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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of May 30, 2005 to June 3, 2005
Week of May 30, 2005 to June 3, 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 May 30, 2005 to June 3, 2005
- Monday, May 30, 2005 – LAFCO And Water
- Tuesday, May 31, 2005 – Greenfield’s Growth Plan
- Wednesday, June 1, 2005 – Green Building Forum
- Thursday, June 2, 2005 – Water Supply Issues on Community TV
- Friday, June 3, 2005 – Coyote Valley Action
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, May 30, 2005 – LAFCO And Water |
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On Wednesday, June 1st, at 9:30 in the morning, the Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission (or LAFCO) will focus on one of the most important land use issues facing the Central Coast: water. Specifically, the Commission has scheduled a special presentation by Mary Bannister, the Technical Division Manager of the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency. Of all the water supplies in Santa Cruz County, hydrologists estimate that the aquifers in the Pajaro Valley have the largest overdraft. Since the Pajaro Basin underlies much of North Monterey County, as well as the Southern portion of Santa Cruz County, the presentation scheduled in front of the Santa Cruz County LAFCO may be of interest to Monterey County residents, as well. Water supply is a major factor in LAFCO decisions on boundary changes and Spheres of Influence. In Monterey County, water supply is (or at least ought to be) a fundamental concern of the Board of Supervisors, as the Board makes decisions about proposals that call for more development. An area is said to be suffering from groundwater “overdraft” when more water is being extracted from the underlying aquifer (or water basin) than is being returned to it. It‘s like “overdrafting“ a bank account. If you continue to do that, at some point in the future you‘ll have real problems. That future may be now! Come listen to Mary Bannister, this coming Wednesday, and decide what you think. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Tuesday, May 31, 2005 – Greenfield’s Growth Plan |
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Greenfield is a relatively small city in the southern part of the Salinas Valley. Currently, Greenfield’s population is approximately 13,000 persons, but a proposal to modify the Greenfield General Plan would change all that. A proposed General Plan Update suggests that the City’s population should reach 36,000 persons by the year 2025. That would mean an annual growth rate of about 8.9%, with cumulative growth totaling 177% over the next twenty years. The result would be a City with almost triple the current population. Growth and development at this speed would radically change the character of the community, and would have major environmental effects. That projected rate of growth would make Greenfield one of the fastest growing communities in the State of California, and because job growth inside Greenfield would not be expected to keep pace, this plan for the City would put thousands (in fact probably tens of thousands) of commuters onto Highway 101, heading north to Salinas, the Monterey Peninsula, and the Silicon Valley. Greenfield, in other words, is planning for a future that will perpetuate the kind of commuting patterns that have profoundly transformed the California landscape, as farm fields are converted to urban sprawl. If you’d like to have your say about this plan, don’t miss the City Council meeting tonight, at the Greenfield City Hall. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Wednesday, June 1, 2005 – Green Building Forum |
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A week or so ago, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors decided to delete references to a “green building manual” from their proposed General Plan Update document. Today, a community planning forum focusing on “green building” is being held at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, located at 8272 Moss Landing Road in Moss Landing. Attending this forum might be an antidote to the attitude that led to the Board’s action. I’m sorry not to be able to give you more notice, but since the forum gets underway at 1:00 o’clock this afternoon, you’ve still got time. There is more information at www.kusp.org. This afternoon’s forum is jointly sponsored by Santa Cruz County, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, and other local agencies, and will examine community sustainability and the kind of integrated design principles that really ought to guide our future growth. Marc Richmond, Vice President of “What’s Working,” a nationally-recognized company that transforms markets in the residential green building sector, will be the keynote speaker. As he says, “buyers of homes and commercial buildings are now asking for ‘green’ features when they come to an architect’s office.” Examples of cost savings, resource and waste reduction, and greater sustainability are some of the topics that will be discussed. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Thursday, June 2, 2005 – Water Supply Issues on Community TV |
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Water supply questions are at the center of land use policy issues throughout the Central Coast. The main water source for the Monterey Peninsula is the Carmel River, and current use exceeds what might be called the “safe yield” of this water source, so that the local water agency faces a legal requirement to reduce its current diversions from the Carmel River by about 10,000 acre feet per year. The Salinas Valley is suffering from groundwater overdraft, and from saltwater intrusion that now extends from the coast almost to the Salinas city limits. North Monterey County has an even more severe groundwater overdraft problem. Areas within the Santa Cruz County part of the Pajaro Valley are facing a difficult future as well. In Santa Cruz County, mid-county areas are facing significant water constraints, as is the City of Santa Cruz. Water problems in Scotts Valley are also significant. In the near future, I’ll try to focus some more on water issues, as they relate to land use. For the moment, let me alert you to a special program that will air on Santa Cruz County Community Television, Channels 25 and 71, during the remainder of June. Air time is 7:00 p.m. on Mondays, and 8:00 p.m. on Fridays. Water experts will discuss the problems with Maryanne Rehberg, Executive Director of Community Television. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Friday, June 3, 2005 – Coyote Valley Action |
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Greenbelt Alliance is the San Francisco Bay Area's leading land conservation and urban planning organization, with offices, among other places, in both San Francisco and San Jose. Recently, Greenbelt Alliance has been honored by the Congress for the New Urbanism, an extremely prestigious national group, for having produced Getting it Right: Preventing Sprawl in Coyote Valley. Getting it Right is a comprehensive vision for a compact, walkable, transit-friendly community in San Jose's Coyote Valley, which is a 6,800-acre agricultural valley on the city's southeastern edge. Greenbelt Alliance hopes that San Jose's leaders will use Getting it Right as a tool to make the Coyote Valley a national model of good planning. However, that’s certainly not going to be automatic. According to a bulletin from Greenbelt Alliance, San Jose’s most recent Specific Plan is not heading in the right direction. San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Monterey County residents have a big stake in what San Jose does in the Coyote Valley. If the development there isn’t truly “smart growth,” balancing jobs and housing, the likely impact of future development will be to “spin off” housing demand to adjacent areas, placing increased pressures on agricultural and natural lands. Find out how you can get involved by clicking on the Land Use Report link 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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