|
|||||||
KUSP LandWatch
News Week of |
|||||||
|
ogo.gif" width="108" height="109" border="0"> "Listen Live" |
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 August 19, 2002 to August 25, 2002
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.
Monday,
August 19th – County General Plan Amendments Continue
It’s Monday in Monterey County. Well, it’s Monday
everywhere around the Central Coast. But in Monterey County, Monday
means it’s time for a meeting!
This morning, Monterey County Planning Commissioners are meeting at 9:00 o’clock. The meeting will be held at the Salinas City Hall Rotunda, located at 200 Lincoln Avenue in Salinas. The Planning Commission will be continuing its review of requested General Plan Amendments.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors has invited property owners to suggest possible redesignations of their properties. More than 270 requests have been submitted. These are individual requests for land use designations that will increase development. Thousands of acres are involved in total, affecting every part of the county. The staff report, providing a very brief synopsis of each request, is about an inch thick. If you attend the meeting, you can get a copy. It’s kind of like the libretto to an opera. You need to consult it to know what’s happening on stage.
In fact, these proceedings do have some drama. The property owners who are proposing development are often passionate in their advocacy. And sometimes the neighbors are passionate in their positions, too. You can find out more by checking the Land Use Report link at the bottom of the page at www.kusp.org. Or, since it’s Monday, you can take in that meeting yourself.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More
Information:
Monterey County General Plan Update - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/
Tuesday,
August 20th – The Salinas Airport
Are you an Airshow fan? Some people love to have jet planes
passing over their heads at supersonic speeds, at what seems like
a distance of about five feet. Actually, I kind of like this, myself.
Once, in San Francisco, the Blue Angels suddenly appeared over my
head, totally unexpectedly, and I’ve never forgotten the experience!
I still wake up at night. Actually, that part is a joke, but it
did make an impression.
If you’re a person who likes the Airshow experience, you can count on having that experience each year in Salinas. The Salinas Airshow is a tourism booster, and helps support local charities.
Now, whether or not the Airshow can continue has become one of the hot land use issues in Salinas. The draft Salinas General Plan proposes road and residential developments that may mean the end of the Airshow, and that could prevent further Airport expansion in general. Since the Airport helps support the local economy, local business people are now asking the City to stop the proposed urban developments that can injure their business.
If you’d like to find out more, attend the Salinas Planning Commission hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Salinas City Hall, at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. This issue (and about a hundred other ones) will definitely be on the table.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More
Information:
Salinas Draft General Plan - http://www.ci.salinas.ca.us/CommDev/GenPlan/GPDraft.html
LandWatch Comments - http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/salinasgp/073102salinascom.html
Coast Weekly Article on Airshow - http://www.coastweekly.com/
Wednesday,
August 21st – Carmel and Seaside Housing Elements
Housing issues are among the most difficult and important land
use issues confronting communities along the Central Coast. Tomorrow,
two very different communities on the Monterey Peninsula are having
meetings you can attend.
At 4:00 p.m., the City of Carmel is holding its Workshop #2 on the Carmel Housing Element Update. The meeting will be at the Carmel City Hall, on Monte Verde Street between Ocean and Seventh Avenues. At 7:00 p.m., the City of Seaside is hosting a meeting at the Oldemeyer Center. That’s at 986 Hilby Avenue in Seaside. This meeting will focus on the Seaside Housing Element. You can get more information on these meetings by checking the Land Use Report link at the bottom of the main page of the KUSP website. You can also make a suggestion, or send me a comment, and I invite you to do that.
Housing Element regulations are imposed by the State. The gist of these regulations is that each city or county must demonstrate that it would allow sufficient housing for persons with very low, low, and moderate incomes. Unfortunately, the regulations don’t focus on real performance. Nonetheless, a city or county Housing Element is critically important. If you want to get involved with one of the most difficult and important land use issues confronting our communities, those meetings tomorrow on the Monterey Peninsula are a good place to start.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More
Information:
Seaside General Plan - http://www.ci.seaside.ca.us/general%20plan/gp.htm
Staff Contact at Seaside: 831-899-6737
Carmel Website - http://www.carmelcalifornia.com/
Staff Contact at Carmel: Brian Roseth, Principal Planner, 831-620-2010
State Department of Housing and Community Development - http://www.hcd.ca.gov/hpd/hrc/plan/he/
Thursday,
August 22nd – Farmland Statistics
What’s happening to our farmland resources? In both Santa
Cruz and Monterey Counties (and in fact throughout the Central Coast)
agriculture is one of the main foundation stones of the local economy.
In Monterey County, agriculture is far and away the county’s
largest industry. Agricultural production in Monterey County is
about three billion dollars per year. That’s ten percent of
the agricultural production of the entire State of California. Pretty
remarkable, and it’s all based on a relatively small amount
of land, coupled with an extraordinary climate, and fantastic business
intelligence.
So what is happening to the farmland resources of Monterey County? Luckily, there’s a way to get the answer, with a great deal of specificity. The California Department of Conservation keeps track of how much land is devoted to agriculture, and updates the information every two years.
If you’ll go to the Land Use Report link at the bottom of the main page of the KUSP website, you’ll find a reference to the Monterey County data. Data for the year 2000 is just being released, along with a new set of Important Farmland Maps. Next week, I’ll explore the details of the recently released statistics.
Now, that’s a teaser, to keep you tuning in at 6:49 a.m. For the moment, let’s just say that there is both “good news” and “bad news” in the most recent report.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More
Information:
Farmland Mapping Program – http://www.consrv.ca.gov/DLRP/fmmp/
Monterey County Reports - http://www.consrv.ca.gov/DLRP/fmmp/stats_reports/county_conversion_table.htm
Friday,
August 23rd – Growth Management in Watsonville
In Santa Cruz County, the voters adopted a comprehensive Growth
Management System in 1978. Measure J established six basic policies
for land use that are still in effect:
Measure J doesn't affect the cities. It only affects lands in the unincorporated areas. But cities, of course, can have their own land use policies. One of the most interesting land use policy proposals to be considered for some time, will be voted on in the City of Watsonville this coming November. Next week, I'’ll focus in on the 'Watsonville Orderly Growth and Agricultural Protection Initiative."
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More
Information:
Watsonville Initiative Committee - http://www.actionpajarovalley.org/ballot_main.htm
Action Pajaro Valley - http://www.actionpajarovalley.org/
Measure J Text and Story - http://www.landwatch.org/pages/publications.htm#misc
Archives of past transcripts are available here
|
CONTACT 306 Capitol Street #101 PO Box 1876 Phone (831) 759-2824 Fax (831) 759-2825 |
|
