|
|
|
This community report was
written by a student from
California State University,
Monterey Bay (CSUMB), as part of
a volunteer program at LandWatch.
The purpose of this collaboration
is to engage students in their
local communities, and to
stimulate their interest in and
knowledge about local land use
issues. Participants in this
program research issues and
attend meetings in various
communities in Monterey County,
reporting on important agenda
items and other items of
interest. Community reports are
written from the student's point
of view, and do not necessarily
represent the official position
of LandWatch Monterey County.
LandWatch is committed to offer
information to the public, and we
are happy to make our website
available for these student
perspectives. Please enjoy the
following community reports from
the various communities of
Monterey County.
|
|
Notes From the Landwatch Around the County
Meeting
At Mountain Mike's in Marina April 10,
2001
Submitted by Sondra Schreibman &
David Harms
The meeting began with
introductions. Present were various members of
Landwatch, Marina councilman Bruce Delgado, members
of Marina 20/20, and other concerned Marina
citizens. The participants were assembled in
Mountain Mike's pizza restaurant in Marina.
Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch,
who gave a thorough talk about the state of the
city, opened the meeting. The first portion of the
talk was on overview on the general state of
affairs. The second section, which composed the
bulk of the talk, covered the facts of and issues
surrounding the string of lawsuits related to
Measure E.
Included in this section were:
- Announcement of the May 4th hearing,
scheduled to take place at 9a.m. in the Monterey
courthouse. (LandWatch would like to urge those
planning to attend to contact the office a day
or two prior to the event because the time and
date are liable to change.)
- The current lawsuit is the third in a string
of related suits. The first was the City of
Marina verses LandWatch. The City claimed that
Measure E was possibly unlawful. They were in
the process of dropping the suit when the
developers sued the city for interference in
private property. The city reacted by issuing a
new lawsuit naming Landwatch again as the
defendant. This current lawsuit is pending.
- The city of Marina has already incurred a
debt of $48,000, and is projected to spend
another $50,000 to defend the lawsuit they filed
trying to validate the legality of Measure E.
This brings the total spent on the defense of
this lawsuit to around $100,000, which is the
estimated cost of implementing Measure E.
- LandWatch has filed a motion to strike,
which, if granted, will force the city to pay
LandWatch's legal fees, which adds to the city's
already climbing lawsuit debt.
- The court's decision regarding the motion to
strike will be inclusive of both lawsuits naming
LandWatch by the city.
- In its legal defense, Landwatch would like
to make use of the anti-SLAPP law, which forbids
strategic lawsuits that ultimately affect public
participation.
- The third topic discussed was the future of
Fort Ord; a portion of which belongs to the city
of Marina. Topics considered included:
- An area referred to as the Parker Flats was
specifically addressed. The county believes they
could provide 3,500 units of affordable and
inclusionary housing. Another developer with the
support of their attorney, Tony Lombardo,
proposed the construction of golf courses and
luxury housing.
- The proposed extension of California Avenue,
which would connect Marina to developed areas of
Fort Ord, cuts through areas of protected
habitat and could threaten endangered
species.
- The pros and cons of controlled burning on
Fort Ord were considered.
- 950 abandoned homes are scheduled to be
bulldozed, and at least 950 new homes are
scheduled to be built in their place. As of yet,
there has been no public input on this plan, or
on the design and construction of these new
homes.
Gary Patton closed the meeting. Small group
discussion on the topics addressed followed.
Part Two: Interview with Ken Gray of
Marina 20/20 Vision
1. What effects might Measure E have on the
people of Marina?
MEASURE E WILL FOCUS NEW DEVELOPMENT ON FORT ORD
FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS, GIVING PRIORITY TO
REDEVELOPING AN ABANDONED URBAN AREA RATHER THAN
CREATING A NEW ONE ON EXISTING OPEN SPACE. THIS
WILL MEAN LESS TRAFFIC, LESS POLLUTION AND MORE
OPEN SPACE FOR THE CITIZENS OF MARINA.
2. What effects might it have on the
wildlife?
THE PRINCIPAL BENEFIT ON WILDLIFE IS THE
PROTECTION OF THE COASTAL PROPERTY OWNED BY THE RMC
LONESTAR COMPANY. THIS 400-ACRE AREA INCLUDES SOME
OF THE BEST PRESERVED DUNE HABITATS IN THE STATE.
WILDLIFE SPECIES THAT ARE PROTECTED BY MEASURE E
INCLUDE THE FEDERALLY THREATENED WESTERN SNOWY
PLOVER, THE FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SMITH'S BLUE
BUTTERFLY AND THE BLACK LEGGLESS LIZARD. PLANT
SPECIES THAT ARE PROTECTED INCLUDE SEVERAL
THREATENED OR ENDANGERED SPECIES INCLUDING YADON'S
WALLFLOWER, SAND GILIA, AND MONTEREY
SPINEFLOWER.
3. What are the key conflicts between Measure
E and the city's general plan?
THE KEY CONFLICT IS THAT THE CITY'S GENERAL PLAN
DESIGNATES ARMSTRONG RANCH FOR 3500 HOMES ON 900
ACRES OF THE RANCH, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE
EXISTING CITY LIMITS. MEASURE E LIMITS URBAN
DEVELOPMENT TO THE 300 ACRES OF THE RANCH ALREADY
WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS.
You can contact Sondra Schreibman at: Sondra_Schreibman@monterey.edu
You can contact David Harms at: David_Harms@monterey.edu
[Return
to Community
Reports]
|
