Big controversies can be expected tomorrow morning at the meeting of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. Sometime shortly after 9:00 o’clock, the Board will consider a proposal to adopt a General Plan Amendment and a rezoning on what is usually called the “Poor Clares” property, located right off Highway One at the State Park Drive Exit. You can get lots of information from the County’s website, and I’ve put the most important links into the transcript of today’s Land Use Report.

Many people in the Aptos area are offended by what is being proposed. You can tell that by reading all the letters and petitions that have been filed against the project proposal. For an environmental lawyer, it is puzzling to find that the County is not planning to do a full scale Environmental Impact Report on the proposed project. If a developer proposed what the County is proposing, it is very likely that the County would demand a full EIR. But the County is not demanding that of itself, even though the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, says that the basic rule is that a full EIR must be prepared when a government agency proposes to carry out or approve a project that may (not “will” but “may’) have a significant effect on the environment. Reading what’s in the Board’s agenda packet, it’s hard not to conclude that this project may well have very significant impacts, indeed.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Board of Supervisors’ Agenda
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/Govstream/
ASP/Display/SCCB_AgendaDisplayWeb.asp?MeetingDate=
5/12/2009

The full staff report can be downloaded. Find Agenda Item #68, and click on the highlighted agenda item number.

Public Resources Code Section 21100 (CEQA)
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?
section=prc&group=21001-22000&file=21100-21108

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is trying to meet obligations it assumed in November 2006, when it submitted its Housing Element for certification to the State. The County promised the State, at that time, to rezone thirty acres of property to a density of twenty units per acre, with what is called a “by right” provision attached to the zoning.

Normally, the designated zoning density on a property sets an “upper” but not a “lower” limit on the number of units that can be built. In the normal case, if the County has approved a twenty unit per acre designation, and then decides, later, at the project level, that fewer units should actually be built, the Board can simply approve a project with a reduced number of units. But a “by right” provision eliminates this flexibility. The property owner has a “right,” given by the zoning, to develop the maximum number of units. This is great for the property owner, but certainly does make it difficult to respond to neighborhood or environmental concerns. Since the County is proposing a “by right” zoning on the Poor Clares property, you’d think that the County would be going out of its way to study neighborhood and environmental concerns now, prior to making a decision to eliminate its future discretion. That, however, is not the case.

If you care about development on the Poor Clares property, today’s the day, staring at shortly after 9:00 o’clock at the County Government Center.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Board of Supervisors’ Agenda
http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/bds/Govstream/ASP/
Display/SCCB_AgendaDisplayWeb.asp?MeetingDate=5/12/2009

The full staff report can be downloaded. Find Agenda Item #68, and click on the highlighted agenda item number.

Since your personal involvement in land use policy issues and local government is what makes self-government work in the land use arena, I’m happy to announce a couple of pieces of good news for Monterey County residents who would like to get more engaged.

First, I want to alert you to an open house being held by the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. It’s scheduled for tomorrow evening, Thursday, May 14th, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the District Office, which is located at 5 Harris Court, Building G, in Ryan Ranch. I’ve put links to more information in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. It would be hard to overstate the importance of integrating water policy with land use policy, and this is clearly true within the area overseen by the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. Whether it’s land use issues in Carmel Valley, or a proposed hotel in Sand City, water availability is often the key ingredient!

I also have some good news for residents of the City of Marina. The City has a new and improved website, and you can now get a lot more information than was previously available online. As you may remember, there was a hotly contested race for Mayor, in Marina, and the victorious candidate, Mayor Bruce Delgado, promised to make Marina City government more responsive to local residents. Check out the City’s new website. That’s a very good sign!           

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information:

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District Website
http://www.mpwmd.dst.ca.us/

MPWMD Open House Flyer
http://www.mpwmd.dst.ca.us/whatsnew/whatsnew.htm

Map to the MPWMD Office
http://www.mpwmd.dst.ca.us/directions.htm

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

Last Saturday, I spoke at an event in Redwood City, right on the edge of the San Francisco Bay. The event was aimed at celebrating “American Wetlands Month,” and I couldn’t help but reflect that Monterey Bay Area residents, in many ways, are even better off than San Francisco Bay Area residents when it comes to “celebrating wetlands.” That’s because we have Elkhorn Slough in our neighborhood. Elkhorn Slough is an ecological treasure that provides much-needed habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals, including more than 340 species of birds.

Here’s some good news you can celebrate: the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is just getting ready to begin its 2009 Volunteer Training Class, and it invites you to participate. Share in the wealth of Elkhorn Slough and find out why wetlands are such a critically important part of our environment. Hunt out the hidden treasures of Elkhorn Slough, and revel in the stories of the seen and unseen wonders that Elkhorn Slough has to offer.

As a member of the 2009 Volunteer Training Class, you’ll join the hundreds of dedicated volunteers who have learned about this rare and beautiful coastal wetland, and who enjoy its recreational opportunities by teaching others. There is more information in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Elkhorn Slough Foundation Website
http://www.elkhornslough.org/

The Volunteer Class at Elkhorn Slough
http://www.elkhornslough.org/volunteer/volunteerclass.htm

Agricultural land preservation is the big concern about a proposal to subdivide land in the River Road area of Monterey County. Next Tuesday, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider the so-called Mohsin-Samoske subdivision. If you care about protecting farmland, consider marking your calendars!

Also on Tuesday May 19th, Santa Cruz City residents will have a chance to talk to UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal. Santa Cruz Neighbors is hosting the event, and is billing it as “a conversation with our guest.” The dialogue will take place in the Community Room at the City’s Police Headquarters, located at 155 Center Street. It begins at 7:00 p.m. and is slated to end at 8:30.

The University is seeking authority from the Local Agency Formation Commission (or LAFCO) to allow City water to be delivered to the UCSC “north campus” area. The University is asking for a commitment of 152 million gallons of City water each year, to service 3,000,000 square feet of new construction on the campus. This is actually an issue that affects Live Oak and Pasatiempo, too, since both Live Oak and Pasatiempo rely on City water, and the University may well be claiming all the water the City has to give!

There is more information on the KUSP website.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information

Santa Cruz Neighbors Website
www.santacruzneighbors.org

Agenda, Monterey County Board of Supervisors
http://publicagendas.co.monterey.ca.us/