These weekday Land Use Reports are always just under a minute and a half long. If I started listing all the land use related items on tomorrow’s agenda of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, I don’t think I could finish before my time ran out. So, here is my suggestion: visit the Land Use Report blog at kusp.org/landuse, and check out the Board’s agenda for yourself. Here is just a “partial list of” the important items you will find:

• An action to change the legal description for the East Cliff Drive Bluff Stabilization Project.

• Proposed amendments to the regulations governing the placement of wireless facilities in unincorporated areas in Santa Cruz County.

• An appeal hearing on a land division and other approvals related to a development project that would have a lot of impacts on the Lower Winkle Avenue neighborhood, and

• The possible creation of a Parks and Open Space District for Santa Cruz County.

In connection with that last item, The Rural Land Alliance, which is quite concerned about the possible designation of the Coast Dairies lands on the Santa Cruz County North Coast as a national monument, has been trying to get people to attend and speak out on what they call a “Study Session.” I have a link to their website, too. Check out their concerns, and think about attending that Board meeting tomorrow. Getting personally involved, and being there yourself, does make a big difference!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Agenda, August 18, 2015
• East Cliff Drive Bluff Stabilization Project
• Proposed Amendments To The Wireless Facilities Ordinance
• Winkle Avenue Development Appeal
• Parks And Open Space District
• Rural Land Alliance Website  
• Study Session on National Monument Designation

The Marina City Council meets tonight, and this meeting is FAR too important to miss. That is actually an “inside joke,” because “FAR,” in this case, is spelled capital “F,” capital “A,” and capital “R.” That acronym means “Floor Area Ratio,” and the FAR required by zoning regulations will determine the shape and character of future land use development almost the way that DNA governs the shape and the character of the future development of biological organisms.

The Council meeting tonight begins at 6:30, and Agenda Item #9 is a public hearing to consider reducing the FAR for certain areas within the Dunes on Monterey Bay Specific Plan area in Marina (formerly called University Villages). The lands involved are on the Former Fort Ord, and the Monterey Bay Partisan online blog has a long article discussing the impacts that would be occasioned by this change. Read that, and read the materials in the agenda packet for tonight’s meeting of the City Council, and I bet you will agree that the debate tonight is of the utmost importance.

The proposal to be considered tonight would allow a single developer to avoid the rules intended to generate a higher density, “smart growth” type of development. Developers are mostly focused on the profitability of THEIR project, not on the long term shape of the community. So, check it out!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Marina City Council Agenda Packet, August 18, 2015 Meeting
• Monterey Bay Partisan Article on FAR Debate

Members of the public who would like to have a positive impact on the land use rules and regulations that govern the future shape and character of their community face a number of real problems. One of these problems is that local land use rules and regulations are complex and detailed, and must reflect mandates coming from the state legislature, which are also complex and detailed. In short, land use policy regulations are often hard to understand!

Nonetheless, land use policy is critically important. It would be hard to overstate, for instance, the importance of the rules and regulations governing the future development of housing within the community. Where, and how much, housing will be produced, and what kind of housing it will be, are issues of determinative importance to every one of our local communities. As mentioned yesterday, obscure rules mandating the FAR, or “Floor Area Ratio,” permitted in various areas in the community are like DNA. These rules, depending on what they say, will cause housing to be built at a lower or at a higher density (which can be either good or bad, depending on the neighborhood, and the state of local infrastructure). And FAR is only one of a number of key rules.

There is no “shortcut” around engaging with the rules and regulations. Tomorrow night, the City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission considers the Housing Element of the City General Plan. Think about attending. The meeting begins at 7:00 o’clock.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• August 20, 2015 Agenda, City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission

I have to confess a growing affection for the Monterey Bay Partisan, an online blog that follows land use and other community issues in Monterey County. It’s free to subscribe, though contributions are welcome. The publisher of the Monterey Bay Partisan is the former editor of the Monterey Herald newspaper, and what I most appreciate about the Partisan is the “heads up” it provides about important land use and related matters.

A posting in the Partisan on August 11th, reported on a recent court decision that mandated that local farmers must do more to clean up toxics and nutrients that are generated from their agricultural runoff. This was a Superior Court decision, meaning that it is definitely subject to appeal, but I think that the decision is a significant one.

There really is no doubt but that agricultural runoff can have detrimental environmental effects. There is also no doubt that agriculture is a key component of our local economy, and the rules that govern how agriculture is conducted do need to be designed in a way that won’t make agriculture impossible.

In October 2013, the State Water Resources Control Board, the state agency with ultimate authority, issued an order that some environmental groups thought was not strong enough, in terms of environmental protection. The court essentially agreed, directing the State Board to reconsider its ruling.

There is more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Monterey Bay Partisan Sign-Up Page
• Monterey Bay Partisan Article on Ag Runoff
• Otter Project Website And Links To Key Documents
• Copy of Superior Court Decision

I live in the City of Santa Cruz, and I subscribe to one of the online neighborhood bulletin boards that provide “heads up” alerts on everything from lost dogs and cats to the next important meeting of the City Council. Thanks to that “Nextdoor” bulletin, I am reminded to tell City residents that some important planning sessions are coming up, ones of particular interest to residents who live on or adjacent to Mission Street, Ocean Street, Soquel Avenue, and Water Street. These important transportation corridors are getting some special treatment from the City, which has hired a consulting firm to do detailed planning for future growth along the corridors.

Tomorrow, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the consultants will be holding a workshop on their corridor planning recommendations at the Louden Nelson Community Center, located at 301 Center Street in downtown Santa Cruz. This is a “kick off” meeting, and all of the corridors will be discussed. There will be more focused workshops held on subsequent dates.

I have more information in today’s Land Use Report blog, found at kusp.org/landuse. I urge City residents to get involved in this corridor planning effort. The decisions ultimately made by the City Council, on density, and setbacks, and types of permitted development, will have profound impacts on the future shape and character of the community.

Remember, the meeting is tomorrow, Saturday August 22nd, at 1:00 p.m.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Nextdoor Website
• Corridor Workshops Flyer
• Staff Update On The Corridor Planning Process
• Existing Conditions Report – All Corridors