The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors didn’t meet last week, but this week there are many important land use policy and project items on the Board’s agenda. The Board meets tomorrow, and you can get more information in today’s Land Use Report blog, at kusp.org/landuse.

Agenda Item #40 is related to what is being called the Board’s “Code Modernization Project.” This item, specifically, relates to commercial weddings, community events, and fundraisers in residential and agricultural zone districts. The staff recommendation is that the Board hear from the public, and then direct staff to prepare an Environmental Impact Report on the proposed changes. If you care, you really ought to get your comments in now!

Agenda Item #41 also recommends an Environmental Impact Report, this time on the so-called “Sustainable Santa Cruz County Plan.” This plan, like the so-called “Corridors Plan” in the City of Santa Cruz, would lead to higher densities and mixed-use developments along the County’s major transportation corridors.

Agenda Item #42 is to set next year’s growth goal. Agenda Item #43 is to take final action on some technical zoning changes, relating to conformity with the California Coastal Act. Agenda Item #45 is a proposed 20-unit residential subdivision on Rodriquez Street in Live Oak. Check out that Board agenda!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• September 29, 2015 Agenda, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Agenda Item #40
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Agenda Item #41
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Agenda Item #42
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Agenda Item #43
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Agenda Item #45

Today, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is addressing lots of important land use issues. The Santa Cruz City Council has some important land use issues on its agenda, too.

At 2:30, Item #6 on the Council’s Consent Agenda is a recommendation that the Council support the designation of the Coast Dairies land on the North Coast as a National Monument. As regular listeners know, this is actually a very controversial proposition, since one of the main effects of the designation would be to increase visitor trips. With Mission Street and Highway One already experiencing major traffic problems, particularly during the summer months, there really is a question whether attracting even more visitors will be to the longer term benefit of the environment, and whether traffic, public safety, and similar concerns are really being accounted for. If you care about this issue, you should be at City Hall tomorrow at 2:30!

There are some other land use and planning items on the Council’s afternoon agenda, including a report from the Water Supply Advisory Committee, and a proposal to change the direction of vehicular traffic on Pacific Avenue. At 7:00 p.m., the Council will consider approval for the 2014-2023 Housing Element, and a temporary moratorium on short-term vacation rentals. More information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• September 29, 2015 City Council Agenda
• Staff Report and Recommendation – National Monument Resolution: Consent Agenda Item #6
• September 11, 2015 Land Use Report: A Monument On The North Coast?
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Pacific Avenue Traffic: Afternoon Agenda Item #28
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Housing Element Adoption: Evening Agenda Item #1
• Staff Report and Recommendation – Vacation Rentals: Evening Agenda Item #2

The “market” system is supposed to make things affordable. The price of peanuts is set at a point at which the demand for peanuts and the supply of peanuts is in balance. If there isn’t enough supply, the price will rise, and more peanuts will be produced. If there is more supply than demand, the price will fall.

The housing market is not like the market for peanuts. Demand comes not just from people who need to have a house to shelter themselves, but also from those who want to invest in the real estate market. Investors don’t want housing for its own sake, and they price ordinary people out of the market. Consider Carmel. Something like fifty percent of the housing in Carmel has been purchased by people who don’t even live in our region, and who have outcompeted local workers and their families, in terms of price.

One partial solution is to require new developments to sell a certain percentage of new units at a price below market, and to restrict that below market price for resales. The system is called “inclusionary housing,” and it has worked well in Santa Cruz County, though the Board of Supervisors recently changed the system, so that developers don’t have to build affordable housing anymore, and can just pay a fee instead.

If you want to learn about inclusionary housing, you’ll want to read a new, and rather comprehensive report published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. There’s a link at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• August 31, 2015 Land Use Report: Housing, Housing, Housing
• September 25, 2015 Edition of Two Worlds blog: “Two Markets”
• Lincoln Institute Summary Of Inclusionary Housing Study
• Download The Full Study

The Santa Cruz County RTC is meeting today. By “RTC” I mean the Regional Transportation Commission. The Board of Directors of the RTC includes all members of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, and a representative from every city in the county. If you want to meet some elected officials, take in today’s meeting. The meeting begins at 9:00 o’clock this morning, and will be held on the fifth floor of the County Building at 701 Ocean Street.

I have a link to the Commission’s entire agenda packet at kusp.org/landuse. The packet is 129 pages long, and I’d like to direct your attention to a memo on page 87. This memo discusses the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan and its associated Environmental Impact Report. It succinctly explains just how transportation planning is carried out. Don’t underestimate the importance of the planning process, and the plans that come out of that planning process. Where land use, transportation, and water are concerned, it is almost always true that plans determine projects. Someone’s good idea for a project isn’t going to go anywhere if it isn’t consistent with the adopted plan.

The next Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Plan is scheduled for adoption in June 2018, and the planning process is just getting started. Now would be a good time to get involved.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agenda, Santa Cruz County RTC

The Ventana Wilderness Alliance is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the wilderness lands that are such an important asset of the Monterey Bay Region. Tomorrow, the VWA is sponsoring a Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Monterey, and tickets may still be available.

There are also some other upcoming events and activities that can put listeners in touch with our local wilderness. All are free and open to the public. The Leave No Trace Center is working to ensure the long-term health of our natural world, and most recently, the Center has selected the scenic Pine Ridge Trail within the Ventana Wilderness as an endangered “Hot Spot.” The Pine Ridge Trail connects Big Sur Station and a popular hot spring at Sykes Camp, and it suffers from visitor-created impacts including trash, unsafe campfires, abandoned gear, stream pollution, vegetation damage, and trail erosion.

Events and activities during October are aimed at raising awareness about all the natural areas in our region that face the threat of irreversible environmental damage. There is, for instance, an October 8th course at REI in Marina, aimed at letting participants know how to “Enjoy and Protect the Big Sur Backcountry.”

Get more information in today’s Land Use Report blog, found at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Ventana Wilderness Alliance, Home Page
• VWA Wild and Scenic Film Festival
• Leave No Trace Website
• Hot Spot Week Announcement
• Sign Up For October 8, 2015 Course at REI
• Contact VWA For A Full Event Sch edule