|
|||||||
KUSP LandWatch
News |
|||||||
|
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 December 16, 2002 to December 20, 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 16th – State Office of Planning and Research
In the field of land use policy, acronyms abound. “CEQA”
is spelled with a “C,” not with an “S,” and
stands for the California Environmental Quality Act. “GPU”
means General Plan Update. “HCD” refers to the California
State Department of Housing and Community Development. “HCD
has told Monterey County that its GPU needs CEQA review.” That’s
a plausible sentence. You get the idea.
This morning, I’ll introduce an important player in the land use policy arena by teaching you a new acronym. “OPR” stands for the “Office of Planning and Research.” This is a state level policy office. A link to the OPR website can be found by going to the KUSP website, and finding the Land Use Report link. I hope you’ll check that out at www.kusp.org. KUSP makes transcripts of these broadcasts available, and they almost always let you know where you can get more information on the topics discussed.
More information about OPR will be coming in subsequent reports. Today, just to introduce OPR, you should know that the State Legislature has given this rather obscure agency a major role in overseeing the state’s planning and zoning laws. “OPR” is one of those acronyms it’s good to know!
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
OPR Website -
http://www.opr.ca.gov/State Law -
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID
=8818226719+3+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve
Tuesday,
December 17th –State General Plan Guidelines
The State Office of Planning and Research, called "OPR,"
was created by the State Legislature to "serve the Governor
and his or her Cabinet as staff for long-range planning and research,
and [to] constitute the comprehensive state planning agency."
That’s a quote from Government Code Section 65040.
Calling OPR the "comprehensive state planning agency" makes OPR seem more important than it really has been. The Legislature’s idea about comprehensive state planning, as outlined in state law, hasn’t been fully executed by any Governor since Jerry Brown. However, the OPR is currently overseeing an important public outreach project affecting future planning in every California community. Loyal listeners know that a community’s General Plan is its most important planning document. Each city and county must have a General Plan, and that General Plan has to cover various topics specified in state law.
To make it easier for local governments to follow state law, OPR publishes a set of "General Plan Guidelines." Right now, OPR is revising these Guidelines, and your advice and comments are being solicited. If you’ve been active in General Plan issues (and many persons in Monterey County, for instance, have had that experience) you might want to review the state General Plan Guidelines, and weigh in with your thoughts. More information is on the website.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More
Information:
OPR Website -
http://www.opr.ca.gov/State Law -
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAIS
docID=8818226719+3+0+0&WAISaction=retrieveGeneral Plan Guidelines -
http://www.opr.ca.gov/planning/PDFs/GPG_2002.pdf
Wednesday,
December 18th – The Scotts Valley City Council
This evening, at 6:00 p.m., the Scotts Valley City Council will
take up an interesting item in terms of future planning. City Hall
is located at One Civic Center Drive, in Scotts Valley.
Item #1 on the regular agenda is consideration of a quarry reclamation plan for the Scotts Valley Drive quarry. Few cities boast a quarry right on the main street of town. Scotts Valley does. It’s just down the road from Civic Center Drive.
In the “old days” (and that means the 1960’s), Scotts Valley wasn’t a high tech and commercial center. It was an unincorporated, rural area. It had the famous “Tree Circus,” Santa’s Village, recreational vehicle parks, and an operating lumber mill with a cone-shaped burner to dispose of wood waste. And it had a quarry, right on Scotts Valley Drive. Tonight, the City Council is going to talk about the future of that quarry property, and how to reclaim it. There is a whole set of state laws that focus on that very topic, but it’s unusual for cities to have to implement their provisions.
In a very real sense, this item reflects a major truth about land use planning. There are many ways that we can use the land, and the choices we make determine our future. Tonight, the Scotts Valley City Council will discuss how to change a past choice, and take the city in a new direction. Local residents may want to attend.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Scotts Valley Website -
http://www.scottsvalley.orgScotts Valley Planning Information -
http://www.scottsvalley.org/planning.htmlScotts Valley City Council -
http://www.scottsvalley.org/council.html
Thursday,
December 19th – Environmental Justice Guidelines
“OPR” means Office of Planning and Research. This state
level agency oversees implementation of the state’s Planning
and Zoning law. Right now, OPR is asking for public comment on a
set of General Plan Guidelines. These Guidelines will have an important
impact on future planning in California.
One aspect of the proposed General Plan Guidelines is a set of policies dealing with environmental justice. Thanks to former Assembly Member Fred Keeley, state law now requires that this topic be addressed. Our state is starting to pay attention to the results of past planning decisions that have placed environmentally destructive and toxic land uses in areas where most of the residents are low-income, and people of color.
These past practices haven’t been fair, so the statewide environmental movement is now focusing on the issue of “environmental justice,” which state law defines as the “fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”
If you would like to get involved in environmental justice efforts, California Communities Against Toxics, the Planning and Conservation League, and Communities For A Better Environment can tell you how. Information is on the KUSP website. Go the to Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
OPR Website -
http://www.opr.ca.gov/State Law -
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=
8818226719+3+0+0&WAISaction=retrieveGeneral Plan Guidelines -
http://www.opr.ca.gov/planning/PDFs/GPG_2002.pdfContact at Planning and Conservation League –
Tyrone Buckley, tbuckley@pcl.orgContact at California Communities Against Toxics –
Jane Williams, DcapJane@aol.comCommunities For A Better Environment -
http://www.cbecal.org/
Friday,
December 20th – Planning Ahead For January 28th
This Land Use Report has the unhidden agenda of urging more public
involvement in land use planning matters, and especially with respect
to land use “policy.” To the degree that members of the
public ever get involved in local planning, they tend to do so at
the “project” level, often when a new development project
is proposed in their neighborhood. That’s when the official
public notices go out, and of course it’s critically important
to weigh in on those project-level decisions.
However, trying to win the battle for good planning at the project level is something like house to house combat. Wouldn’t it be great if the basic rules for future growth and development really reflected what the community wants? If you can get the “policy” right, then the project-level decisions can often take care of themselves, since each project-level decision has to be consistent with the planning policies incorporated in the local General Plan. That’s what state law says.
The most effective and efficient way to achieve good planning is to make sure that your community’s General Plan is well-written, and not vague or ambiguous, and that it really states what the local community wants.
In Monterey County, the General Plan Update process has just reached the halfway point. Mark your calendars ahead. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors will apparently next consider its GPU on January 28th of next year.
For
KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Monterey County General Plan Website -
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/
Archives of past transcripts are available here
|
CONTACT 306 Capitol Street #101 PO Box 1876 Phone (831) 759-2824 Fax (831) 759-2825 |
|
