I like to publicize meetings where land use and related decisions will be made. Based on forty years of personal experience, I know that public participation in the local government decision making process makes a real difference. Tonight, the Santa Cruz City Water Commission is meeting at 7:00 p.m. and will be talking about system development fees.

Tomorrow, those concerned about the future of the Highway 68 corridor in Monterey County can go to one meeting where two big subdivisions are being discussed. I think it’s highly likely that some decisions will be made, as well, after the discussion. At 1:30 tomorrow afternoon, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will hear about a proposed subdivision on Harper Canyon Road, and particularly about water availability. The Board will also be holding a public hearing on the proposed Ferrini Ranch subdivision. Water supply, viewshed, and traffic impacts are all at issue. If you want your voice to be heard, don’t miss tomorrow’s meeting.

There is also a meeting tomorrow evening of the Watsonville City Planning Commission. That meeting starts at 6:00 o’clock, and the Commission will be making a decision on a proposed cell tower at 1509 Freedom Boulevard. I will actually be representing a community group that doesn’t think that this proposed cell tower should be approved.

If you care about these issues, don’t miss these meetings. There is more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agenda, Santa Cruz City Water Commission
• Agenda Website, Monterey County Board of Supervisors
• Agenda Packet, Watsonville Planning Commission

A truly huge subdivision project called Monterey Downs is wending its way through the approval process, and is still at a relatively early stage. This massive development, proposed on lands of the former Fort Ord, would fundamentally change the character of what are now natural lands, and would have huge impacts on water and traffic, too. In fact, impacts of many kinds would occur, if this proposed development were to go forward.

When impacts might occur if a development were approved, California state law requires that there be a full analysis of those potential impacts, and an exploration of how potential impacts could be eliminated or reduced as much as possible. From my perspective, the best thing about the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, is how much power it gives to members of the public. It really requires governmental agencies to pay attention to public questions, comments, and concerns. If you would like to learn more about how CEQA will apply to the proposed Monterey Downs development, there is a workshop meeting this evening, sponsored by LandWatch Monterey County. It’s at 7:00 p.m. at the Oldemeyer Center, located at 968 Hilby Avenue in Seaside. You can register online!

And if you care about the future of Highway 68, don’t forget that the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is going to consider two large subdivisions at their meeting today at 1:30, in Salinas.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Agenda Website, Monterey County Board of Supervisors
• CEQA Workshop Information
• Register For The Workshop Online

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission meets tomorrow at 9:00 o’clock. If you’d like to attend, you should be on the Fifth Floor of the County Government Center at that time. If you want to review the agenda, to decide whether the meeting tomorrow is worth a trip, check out today’s transcript at kusp.org/landuse.

There were three items on the agenda tomorrow that attracted my attention. The Commission is going to get a report on the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line Bridge Rehabilitation Project. That’s Agenda Item #21. The Commission is also going to hear about a “Unified Corridors Plan,” and about a proposed mural on a railroad bridge abutment on Wharf Road. Those are items #20 and #23.

The purpose of the Unified Corridors Plan is to identify transportation investments that could optimize usage of the three parallel north-south transportation corridors in Santa Cruz County, and maximize sustainability objectives: (1) Highway 1; (2) Soquel Drive/Soquel Avenue; and (3) the Santa Cruz County Branch Rail Line. The Unified Corridors Plan will provide the Commission, and the public, with information about how future small and large multimodal investments might work together to improve the unified local transportation network. North-south transportation is our big transportation problem, so this is a hopeful effort.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• December 4, 2014 Agenda, SCCRTC

The Downtown Commission of the City of Santa Cruz is meeting this morning at 8:30 in the Santa Cruz City Council Chambers. The public is absolutely welcome to attend. Here are the topics that I found on the Commission’s agenda:

• An informational item on Loitering on Sidewalks
• An update on the Parking Validation Program
• An update on Parking Meter Rate Increases
• An update on the City’s Parking Project
• Crime Statistics for September and October 2014
• Consideration of the “Downtown Work Plan for 2015,” and
• An Update on the proposed Pacific Station Project

Virtually every item just listed is controversial, and how the City conceptualizes and manages its Downtown is of real importance to City residents, and to City visitors. Lots of people have very strong feelings about these topics, so I’d encourage interested persons to get a flavor for how the City is currently addressing these issues by attending the meetings of the Downtown Commission.

The proposed “Pacific Station” development, as an example, really should be the subject of spirited discussion. This proposed project would transform the existing Downtown Transit Center, and one version would result in a new five-story structure, and the demolition of an adjacent office building. As always, there is a link to more information at kusp.org/landuse.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• The December 4, 2014 Downtown Commission Agenda

Next week, the California Coastal Commission is going to be meeting in Monterey. The meeting will be held at the Portola Plaza Hotel, and runs from Wednesday, December 10th through Friday, December 12th.

Items from the Central Coast District, which includes Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, will be heard on Thursday, December 11th, starting at 9:00 a.m. I encourage the locals to attend the meeting in person, to see how the Commission gets its job done. The Commission is the state’s only statewide planning agency, and it’s responsible for that part of the state, our Coastal Zone, which has the most important and sensitive natural resources. Our Coastal Zone is also a part of the state that provides many economic development opportunities; thus, the Commission is asked to react to, and reconcile, truly conflicting objectives, all of which tend to be rather important.

The proposal to tear down most of the historic La Bahia Hotel, located on Beach Street in the City of Santa Cruz, and to build a new structure to provide upscale visitor opportunities, is going to be on the Commission’s agenda on Thursday. As most listeners probably know, this proposal has been very controversial. The last time it came before the Commission, the Commission said that the proposed new hotel was inconsistent with the City’s own coastal regulations. This time, with a modified plan, the result of the Commission’s deliberations may be different.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Coastal Commission Website
• Agenda, Commission Meeting on December 10th, 11th, and 12th