each 1000 new residents, and Santa Cruz County committed 40. Of the counties reviewed (Table 5), only Monterey County and Merced County had a greater percent increase in urban built-up lands than in population growth.

Table 4--Expansion of Urban Lands Per 1000 New Residents, Various Counties

1984
1996
Change
% Increase
Expansion of Urban Lands (Acres)

Merced

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

21,277

30,181

8,904

0.418%

184.73

Population

150,200

198,400

48,200

0.321%

Monterey

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

42,586

49,230

6,644

0.156%

158.95

Population

318,400

360,200

41,800

0.131%

Napa County

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

17,593

20,318

2,725

0.155%

158.43

Population

101,800

119,000

17,200

0.169%

Ventura

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

77,347

93,083

15,736

0.203%

115.62

Population

578,700

714,800

136,100

0.235%

San Benito

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

4,376

6,120

1,744

0.399%

109.34

Population

28,050

44,000

15,950

0.569%

Contra Costa

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

118,759

136,242

17,483

0.147%

95.12

Population

694,100

877,900

183,800

0.265%

Santa Barbara

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

53,342

59,265

5,923

0.111%

87.75

Population

326,200

393,700

67,500

0.207%

San Luis Obispo

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

33,657

37,061

3,404

0.101%

59.51

Population

173,500

230,700

57,200

0.33%

Sonoma

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

58,533

64,100

5,567

0.095%

54.9

Population

323,100

424,500

101,400

0.314%

Santa Cruz

Urban Built-up Land (Acres)

26,052

27,708

1,656

0.064%

39.52

Population

201,700

243,600

41,900

0.208%

Source: California Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit
California Department of Conservation, Farmland Mapping Program


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LandWatch's mission is to protect Monterey County's future by addressing climate change, community health, and social inequities in housing and infrastructure. By encouraging greater public participation in planning, we connect people to government, address human needs and inspire conservation of natural resources.

 

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