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KUSP LandWatch
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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 December 9, 2002 to December 13, 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,
December 9th – Planning in Greenfield
The future of land use in Monterey County will be determined by
the future of land use in the Salinas Valley. The Salinas Valley
contains tens of thousands of acres of the most economically productive
farmland in the world.
It’s also the most developable part of Monterey County. It’s flat, and it has water. It’s just the kind of place that large-scale residential and commercial developers like to put their hand to. Practically nowhere in California has this kind of farmland been saved, when development pressures arrive. It wasn’t saved in the Santa Clara Valley. It wasn’t saved in Los Angeles County or Orange County. It’s being lost, right now, in the Central Valley. Perhaps there’s a small exception in Santa Cruz County, but that’s about it.
The future of land use in the Salinas Valley will be determined, in large part, not by what Monterey County does, but by what the cities of the Salinas Valley do. Tonight, in the City of Greenfield, the Planning Commission will go to work on the City’s Housing Element, set its meeting schedule for the year ahead, and consider the City’s redevelopment plans. If you’re interested in the larger and long term issues, now would be a good time to get acquainted with some of the people who are going to have an impact on the future of land use in this part of the world. The meeting begins at 6:00 o’clock this evening at the Greenfield City Hall. There’s more info on the website.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
City of Greenfield -
http://www.greenfield-ca.com/Greenfield Planning Commission Membership -
http://www.greenfield-ca.com/local-government.html
Tuesday,
December 10th – Water and Fort Ord
I said yesterday that the future of land use in Monterey County
would be determined by the future of land use in the Salinas Valley.
What happens to that incredibly productive farmland really is key,
and development threats to that farmland, and hence to the agricultural
industry of Monterey County, are very real threats. However, farmland
protection isn’t the only issue. Another key question is what
will happen to the former Fort Ord.
At 10:00 o’clock this morning, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider an allocation of 52.5 acre-feet of potable water from what it calls its “Fort Ord allocation.” If the Board approves this water allocation, Monterey Peninsula College will be able to develop a Public Safety Officer Training Facility. This is an interesting project in and of itself, but I want to highlight the tie to water. Water makes development possible. One reason that the farmlands of Salinas are such an inviting target for developers is that they already have water on site. It takes about the same amount of water per acre to grow a crop of lettuce, or a crop of homes.
If the people of Monterey County would rather develop on the former Fort Ord, which makes good planning sense, they’ll have to address water.
A copy of the Board’s agenda is available on the website, at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Board of Supervisors Agenda -
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/suagenda/
Wednesday,
December 11th – Coastal Hearing Tomorrow
Please consider this my invitation to take a trip to San Francisco.
I’m thinking tomorrow would be a great time to do it. The Hyatt
Regency-San Francisco, at the Embarcadero Center, is quite a pleasant
place, and those concerned about land use on the Central Coast ought
to be there. That’s where the California Coastal Commission
is meeting this week. The Commission takes up Central Coast items
at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday the 12th.
Item 5a on the agenda tomorrow is a status report on water supply issues in the Cambria area of San Luis Obispo County. The future of this incredibly striking part of the California coast is directly linked to water availability. Didn’t I say something about that yesterday in connection with Monterey County? It’s the same issue everywhere.
Items 7a and 7b on the agenda relate to important Monterey County land use policy issues. The Commission will consider the Harbor Plan submitted by the City of Monterey, and will also consider Carmel-by-the-Sea’s land use plan. That plan is more controversial than most of the items on the Coastal Commission’s agenda, though they’re all controversial. If you’ve been following the debates in Carmel, about their land use plan, consider this an invitation to attend the meeting. Being there may make a difference.
As usual, you can get more information on the KUSP website, at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Coastal Commission –
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/web/Agenda For Current Meeting -
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/web/mtgcurr.html
Thursday,
December 12th – City Government in Monterey
Land use policy has a big impact on our lives. Land use affects
the environment. It affects our economy. It affects our social relationships
and how we live together. Economy, Environment, and Equity are the
three “E’s” of land use policy.
Land use policy is the product of community decision-making. People don’t always appreciate this. Individual landowners do carry out individual projects, and those individual projects do affect the community greatly. However, it’s simply not true, legally, that property owners can do whatever they want. Where land use is involved, individuals need to “get permission” from the community before they do something. That’s why we have the so-called “permit process.” Ultimately, the rules governing land use reflect community choices.
In this system, local government is key. Most land use decisions are discretionary at the local level. If you’re interested in land use policy, and how that relates to the future of your community, you should get involved in local government.
This afternoon, at 4:00 p.m., the Monterey City Council will be meeting in a Joint Study Session with all of its Boards, Commissions, and Committees. These citizen bodies, like the Planning Commission as an example, are where community decision-making really begins. I invite you to get involved.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
City of Monterey Website -
http://www.monterey.org/Agenda For Joint Meeting on December 12th -
http://www.monterey.org/ccncl/agendas/2002/a021212.pdf
Friday,
December 13th – Planning Ahead – Woodman Development
Public participation is the key to land use policy. Ultimately,
land use decisions reflect community choice. To have an impact on
the future of your community, where land use policy is involved,
you’ll need to increase the rate of your participatory heartbeat.
It does take some training to do that, just like those aerobic fitness programs take work, to raise our physical heartbeat. However, better physical health and better community health are available to all of us, if we will do the work!
Let me alert you to a public hearing set for 2:30 p.m., on January 7th next year. At that time, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will consider an option agreement with Woodman Development Company, to set economic and planning parameters for the development of the East Garrison area on the former Fort Ord.
How the former Fort Ord is developed will have a profound impact on the future of Monterey County. Properly developed, Fort Ord could help bring jobs and affordable housing together, right on the Monterey Peninsula. The decision that the County makes about its East Garrison lands has to be recognized as a critical choice.
If you’d like to increase your participatory heartbeat where land use policy in Monterey County is concerned, think about getting prepared, and then testifying, when the Board of Supervisors debates the future of its Fort Ord lands on January 7th.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Past Staff Report on Woodman Project -
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/pbi/CCA/PC/02-27-02/PLN010466PC1.pdfWoodman Development Web Reference -
http://monterey2000.com/index.cfm?R=3018Monterey County Planning Department –
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/pbi/Board of Supervisors’ Agenda, December 10th -
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/suagenda/
Archives of past transcripts are available here
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