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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 January 13, 2003 to January 17, 2003
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,
January 13, 2003 – South County Planning Issues
Today and tomorrow, planning issues of significance are going to
be addressed in a couple of Salinas Valley cities. This evening,
at 6:00 p.m., the Planning Commission of the City of Greenfield
will consider a proposed Planned Unit Development for the subdivision
of 9.7 acres of land into 45 single-family lots. That’s about
4.5 dwelling units on each acre of land, and is an example of “low
density” development.
Density issues really are key, with respect to the future of the Salinas Valley. Assuming that local governments continue to accommodate demand for residential development, economically productive farmland will continue to be lost. One issue is, “how much?” By requiring a significant part of new development to occur at “medium” density, rather than at “low” density, the loss of productive farmland can be minimized. Furthermore, when medium densities are employed in new development, the resulting houses can be priced more affordably.
In King City, at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the City Council will hear public comment on its proposed Housing Element, and will consider an ordinance establishing an Inclusionary housing program.
Farmland protection and affordable housing are important issues. Both of these meetings are going to be worthwhile. Check the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org for more information.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Greenfield Website –
http://www.greenfield-ca.com/King City:
Website – http://www.kingcity.com/index.shtmlHousing Element -
http://www.kingcity.com/housing_element.htmlAgenda -
http://www.kingcity.com/cgi-bin/webdata_bus.cgi?
Month=&Day=&Year=&pagenum=1&cgifunction=Search
Tuesday,
January 14, 2003 – Carmel Valley Issues
Carmel Valley, one of the most stunning and beautiful geographic
locations in the world, is under very significant development pressure.
The development that has already occurred in Carmel Valley has strained
both natural resources and available infrastructure. Water is simply
not available to sustain new development. In fact, local water authorities
are under order to reduce current water consumption by something
like 10,000 acre-feet per year. Also impacted is Carmel Valley Road.
The Carmel Valley Master Plan contains special provisions, intended
to prevent the further degradation of road capacity, as new developments
are proposed. This is such an important and controversial matter
for residents and property owners that the County Board of Supervisors
has established a special committee, to provide public oversight.
If you’re interested in Carmel Valley Road issues, mark your calendar for this coming Thursday, January 16th. The Carmel Valley Road Committee will meet from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Mid-Valley Fire Station in Carmel Valley. The public is definitely invited.
There is also an important Carmel Valley item on the agenda of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors today. At 10:00 o’ clock this morning, at the Courthouse in Salinas, the Board will decide whether to overrule the Planning Commission, and let a developer build a mini-storage facility right in the middle of the spectacular Carmel Valley.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Monterey County Website -
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/
Wednesday,
January 15, 2003 – Monterey County Housing Report
Loyal listeners to this Land Use Report have undoubtedly gotten
the idea that housing issues are important. It is a premise of this
program that land use decisions in general have profound effects
on our economy, our environment, and social equity. If that’s
true, then land use decisions that specifically affect housing deserve
particular attention. Under state law, in fact, housing-related
land use issues are given different treatment from other land use
issues. Each local General Plan has to cover a wide range of topics.
State law mandates that, but gives lots of local discretion. Where
housing is concerned, however, the state government gives very explicit
directions, including a requirement to meet specific, numerical
goals for different types of housing.
If Monterey County listeners are interested in getting additional information on housing policy, I’d like to recommend a meeting that will take place this evening. From 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., the Monterey County Housing Advisory Committee will meet at the County’s Leadership Institute, located at 2354 Garden Road in Monterey. That’s close to the Monterey Airport. On the agenda is consideration of the 2003 Annual Housing Report that contains facts and figures, recommends priorities for the year ahead, and evaluates the success of housing efforts during the last year.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Monterey County Website -
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/
Thursday,
January 16, 2003 - The Salinas Road Intersection
If you believe in polling, you will credit the fact that Central
Coast residents are particularly concerned about a number of land
use-related issues. They’re concerned about housing; they’re
concerned about water; they’re concerned about protecting the
natural and wild resources of the Central Coast; they’re concerned
about farmland preservation; and they’re concerned about traffic
and transportation. Transportation-related concerns are near the
top of the list, when the public pulse is measured in the polls.
Santa Cruz County and Monterey County residents know about the Salinas Road-Highway One intersection. That’s a dangerous intersection, and members of the public are concerned. CALTRANS, the California State Department of Transportation, is currently studying a possible intersection improvement.
For those who like to mark their calendars ahead, I want to announce the next meeting of the Salinas Road Interchange Community Advisory Group, which is monitoring this CALTRANS project. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 19th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the Moss Landing Harbor District Office. The plans to be presented at that meeting suggest dramatic changes in this area, converting a rural scene into a major freeway intersection, with a mile-long frontage road paving over agricultural land. Balancing environmental and safety concerns will not be easy, so mark your calendars if you’d like to follow this issue personally.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Polling Information -
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/issuesactions/
countyplan/092302gpupoll.htmlCALTRANS -
http://www.dot.ca.gov/CALTRANS District 5 -
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/
Friday,
January 17, 2003 – LandWatch General Plan Summit
Each city and county in California must adopt and maintain a comprehensive
General Plan, covering all the major land use issues confronting
the community. This local General Plan is often called the “Constitution”
of land use, because every planning decision has to be “consistent”
with the community General Plan. If a decision isn’t consistent
with an adopted General Plan policy, a citizen lawsuit can invalidate
it.
Because of this legal situation, what policies are actually made part of a local General Plan is critically important. Local residents who want to affect the future of their communities would do well to focus on the local General Plan, and work to have their local officials adopt the policies that reflect the community’s hopes and aspirations about its future. A General Plan that includes clear and unambiguous policies, and that sets definitive standards for future growth, can change the future of a community.
KUSP listeners who want to find out more, and want to find out how to use the General Plan as a tool for future planning, should consider attending the General Plan Summit set for Saturday, February 8th, and sponsored by LandWatch Monterey County. More information is available through the KUSP website, at www.kusp.org. You can use that site to send me an email, too, to suggest topics for future Land Use Reports.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
General Plan Summit –
http://www.landwatch.org/pages/
landwatchnews03/010803summit.html
Archives of past transcripts are available here
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