The KUSP Land Use Report #12: Two Definitions of Planning

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The following Land Use Report is presented 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 our sponsors.

Mark your calendars. On Thursday, October 25th, the Salinas City Council will establish its "preferred alternative" for its new General Plan Update. There is a public hearing, and you can take part. The City’s consultants say that Salinas should grow by over 90,000 persons by the year 2020—a 63% increase. 4,400 acres of agricultural land would be paved over. According to the consultants, good planning requires Salinas to "accommodate" the growth they think will inevitably occur.This definition of planning is what might be called "accommodation" planning. The idea is to "accommodate" a future that is seen as self-executing. First, extrapolate current trends. Then, plan to meet the extrapolated need.

There is another approach. This might be called "possibility planning." A community doesn’t have to "accommodate" what is happening. It can decide what it wants, and what might be possible, and then plan how to get it. For instance, market demand is for upper income housing. Should we "accommodate" that demand—or should we establish planning policies that require new housing to achieve what we decide our community needs? There really are two definitions of "planning," and they have quite different results.

Remember that public hearing in Salinas on October 25th—and think of what might be possible, around the Monterey Bay. We could plan for it!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

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