Holiday greetings to one and all! I hope this will be a wonderful holiday season for you and your loved ones. Recent (and predicted) precipitation is kind of a holiday present for all of us! I know, and you know, that the drought is not over, but there has been some serious water on the ground where I live. If you check out today’s blog entry at kusp.org/landuse, you will see a picture of the lake that formed in front of my house during that first hard rain a couple of weeks ago. That online transcript will also provide you with more information about the land use policy and project topics I routinely address, here on the Land Use Report.

During this holiday week there are no meetings to send you to, so you are off the hook for that! Nothing, however, can stop me from dogging your morning radio time with advisories about future meetings. So here’s one for Carmel Valley residents, and for dog lovers everywhere. Monterey County is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Carmel Canine Sports Center, and according to the AMBAG Clearinghouse Review, there will apparently be a public hearing about the EIR at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 29th. That’s in the year 2015! Check out today’s transcript for more information, and think about marking your calendar for that date!

This is Gary Patton.

More Information

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• The CVA Bulletin
• AMBAG Online
• The Clearinghouse Review Online
• County Planning Department Website – Canine Sports Center

AMBAG is always a bit behind on posting its Clearinghouse Review. The Review I got in my email says that there will be a public hearing (apparently to take comments on a Notice of Preparation for an Environmental Impact Report) at 9:00 a.m. on January 29, 2015 at the Monterey County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 168 West Alisal Street in Salinas. Contact County Planner David Mack for more information – 831-755-5096

The Carmel Valley Association, or CVA, puts out a regular email bulletin that provides information on issues of interest to Carmel Valley residents, and to others, too, since the CVA follows land use issues throughout Monterey County. A recent edition of the CVA Weekly News Update spotlighted some documents released unintentionally by the City of Seaside. It appears, from the letters recently released, that there is not enough water to allow the so-called Monterey Downs development to be built as currently proposed. Three are links to more information in today’s Land Use Report blog.

The proposed Monterey Downs development isn’t the only development in Monterey County that faces water supply challenges. The Highway 68 Coalition is urging its members and supporters to make sure that the County takes account of the County’s General Plan policies about water supply, as it considers a proposed Corral de Tierra shopping center. The Monterey County General Plan does have some pretty strong language. Here it is:

“…new development for which a discretionary permit is required, and that will use or require the use of water, shall be prohibited without proof, based on specific findings and supported by evidence, that there is a long-term sustainable water supply, both in quality and quantity to serve the development.”

That sounds like a pretty good rule to follow in Monterey County or anywhere else!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• The CVA Bulletin
• Monterey Bay Partisan Article on Monterey Downs Water Supply
• Monterey County Weekly Article on Monterey Downs

Since I am an environmental attorney in the rest of my “real life,” I tend to follow what the courts are doing, around the state, on important land use policy issues. Recently, there have been some important court decisions on the implementation of Senate Bill 375, the “Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act,” which, as you may or may not remember, was passed by the Legislature in 2008, and which is intended to stimulate changes in local land use planning to promote the kind of “compact development” that will reduce VMT, or vehicle miles traveled. The mandates and encouragements enacted by SB 375 are intended to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, and thus to combat global warming.

On December 16th, the Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District issued a modified opinion on two different cases that challenged the SB 375 “Sustainable Communities Strategy” prepared by the San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG. The court found that the environmental analysis done for the plan was legally deficient. SB 375 plans are under attack in the Central Valley, too.

I have a link in today’s Land Use Report blog to the recent court decision. Consider the decision to be a kind of “Christmas present” for those who take global warming issues seriously.

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• December 16, 2014 Appellate Court Decision
• The California Planning & Development Report

I am pretty sure that the environmental planners who live among us, here around the Monterey Bay, do, from time to time, listen in to the Land Use Report, and maybe even on Christmas. Today’s item may be of special interest to environmental planners. Let me alert everyone to an upcoming educational session titled “Environmental Communication: More Than a Message.” This is one of those “you have to pay to get in” workshops, scheduled for Wednesday, January 28th. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, located at 8272 Moss Landing Road. The instructor will be Eric Eckl, who is the founder of Water Words That Work.

This workshop is for people who need to communicate with public audiences about natural resources, watershed management, and land conservation. For the planners out there, maybe the governmental agency or organization for which you work would like to send you to the seminar! That could be a kind of Christmas and Holiday present for you. There is more information at kusp.org/landuse. A deadline for registration is coming up. Again, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program Website
• Water Words That Work, LLC

Workshop Details
The fee for this one-day workshop is $150. The fee includes refreshments, lunch, and materials. Payment can be made by credit card on the website, or send a check, payable to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, to Elkhorn Slough Foundation, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville, CA, 95076. Please note on your check the name of the workshop and your name. You must pre-register using our website no later than 5 p.m. on January 5, 2015 for us to reserve a spot for you at the workshop. Credits will be available for continuing education through the American Planning. For more information Contact Grey Hayes (grey@elkhornslough.org).

Another example is the impact that the processes of coastal erosion have on our land uses near the coast. Gary Griggs, a professor at UCSC, has educated us on this topic for years. For those who would like to hear more, be advised that there will be a free seminar on Wednesday, January 7th, at 6:30 p.m., featuring a presentation by coastal wilderness enthusiast and local sailor, Dr. David Revell. He will be speaking on "The Santa Cruz Beachfront: A Look At How The Effects Of Coastal Engineering And Climate Change Are Affecting The Harbor, Boardwalk And Beaches." This presentation will take place at the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, located at 244 4th Avenue, Santa Cruz, and everyone is welcome!

More Information:

• Land Use Links
• Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog
• Information on Revell Coastal
• Background – David Revell
• Background – Gary Griggs
• For Parking Information, Contact - djtimpany@hotmail.com