This week could probably be called “Coastal Commission Week.” Starting on Tuesday, the California Coastal Commission is going to meet every day, from Tuesday to Friday. The meeting will be held in Long Beach, and I have a link to the color-coded agenda in the transcript of today’s Land Use Report.

One of the nice things about the Commission’s meetings, which move from place to place, each month, held in different communities along the California coast, is that you don’t actually have to travel yourself to be able to get the benefits of attendance. The meetings always include a “Live Stream” option, which lets viewers in our region, who access the agenda by a computer, know exactly what is happening in the Seaside Ballroom in Long Beach. Items of specific interest to the Central Coast Region, by the way, are color-coded purple this month, and will be heard on Wednesday, October 7th.

The item of most importance in our region is probably Agenda Item W12a, a consideration of proposed changes to housing regulations in Monterey County. The County wants to prohibit accessory dwelling units in the North County coastal zone, and to update standards related to agricultural employee housing, homeless shelters, transitional/supportive housing, density bonuses/incentives, and reasonable accommodation. As ever, you can get more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Coastal Commission: Current Agenda

I was an elected official for twenty years, and have followed land use issues for something like forty-four years. Here’s a tip. Don’t assume that the name given to a project reflects the reality. “Oak Valley Homes” is probably not about building homes amidst the oak trees. Probably, approval of that development means that lots of existing oak trees will be bulldozed into oblivion, to make way for a standard subdivision.

Consider this point as you evaluate what is being called the “Pure Water Monterey Groundwater Replenishment Project.” This is a project being sponsored by the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency, and it involves the treatment of municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, urban stormwater runoff, and surface water diversions and the injection of these treated wastewaters into our groundwater aquifers.

This may, or may not, be what you think about when you hear the term “Pure Water.” If you want to know about the project, you should attend a public hearing scheduled for Thursday, October 8th, at 3:30 p.m., at the Agency’s office at 5 Harris Court, Building D, in Monterey.

The hearing is to consider the certification of a Final Environmental Impact Report for the “Pure Water” project, and to give final approval for the project.  There is more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• The “Pure Water” Project Website
• Final EIR For The “Pure Water” Project  
• Public Hearing Notice
• MRWPCA Meeting Agendas

For additional information regarding the GWR Project and Final EIR, contact: Bob Holden, Principal Engineer, MRWPCA, at gwr@mrwpca.com.

Listeners in Monterey County may have heard about the nonprofit group called “LandWatch Monterey County.” It is one of my favorite groups, and I must confess to a personal bias. I served as the very first Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County.

Here’s the point I want to make today: groups like LandWatch are policy and project “advocacy” groups. They get involved in land use policy and project matters to advocate for the particular kind of land uses that they believe will be most beneficial to the community. Of course, there are different views about what land use policies would be best for the community, and about what projects are worth supporting. During the time I worked for LandWatch, a group called “Common Ground” was also very active in debates about land use, and that group pretty much took the exact opposite position from LandWatch.

If you care about land use issues, and I think you should, I encourage you to find an advocacy group that represents your views, and to get involved with that group.

There is, however, a different approach to land use issues (besides that “advocacy” approach I just mentioned). Land Trusts seek to achieve positive land use outcomes by operating on the “ownership” side of land use, as opposed to the “advocacy” side. They play a vital role all around our region, and I want to highlight what they do during the remainder of this week.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• LandWatch Website

How we use the land is of critical importance to the future of our communities. In other words, you should care about land use, and not just as a spectator. Personal involvement makes all the difference. It does take time, and perhaps even money, but my pitch here is to urge you all to pay attention, and to get engaged.

There are a couple of strategies for engagement. One of them is to join up with an organized “advocacy” group working for the kind of land use future you support. Another, is to get involved and support one or more land trust organizations that focus on protecting the lands you care about.

I have a list of “Land Use Links” on the KUSP website. That could get you started. You can almost always get more information on the topics I cover by going to kusp.org/landuse.

If you live in Monterey County, think about getting involved and supporting the Ag Land Trust. This group aims to protect commercial farmland in Monterey County. It’s a real success story. And what about the Big Sur Land Trust? Here is another group that has been fabulously successful in protecting the Big Sur Coast. And don’t forget the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. Elkhorn Slough is a national treasure, and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation has done terrific work in protecting the slough and its watershed.

I have lots of information about land trusts in today’s blog. I hope you’ll get involved!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Big Sur Land Trust
• Elkhorn Slough Foundation
• Ag Land Trust
• Land Trust Alliance
• California Council of Land Trusts
• California Land Trusts – Member Profiles

Good land use decisions come from a vigorous and informed debate and discussion about various possibilities. While individuals can have an impact, the best way to get involved on the “advocacy” side is to get personally involved with an advocacy group that is working for the kind of land use results you support. The “Land Use Links” available at kusp.org/landuse, list some of the possibilities.

Getting involved with a land trust organization is another way to impact the land use future or our local communities. Land Trusts obtain “ownership” interests in land, or in easements that affect land use, and their objective is almost always to protect certain kinds of lands, or certain areas.

Yesterday, I mentioned three different land trust organizations that work in Monterey County. Today, let me put a spotlight on the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which has been incredibly innovative, and successful, in working for good land use outcomes on the Santa Cruz County side of the Bay. I have a link in today’s transcript to the website of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and I’ve included a link to the website of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, too, since that group, mainly focused on the Bay Area side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, has been helping out on the Santa Cruz County side of the hill, too.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Land Trust of Santa Cruz County
• Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST)
• California Council of Land Trusts
• Land Trust Alliance