 |
Home | Issues & Actions | About |
Archive Page This page is available as an archive to previous versions of LandWatch websites. |
KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of April 14, 2003 to April 18, 2003
"Listen Live"
|
|||||||
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 April 14, 2003 to April 18, 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,
April 14, 2003 – Salinas Valley Cities Meet The County
Two land use questions of particular significance face Monterey
County. First, what will be done on the former Fort Ord? Second,
what kind of growth will be permitted in and around the cities of
the Salinas Valley?
Last Friday, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority held one of its regular meetings, and discussed affordable housing opportunities at Fort Ord. FORA has scheduled another meeting, for Friday June 13th, to make decisions on these key affordable housing issues. These are decisions that will have an important impact on the future of the Monterey County economy, and its environment.
Today, at 4:30 p.m., at the Soledad City Hall, elected officials from the Salinas Valley cities, and from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, will discuss the second big question confronting Monterey County: how much agricultural land around the cities will be turned into subdivisions, shopping centers, motels, and auto malls? Since the economy of Monterey County is primarily based on the continued use of its incredibly productive agricultural land, this question is not of minor significance. In the long run, commuters from the Silicon Valley would be happy to find a suburban home in the Salinas Valley. Will Monterey County decide to accommodate that kind of growth? The meeting this evening may give us some clues. Check out www.kusp.org to get more information.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Agenda for April 14th Meeting
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/pressrel/2003_0414.htm
Tuesday,
April 15, 2003 – Want to Buy A Rail Line And Have Fun?
As loyal listeners know, transcripts of these Land Use Reports are
available on the KUSP website. If you go to www.kusp.org, and then
click on the Land Use Report link, you can usually find more information
about the topics I cover. You can send me an email, too, to let
me know your thoughts about these regular broadcasts. I encourage
you to do that.
The transcript for today’s Land Use Report has a great title, “Want to Buy A Rail Line And Have Fun?” I’m serious. If you’re a Santa Cruz County resident, you should know that the Santa Cruz County Transportation Commission, acting on your behalf, is not only thinking of widening Highway One, it’s planning to purchase what’s called the “Santa Cruz Branch Line” and stimulate recreational rail service to the cities of Capitola and Santa Cruz, the San Lorenzo Valley, and Davenport and the North Coast.
There’s a lot of information available about this proposed rail line purchase, including financial details. You can find a preliminary analysis on the website. I’ve also posted a link to the agenda for a Workshop session, scheduled for this Thursday, April 17th. The Workshop will start at 9:00 a.m., at the Transportation Commission Conference Room, located at 1523 Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz. Both the proposed Highway One widening project and the purchase of the Santa Cruz Branch Line will be discussed.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Agenda for April 17th Workshop
http://www.sccrtc.org/packet/2003/0304/TPWagenda0304.htmReport on Recreational Rail Options
http://www.sccrtc.org/packet/2003/0304/w0304-07a.pdf
Wednesday,
April 16, 2003 – Talk To the Office of Planning and Research
Last year, in what might be called a “sneak attack on sprawl,”
the State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 857. As you may know,
state government has done very little to establish guidelines for
“smart growth” in California. Therefore, what some of
use are willing to call “dumb growth” has predominated.
Local governments make most land use decisions, and in the absence
of any specific state directives to the contrary, they often accommodate
the desires of landowners and developers to turn farmlands into
subdivisions. The result is often great profits for the developers
and landowners, and a lot of social, economic, and environmental
problems for local communities.
Assembly Bill 857 doesn’t give any “smart growth” directions to local government, but, it does give some important “smart growth” directions to state government. Since state subsidies and investments often fuel the kind of sprawl that typifies “dumb growth,” this is a significant change.
The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (called OPR) is taking the lead in implementing AB 857. A Regional Dialogue with OPR will be held this Thursday evening, April 17th, sponsored by Action Pajaro Valley. The meeting will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Watsonville. It’s free, but you do need to make a reservation. Find out how at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
To attend the April 17th Meeting contact Lisa Dobbins
831-786-8536 or email actionpajarovalley@earthlink.netOPR Website
http://www.opr.ca.gov/Text of AB 857
http://www.opr.ca.gov/EnvGoals/PDFs/AB_857_text.pdfState Environmental Goals and Policy Report
http://www.opr.ca.gov/EnvGoals/EnvGoals.shtml
Thursday,
April 17, 2003 – A Smart Growth Forum at Stanford
Next Wednesday, April 23rd, the Commonwealth Club of the Silicon
Valley and the Stanford University Program on Urban Studies, will
jointly sponsor a “Smart Growth Forum.” The forum will
begin at 6:30 p.m., and end at 8:30 p.m., and will be held on the
Stanford campus. You find out how to make a reservation by clicking
on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org.
Some people say, and with some justification, that “smart growth” is an oxymoron. However, it can’t be denied that there are “smarter” and “dumber” ways to grow, if the fact of growth itself is conceded. Generally speaking, it’s “smart” to focus growth in existing urban areas, thus minimizing infrastructure costs, while preserving farmlands and natural resource lands that might otherwise be sacrificed to new development. “Smart growth” is based on an argument that development ought to use resources “efficiently,” and that if growth is made to be efficient, from an economic perspective, a better result will occur, not only economically, but socially and environmentally, too.
One reason the forum next Wednesday will be interesting is that it’s taking place in an economic center (the Silicon Valley) that has generally not lived up to “smart growth” principles, and that has, in fact, exported its housing demand to the farmlands of Monterey County and the Central Valley.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
To RSVP contact Marcia Garilli at 650-216-7111 or email marciagarilli@yahoo.com
Map to the Stanford Campus
http://www.stanford.edu/home/visitors/maps.html
Friday,
April 18, 2003 – An Affordable Housing Competition
The Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
is sponsoring an international design competition, to develop affordable
housing solutions for Monterey County. You can get more information
at www.kusp.org. Please send me your comments and suggestions, as
well.
Affordable housing is a problem almost everywhere. One of the main difficulties may be that we have tended to think of housing problems as a kind of “individual” problem, rather than as a kind of “social” or “community” problem. In other words, each one of us is expected to locate and secure housing individually. The housing “market,” which is the realm in which buyers and sellers make transactions, should so arrange things that the demand from those who need housing will be met by the supply provided by those who build and sell it.
Here’s the problem: even when building costs are reduced, it’s often not possible to supply a house at a price that a person with an average or below average income can afford. The costs of labor, land, materials, and infrastructure simply add up to more money than an average income has. Increasing the supply of unaffordable homes doesn’t solve the affordable housing problem. To solve that problem, community action is needed.
So
check out what the architects are doing, but check out what your
local, state, and national representatives are doing, too. In the
end, that may be most important.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Housing Competition Website
http://www.conceptscompetition.org/First Round Winners
http://www.conceptscompetition.org/p1_awards.htmlAmerican Institute of Architects, Monterey Bay Chapter
http://www.aiamontereybay.org/For information on the competition contact
Paul Byrne at 831-659-8041 or email byarchietec@earthlink.net
Archives of past transcripts are available here
|
CONTACT 306 Capitol Street #101 PO Box 1876 Phone (831) 759-2824 Fax (831) 759-2825 |
|