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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of March 15, 2004 to March 19, 2004
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KUSP LandWatch
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ogo.gif" width="108" height="109" border="0"> "Listen Live" |
KUSP provided a brief Land Use Report on KUSP Radio from January 2003 to May 2016. Archives of past transcripts are available here.
Week of March 15, 2004 to March 19, 2004
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.
Monday,
March 15, 2004 – Toxic Cleanup at the Former Fort Ord
Toxic contamination is a major factor in land use policy, and there
is a whole branch of development, called “brownfields development,”
that attempts to recover and reclaim land that has been degraded
by toxic contamination. Key debates are going in California and
throughout the nation on how best to make sure that contaminated
sites are reclaimed and reused, without putting public health in
jeopardy. The kind of “infill” development that is sometimes
called “smart growth” absolutely demands that we find
a way to reuse and restore the sites that we’ve contaminated
by past bad practice.
A workshop seminar is scheduled for this afternoon (short notice I know), from 3:45 to 5:25, at Stanford Law School, Room #271. Margaret O’Mara, head of the Program for the Study of the North American West, is speaking on “High-Tech Development and Environmental Consequences.” Toxic contamination is certainly one of them. Organizations like the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition have been working on the issue for years.
Tomorrow, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., a Community Involvement Workshop will be held at the Ord Military Community Chapel, to discuss how toxic contamination is affecting the former Fort Ord. If you’d like further information, on any of these topics, please visit the KUSP website, at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
California Center For Land Recycling
http://www.cclr.org/U.S. EPA Brownfields Recovery Website
http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/rcrabf/index.htmlSilicon Valley Toxics Coalition
http://www.svtc.org/Fort Ord Cleanup Information
http://www.FortOrdCleanup.comReadings Available for O’Mara Presentation from Cynthia Delacruz
cdelacruz@stanford.edu
Tuesday, March 16, 2004 – Wednesday at the Monterey County
PC
Monterey County is currently preparing a General Plan Update. It’s
taken over four years, and four million dollars so far, and it looks
like decision time is now approaching. I hope that many Monterey
County listeners will be motivated to get involved. The local General
Plan is called the “Constitution for land use,” and there
is no more important document in the arena of land use policy.
Tomorrow morning, the Monterey County Planning Commission will hold a hearing focused on the “Economy, Jobs, and Housing.” More information can be found on the KUSP website. One reference listed is an “Economic Impact Analysis” of the proposed General Plan Update. That’s worth reading.
Among other things, the Economic Impact Analysis says that focusing new growth will be more cost-effective than allowing the kind of rural residential development that has been typical in the past. The Economic Impact Analysis also says that under current conditions <quote> “the County is better off with slower growth, as it tries to keep pace with increasing service demands.”
If you can’t attend tomorrow’s hearing, consider coming to an evening public hearing scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Monday, March 22nd. Prior to that hearing, LandWatch Monterey County is holding a General Plan Update training, on Saturday, March 20th. Check it all out at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Monterey County General Plan Update Website
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/Planning Commission Hearing Notice
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/meetings
/pc_hearingnotice0204.pdfEconomic Analysis of GPU
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/news/
ADE%20Econ%20Report%20022704.pdfJoint Citizen Letter on GPU
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
countyplan/030304joint.htmlAttend the LandWatch GPU “Boot Camp”
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
countyplan/031204bootcamp.html
Wednesday,
March 17, 2004 – Tomorrow Night: The UCSC LRDP
The University of California at Santa Cruz has had, and will continue
to have, a significant effect on the local economy and environment.
The UCSC Long Range Development Plan, currently under revision,
is important to the local community.
Because UCSC is a branch of the University of California, which has powers directly granted by the California State Constitution, the planning and development rules that prevail with respect to the future of UCSC are different from the planning and development rules that would otherwise be followed. In short, the University of California is not subject to local citizen control, as long as the University is carrying out a development program directly related to its academic mission.
There is a planning process followed by each local campus, including UCSC, but the Regents of the University of California, not local citizens, make the final decisions. The University does have to comply with the California Coastal Act, which places some substantive constraints on what the University can do, and with the California Environmental Quality Act, which is largely procedural.
Even though local citizens can’t directly control UCSC, they can definitely affect the decisions made. Tomorrow night, at 7:00 o’clock, the City Planning Commission will receive a presentation on the UCSC Long Range Development Plan. The meeting is at the Santa Cruz City Hall, and it’s open to the public.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Planning Commission Agenda, March 18th
http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pl/cpc/agenda.pdf
Thursday,
March 18, 2004 – Coastal Plan Review
Today, the California State Coastal Commission is meeting at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey, and will be reviewing the Monterey
County Local Coastal Program.
The Coastal Act has a special place in California planning law. Outside the Coastal Zone, local governments have very broad latitude to decide what developments to permit, or to prohibit, and what sort of conditions should apply to development proposals. Inside the Coastal Zone, local governments must meet the standards of the Coastal Act. In effect, the Coastal Act prohibits some developments (like a hotel right on the beach, for instance), and requires other developments, and development conditions (like the provision and protection of coastal access).
The legal requirements of the Coastal Act are incorporated into local planning law through what is called a “Local Coastal Program,” or LCP. Once an LCP is approved by the State Commission, the local government has development authority, but subject to the provisions of the LCP. Periodically, the State Commission reviews the local LCP, and suggests changes. That’s what’s happening now, with respect to the Monterey County LCP.
If you care about the coast, you’d probably like to find out more about this LCP review, and maybe get involved. Click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org for more information.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Coastal Commission Website
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/Agenda for March 17-18 Meeting
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/mtgcurr.htmlCoastal Commission LCP Review
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/recap/mco-lcp-review.htmlMost Current Coastal Commission Staff Report
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/sc/Th10a-3-2004.pdf
Friday,
March 19, 2004 – Action Pajaro Valley
Action Pajaro Valley is a citizens group that was deeply involved
in developing a community consensus for a 25-year growth plan for
the City of Watsonville. It’s hard to overstate the significance
of Measure U, largely developed by Action Pajaro Valley, and adopted
by Watsonville voters in November 2002. Measure U establishes an
enforceable Urban Growth Boundary for the City of Watsonville, which
is a big accomplishment.
When I first became a member of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors (this was in 1975) the unofficial planning policy of the City of Watsonville was encompassed in the phrase, “from the mountains to the sea.” The City’s plan was to grow from the foothills to the coast, and to heck with all the agricultural land in between. Thanks to Action Pajaro Valley, among others (and the Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission comes to mind), this vision of urban sprawl has now been replaced with a vision of more compact growth.
Action Pajaro Valley is now turning its attention to a proposed flood control project on the Pajaro River. If you’d like to get involved, mark your calendar for a meeting from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., on Thursday April 1st. The Action Pajaro Valley Advisory Board will be discussing both land use and the river. There is more information at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
For information on the April 1st meeting, contact APV at actionpajarovalley@earthlink.net , or call 831-786-8536
Sentinel Article on APV
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2004/
March/05/local/stories/03local.htmAction Pajaro Valley Website
http://www.actionpajarovalley.org/Text of Measure U
http://www.actionpajarovalley.org/ballot_main.htm
Archives of past transcripts are available here
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