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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of March 7, 2005 to March 11, 2005
Week of March 7, 2005 to March 11, 2005
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 7, 2005 to March 11, 2005
- Monday, March 7, 2005 – Coast Hotel Referendum
- Tuesday, March 8, 2005 – A “Special Consideration” Procedure
- Wednesday, March 9, 2005 – Elkhorn Slough
- Thursday, March 10, 2005 – Wildflower Trips
- Friday, March 11, 2005 – The LRDP
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 7, 2005 – Coast Hotel Referendum |
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| When the Santa Cruz City Council and the County Board of Supervisors joined together to develop Lighthouse Field in the 1970’s, those governmental bodies weren’t just judging a development proposal advanced by someone else. They were the developer. The situation is exactly the same in the case of the proposed Coast Hotel project. The City Council isn’t just judging whether a proposal by the Hotel will be good for the local economy, environment, and social equity. In voting on this project, City officials were in fact voting on a project that they had help develop themselves, and in which they have an ownership stake. Again, this is exactly comparable to what happened when the City Council wanted to build the Convention Center on Lighthouse Field.
Naturally, elected officials can become defensive when their constituents directly challenge their good judgment, as in the current referendum effort, or as by the initiative measure that went on the ballot in 1974, to stop the Lighthouse Field Convention Center. However, I think it’s actually a good sign that democracy is alive and well when it is possible for citizens to bring important items to a popular vote, and particularly when their elected officials have made decisions on projects that those elected officials helped design themselves. This is really the only way a community can tell whether the majority truly supports what the Council has proposed. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Tuesday, March 8, 2005 – A “Special Consideration” Procedure |
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A landowner or developer usually requests a land use approval by filing an application. There is a good deal of interaction between the applicant and the staff, with extensive staff analysis, and the application is then set for a public hearing before the Planning Commission. For many applications, the Planning Commission decision is final, unless someone who has been opposing the application files an appeal to the Board of Supervisors. This is basic due process, and seems fair on its face; however, appeal fees are actually quite high. I’m not sure exactly what they are in Santa Cruz County, but in Monterey County, it costs about $2,500 to appeal to the Board of Supervisors. Neighbors impacted by a project often don’t have the economic means to challenge a development approval, when the cost of appeal is that high. A procedural innovation adopted in Santa Cruz County helps address this issue, and a couple of examples of how the procedure works are on today’s Board agenda. After approval by the Planning Commission, any member of the Board can set an item for “special consideration,” if that Supervisor believes that the Planning Commission decision was wrong. No appeal fees need to be paid. This is a kind of safety valve that can get important planning matters to a decision before the full Board, without making neighbors pay $2,500 just to get a hearing. Monterey County might consider doing something comparable. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Wednesday, March 9, 2005 – Elkhorn Slough |
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Local government decisions impact the use we make of land, and have a profound economic, social, and environmental impact. The land itself, of course, upon which our land use decisions impinge, was formed by historical and natural processes that have made it what it is today. If you’d like to learn about the historical and natural processes that have helped form Elkhorn Slough, you shouldn’t miss a lecture scheduled for this evening at 7:00 p.m. The Friends of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and The Elkhorn Slough Foundation are presenting a “Glimpse Into the Past, and Below the Surface of Elkhorn Slough Tidal Habitats.” You need to make a reservation, so if you’re interested, call 831-771-4100 right now. Presenters are Andrea Woolfolk and Eric Van Dyke of the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Dr. Rikk Kvitek, Director for CSU Monterey Bay Seafloor Mapping. Using historical records, maps, sediment cores and aerial photographs, these researchers will be able to demonstrate how tidal scour and bank erosion are significantly changing the Slough, and explain why it’s vital to conserve, enhance, and restore tidal habitats. I’ve seen some of this fascinating research presented before, and recommend this lecture. There’s more information at www.kusp.org. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Thursday, March 10, 2005 – Wildflower Trips |
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I am always trying to send listeners off to one meeting or another, and I don’t repent. Really, these meetings are important. However, I do know that there are lots of KUSP listeners who would rather experience our natural environment directly, instead of showing up at meetings held in governmental venues of various sorts, to wait for what are often interminable periods of time, to be able to speak for what are usually very brief periods, about the key land use issues that will so profoundly affect our future. Have I got a deal for you! This coming Sunday, on March 13th, you can join local resident and trip leader Al Washburn and botanist Bruce Delgado on a visit to a private cabin on Garzas Creek, in the Carmel Valley area. This excursion is officially billed as a “wildflower walk,” and you’re invited. You’ll be able to take a gentle walk along the creek, or head out for a more strenuous hike up to the steep surrounding hills. You’ll see typical riparian vegetation, including a good variety of ferns, as well as wildflowers. If you’d like to participate, you should assemble behind Brinton’s hardware, 546 Carmel Rancho Boulevard in Carmel Valley, on Sunday morning, and be prepared to carpool. The group will leave at 9:00 a.m. sharp. You should bring a lunch. For more information on this great wildflower walk, click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Friday, March 11, 2005 – The LRDP |
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Decisions made by the University of California at Santa Cruz, in connection with their current Long Range Development Plan, or LRDP, proceedings, will profoundly impact the City. Here’s what the City says: “In general … the LRDP planning process… [failed to take into] consideration … whether or not the City has the capacity to absorb the amount of growth proposed…. The … planning process should have taken into consideration … off-campus housing supply, capacity of streets to carry additional trips, water supply, and other City services and infrastructure ….” In short, the University is proposing to act unilaterally, without taking account of community impacts. Why would UCSC do that? Because they can. The University of California is insulated, by provisions of the California Constitution, from any direct local control. The only way to affect what the University does (if they’re not in the mind to pay attention to local government) is for the State Legislature to exercise some discipline. The Legislature can do that, though not directly, through its budgetary powers. Assembly Member John Laird, UCSC Alumnus, former Mayor of the City of Santa Cruz, and now the head of the Assembly Budget Committee, is in a key position. If you’ve got an opinion, you might let John Laird know. His contact information is at www.kusp.org. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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Archives of past transcripts are available here
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