LandWatch Authors Joint Letter on Fort Ord Housing

LandWatch Monterey County ~ Marina 2020 Vision
League of Women Voters Of The Monterey Peninsula
National Audubon ~ Citizens For Responsible Growth
Friends Meeting Of The Monterey Peninsula
Highway 68 Coalition ~ Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club
Alisal Teachers Association ~ Save Our Air Resources

Dear Editor:

Congress Member Sam Farr has proposed stronger provisions for affordable housing on Fort Ord. The individuals and organizations listed here applaud the idea of increasing the amount of affordable housing within our community.

The people of Monterey County are the inheritors and protectors of great natural and environmental treasures, like the Monterey Bay, Big Sur, Elkhorn Slough, and the rich farmlands of the Salinas Valley. As local, state, and national leaders make the difficult choices necessary to protect these environmental treasures, we need to make certain that our planning decisions also speak to the needs of the local economy, and to concerns of social equity.

Increasing the amount of affordable housing to be constructed within the number of allowable dwelling to be built on the former Fort Ord will help meet the critical need for local workforce housing for essential occupations, like teachers, firefighters, and police officers, and for the many farmworkers, hospitality workers, and other lower income persons who provide vital services for our leading industries. Environmental protection, coupled with a positive program for responsible economic development and social equity, is just what our community needs.

We are anxious to work with Congress Member Farr and the affected local governments to make more affordable housing at Fort Ord a reality, not just a dream.

Signed:

Gary A. Patton, Executive Director
LandWatch Monterey County (759-2824)

Vivian Sala, President
League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula (648-8683)

Bill Yeates, Spokesperson
National Audubon (916-860-2000)

Sue Loucks, President
Alisal Teachers Association (449-4392)

Gillian Taylor, Chair
Ventana Chapter, Sierra Club (659-0298)

Ken Gray, Chair
Marina 2020 Vision (384-5119)

Mike Weaver, Chair
The Highway 68 Coalition (484-1339)

Linda G. Millerick, Chair
Save Our Air Resources/SOAR (484-2834)

Alex Urciuoli, Board Member
Citizens For Responsible Growth (772-9757)

Sandy Hale, Clerk
Friends Meeting of the Monterey Peninsula (582-3035)

Patie McCracken, Principal
PM Consulting Group (655-4448)

Thomas P. Moore, Ph.D.
Marina, California (384-3234)

Linda Murdock
Aromas, California (726-7199)

Walter Fleming
Monterey, California (375-1842)