The consequence of a lack of effective code enforcement is a spiraling pattern of code violation. This means that your neighbor may decide to turn his house into a farmworker labor camp, or grade in a new vineyard on a steep slope, threatening your property downhill. It may mean a major business ripping out hundreds of oak trees, without a permit, or timber harvesting without proper planning or oversight. The only antidote to the pandemic of code violation is effective code enforcement. A local group in Monterey County, calling themselves the “Code Rangers,” has been pushing this issue for the last several years. If you care about the issue, you can speak out tomorrow. See the KUSP website for more information.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Monterey County Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda.htm

The “Community General Plan,” supported by LandWatch Monterey County and seventeen other local community organizations, has a policy establishing a “Citizen Attorney General” mechanism, to help stop widespread code violation. The policy language is found on Pages 235-236 of the “Community General Plan.” The Plan is available at
http://www.8of10monterey.com/pages/community/
gpu/cgpdocs/27AdministrationEnforcement.pdf.

 

The City of Marina gets lots of coverage on this Land Use Report. That’s generally because there is so much development activity in Marina. Two or three major projects are underway on the former Fort Ord, and the City is also considering a large subdivision on the North side of the City, on that portion of the Armstrong Ranch located within the current City limits. Lots of smaller developments are underway as well, including efforts to rejuvenate the City’s “downtown” area.

Marina is also notable for what is not being developed. It’s the only city in Monterey County that has a voter?]adopted Urban Growth Boundary, adopted by a voter initiative in 1990. Adopting an Urban Growth Boundary is the best way for city residents to prevent their city from sprawling out onto adjacent agricultural and open space land. In the case of Marina, the Urban Growth Boundary stopped a proposed development on a large portion of the Armstrong Ranch not in the City. Instead of a Silicon Valley style subdivision, Marina voters have preserved the land for grazing and irrigated agriculture.

Tonight, the Marina City Council will consider General Plan Amendments that will formally include the Urban Growth Boundary initiative policies into the Marina General Plan. The voters of Marina have a lot to celebrate. If you want to see the “payoff” for what was a mammoth citizen struggle for good planning, come to the Marina City Hall this evening.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

City of Marina Website
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/

Marina City Council Agenda
http://www.ci.marina.ca.us/council1agenda.htm

The Monterey County “Community General Plan,” sponsored by eighteen community organizations, proposes a land use future for Monterey County that is faithful to the Twelve Guiding Objectives that were adopted by the Board of Supervisors at the start of the General Plan Update process. Guiding Objective #3 says that the County should “preserve a distinction between urban and rural areas. Channel new growth to areas already committed to an urban level of development… [and] preserve rural areas for resource-based industries … [like] …farming, … natural resource protection, and open space recreation….”

Guiding Objective #3, in other words, says both where growth should not go, and where it should go. Where it should go is within areas “already committed to an urban level of development,” which means the twelve cities in Monterey County, as well as those areas that seem like cities, even if they’re not. Castroville, right at the junction of three major state highways, definitely qualifies, and it’s an area that the “Community General Plan” designates for new growth. The County agrees. Using the tools of the County’s Redevelopment Agency, Monterey County is preparing for new growth in Castroville. If you’d like more information, consider attending tonight’s meeting of the Castroville Redevelopment Citizens Advisory Subcommittee. It starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Castroville Elementary School Cafeteria.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

The Castroville Elementary School is located at 11161 Merritt Street, Castroville.

County Housing and Redevelopment Agency
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/housing/

The Community General Plan
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
countyplan/012805communitygpu.html

As mentioned yesterday, eighteen community organizations in Monterey County have developed a “Community General Plan.” For more information, click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org.

The community groups undertook the daunting task of developing a citizen-based General Plan last June, after the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted to “start over” on their General Plan Update. The Board’s “start over” vote discarded a General Plan document (known as GPU3) that was recommended by the Planning Commission. That GPU3 document, incidentally, had taken five years, and $5 million dollars, to prepare. When the Board rejected it, the community groups vowed to develop a new General Plan themselves, “better, faster, and cheaper.”

The community groups weren’t the only ones to decide to write their own version of what a General Plan should look like. A group of developer and business interests, who had lobbied strongly to have the Board discard the GPU3 document, then took that document and rewrote it, to make it friendly to development interests. The resulting Plan is commonly known as the “Refinement Group” plan, but the developers are calling it the “Plan for the People.” If you’d like to find out more, there’s a breakfast on Friday, April 15th, at the Rancho Canada Golf Club. There is more information at the KUSP website.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Community General Plan
http://www.8of10monterey.com/pages/
community/gpu/communitygpu.html

Refinement Group Plan
http://www.refinegpu.org/Click%20here%20to%20view%20
or%20download%20RG%20work%20products.htm

The April 15th breakfast will be held at the Rancho Canada Gold Club, 4860 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel, from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. Cost is $10. To RSVP and for more information, please call Caroll Mendoza – 831-455-9998.

On April 11th, the Central Coast Commercial Sustainability Network will be holding an event focusing on “Water Resources and Technologies in Agriculture.” The program will focus specifically on the technology of water conservation and water quality. If you’d like to participate, you can get more information by clicking on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org.

The C3SN, as it calls itself, is a professional network dedicated to restorative and responsible commerce, sustainable business development, and “green capitalism,” providing networking and co-learning opportunities. The purpose of the group is to facilitate and accelerate the development of businesses and industries with sustainability at their core. Anyone interested in the theme of "commercial sustainability" or “sustainable business” is welcome to join. You become a member when you attend a meeting, because (as the group puts it), “90% of life is about showing up.”

C3SN has been meeting on the first Monday of every other month since February 2002, and has addressed topics like “Sustainability Reporting,” “Renewable Energy,” “Green Building,” “Fair Trade,” "Models of Sustainability," and many others.

Putting business and environmental sustainability together is a goal worth working for. Here’s a locally?]based group that is making an effort to do just that.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Central Coast Commercial Sustainability Network
http://www.cccsn.net/

Event Announcement
http://www.cccsn.net/events.html

For questions about the Central Coast Commercial Sustainability Network, or to register for the event, please contact Daniel Robin at , or by calling him at (831) 761-0700.