The KUSP Land Use Report #9 :Housing at Fort Ord"

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This is Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County, with a Land Use Report for KUSP.

There is probably no land use policy issue of more importance than the issue of affordable housing, and I am happy to say there is some good news to report. Congress Member Sam Farr has proposed stronger provisions for affordable housing on Fort Ord. His idea is that 50% of all the new housing developed on Fort Ord should be affordable to local workers—persons with average and below average incomes.

The people of Monterey County have inherited great natural treasures, like the Monterey Bay, Big Sur, Elkhorn Slough, and the rich farmlands of the Salinas Valley. As local leaders make the difficult choices necessary to protect these environmental treasures, wouldn’t it be good also to address the needs of the local economy, and concerns of social equity?

Increasing the amount of affordable housing constructed on the former Fort Ord would help meet the critical need for local workforce housing for essential occupations, like teachers, firefighters, and police officers, and for the many lower income persons who provide vital services for the county’s leading industries. Environmental protection, coupled with a positive program for responsible economic development and social equity, seems to meet many community needs.

So far, Congress Member Farr’s suggestion is just an idea. Maybe, as he and others work with the affected local governments, it will be possible to make more affordable housing at Fort Ord a reality, not just a dream.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

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