Tell The Board of Supervisors What You Think!

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors will hold two public hearings in July, to receive public testimony about the proposed General Plan Update. The Board has also scheduled some “working sessions," without public testimony, to provide direction to County staff.

The schedule of these upcoming meetings is listed below. All Meetings Will Be In The County Courthouse, 240 Church Street, Salinas.

Please come testify at one of the public hearing sessions! It would also be wonderful to have a strong contingent at the other meetings, observing the proceedings. The Board of Supervisors is quite aware of who is “in the room" as they make key policy decisions. LandWatch urges our members and supporters to make the following points about the Draft General Plan Update:

1. The Board must be sure that the final plan directs new growth into areas already committed to an urban level of development, and strongly discourages new subdivisions in rural areas.
   
   
2. The Board should strongly encourage new commercial, industrial and residential development to provide actual, new, permanently affordable living quarters. LandWatch supports the “CHISPA Plan" that will require the developers of new residential subdivisions to provide 40% of the new dwelling units for persons with average and below average incomes—and that will permanently protect them for sale to persons of average and below average income.
   
   
3. The Board should promote, preserve and support agriculture and the industries that support it. (This is different from supporting the desire of large agricultural landowners to be able to develop their land for non-agricultural purposes, so as to be able to realize maximum profit from the development of such agricultural land).
   
   
4. The Board must ensure that there will be adequate infrastructure and public services for existing residents and businesses, and ensure that infrastructure and public services are available, fully funded and constructed concurrently with new development.
   
   
5. The Board should provide strong protections for the natural resources of Monterey County.
   
   
6. Finally, the Board should make sure that the GPU establishes a policy foundation for a permit process that will provide greater certainty to project applicants and the public alike, and that will simplify the review of projects that are consistent with the General Plan.

These policies are the “heart and soul" of the Draft GPU. By and large, the Draft GPU achieves these objectives (though it needs especially to be strengthened on affordable housing). The message to the Board of Supervisors should be to strengthen, not weaken, the Draft GPU that has been the subject of hearings before the Planning Commission.

The objectives listed above were included in the Draft GPU after an extensive public outreach process. These are the goals that the public wants to achieve. Tell the Board of Supervisors that you want them to adopt a Final General Plan that fully achieves these objectives.

If you can’t attend a public hearing, please let your Supervisor know your position. Contact information is found here on the LandWatch website.

Thanks for your help! For questions, don’t hesitate to call LandWatch.

Arianne Tucker, Administrative Director
LandWatch Monterey County
Box 1876
Salinas, CA 93902
Email: gapatton@mclw.org
Telephone: 831-759-2824, Ext. 11
FAX: 831-759-2825
Website: www.landwatch.org

[Return to County Plan Update Issues and Actions]

posted 07/05/02