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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of September 5, 2011 to September 9, 2011
Week of September 5, 2011 to September 9, 2011
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 September 5, 2011 to September 9, 2011
- Monday, September 5, 2011
Senate Bill 791: Show Me The Money!
- Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Neighborhood Improvements in Monterey
- Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Corral de Tierra Shopping Center
- Thursday, September 8, 2011
Watsonville Certified Farmers Market
- Friday, September 9, 2011
A Workshop Scheduled On Regulatory Reform
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary A. Patton. The Wittwer & Parkin law firm is located in Santa Cruz, California, and practices environmental and governmental law. As part of its practice, the law firm files litigation and takes other action on behalf of its clients, which are typically private individuals, governmental agencies, environmental organizations, or community groups. Whenever the Land Use Report comments on an issue with which the Wittwer & Parkin law firm is involved on behalf of a client, Mr. Patton will make this relationship clear, as part of his commentary. Mr. Patton’s comments do not represent the views of Wittwer & Parkin, LLP, KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.
| Monday, September 5, 2011 Senate Bill 791: Show Me The Money! |
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“Show me the money!” is a famous line from a well-regarded movie. Though the movie was about a sports manager, the phrase has resonance in lots of contexts. This morning, let’s apply it to transportation. People hate being stuck in traffic. Elected officials, at all levels, hear about this problem all the time, and while the problem comes from poor land use planning, the “solution” most often suggested is to build more roads. Transportation planners have noted that building new roads actually “induces” new demand, so that the road-building strategy doesn’t actually work. The new congestion-free roadway stimulates more people to get into their cars, and the final result is the same old level of congestion, but with another lane of cars now stuck in the jam. There are obvious environmental impacts associated with road-building, but the difficulty most often encountered is aptly identified by that line from Jerry Maguire: “show me the money!” Building roads is fantastically expensive, so how would we even pay for that? State Senator Darrell Steinberg wants to allow regional transportation agencies to raise money to reduce congestion by imposing a per-gallon fee on local fuel purchases. All such increases would require approval from a majority of local voters. At least one environmental group thinks that this is a good idea. Check the links in today’s Land Use Report to find out more. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Tuesday, September 6, 2011 Neighborhood Improvements in Monterey |
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This afternoon, the Monterey City Council is going to be meeting, starting at 4:00 p.m. If you are a City resident, you might want to show up; you are, of course, very cordially invited not only to attend, but also to participate. I’ve put a link to the agenda in today’s transcript. The Council’s afternoon session will focus on the City’s Neighborhood Improvement Program. This is a pretty impressive and unusual program. Part of the tax proceeds generated from tourism in the City of Monterey is set aside, specifically, to fund improvements that local neighborhoods think are a priority. The neighborhoods themselves have a big say in how the money gets spent, and the overall idea is that a city that is a tourist destination will inevitably find that bringing tourists to town, while good for the local economy in general, is something that often has negative impacts in the city’s neighborhoods; therefore, the tourists should help fund projects that will help offset some of these neighborhood impacts. As I say, this is an unusual and I think very impressive program. It came out of a citizen initiative in Monterey, quite a long time ago, now. A major review of the program seems to be contemplated, and the City Council will also decide whether or not to proceed with a number of neighborhood projects that have been authorized but not constructed. Remember, that’s 4:00 o’clock this afternoon, at the Monterey City Hall. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Wednesday, September 7, 2011 Corral de Tierra Shopping Center |
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The Monterey County Board of Supervisors has set October 4th as the date on which they will next consider a proposed shopping center development at the corner of Corral de Tierra Road and Highway 68. If approved, this development would impact almost every resident of Monterey County, because of the significant impacts that the project could have on Highway 68. Highway 68 runs from Salinas to Monterey, and is used by almost every Monterey County resident. It’s a scenic road whose scenic qualities are increasingly imposed upon by new development, and it’s a major transportation link between the Salinas Valley and both Carmel Valley and the Monterey Peninsula. If you are a Monterey County resident, you might want to mark your calendar for the October 4th hearing. The proposed Corral de Tierra project has a long history, and while the Board has turned down previous proposals, it hasn’t done that by simply saying, “no,” but has allowed the developer to keep its permit application alive, and to try to redesign the project to respond to the significant community concerns that the Board has continually heard about from literally hundreds of people. The most recent issue is groundwater pollution. You can get more information by clicking on the Land Use Report icon on the KUSP website, and then tracking down the written transcript of today’s Land Use Report. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Thursday, September 8, 2011 Watsonville Certified Farmers Market |
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The law firm with which I am associated has been representing local residents concerned about the neighborhood and environmental impacts of activities carried out on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. One of the basic concerns has been that the Fair comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, as it considers new uses on the Fairgrounds property. CEQA establishes a process that allows for significant public participation. Currently, the Fair Board is considering whether or not to allow a Certified Farmers Market to be held at the Fairgrounds. The Market would essentially be open every Sunday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and would be located west of the main office building and parking lot. 140-185 vendors would be permitted. The event would attract approximately 1,400 to 2,000 daily visitors. Both traffic and noise impacts could be expected. Interested persons on all sides might want to track down information on this current proposal, and then to submit comments. I mentioned this item in an earlier Report, but the deadline for comments has now been extended, and the current deadline is September 19th. There is a link to the AMBAG website in today’s transcript, as well as to the AMBAG Board Agenda. I encourage listeners to sign up for the AMBAG Clearinghouse Review, to get notices on important land use items in the Monterey Bay Area. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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| Friday, September 9, 2011 A Workshop Scheduled On Regulatory Reform |
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Almost every California city or county has a planning commission, and while the usual case is for the decisions of these commissions to be advisory, the commissions can sometimes act independently, subject only to an appeal to the City Council or the Board of Supervisors. In either case, those concerned about land use and planning issues need to pay attention to what the local planning commission is doing. Here’s a rundown of what the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission will be doing at its next meeting, to be held on Wednesday, September 14th, starting at 9:00 o’clock in the morning. The Commission will consider a proposed General Plan Amendment and rezoning for property located on the east side of Porter Street in the Soquel Planning Area. It will also undertake a compliance review of operations at the Olive Springs Quarry. Probably most importantly, the Commission will hold a public workshop to consider proposed changes to the General Plan and to Chapters 13.10 and 16.10 of the Santa Cruz County Code. These proposed changes would modify regulations regarding legal nonconforming structures and uses, and would modify regulations for commercial uses, including revising certain parking standards. The changes are proposed as an effort to simplify current procedures, and these changes could be important both to property owners and neighbors. I encourage your involvement. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
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Archives of past transcripts are available here
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