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Dear LandWatch
Member or Friend:
This "Action Alert"
is to let you know about a set of upcoming
"Roundtable Meetings," which will be the first
formal opportunity for public participation in the
County's General Plan Update process.
As you probably
know, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors has
initiated an update to the county's sixteen year
old General Plan. The County General Plan is the
single most important document governing the future
growth and development of Monterey County. Eight
different "Roundtable Meetings" have been
scheduled. The purpose of these meetings is to let
the public "tell us what problems you think our
updated county general plan should deal
with."
I urge you to
attend one or more of these meetings, and to tell
the county what you think. Public comment at these
"Roundtables" will help determine the direction of
the County's next General Plan.
LandWatch believes
that all of the following problems need to be
addressed in the updated county general
plan:
- Conversion of
commercially viable agricultural land into auto
malls, shopping centers, new subdivisions, and
other urban uses is a major problem for Monterey
County, and for its long-term economic health.
The updated General Plan must strengthen
protection for commercially viable agricultural
lands.
- Residential,
commercial, and industrial development should be
taking place inside urban growth boundaries in
order to revitalize existing communities,
minimize public service costs, minimize the
traffic congestion caused by longer vehicle
trips, protect agricultural and natural resource
lands, and prevent urban sprawl. The fact that
this isn't happening now is a major problem that
should be addressed in the general plan
update.
- Housing that
can be afforded by average and below average
income persons must be provided as new business
and other growth occurs. The general plan needs
to include a mechanism to ensure that a fair
share of affordable housing will actually be
built concurrently with other development, and
that this housing will be included within
mixed-income neighborhoods.
- New development
of every kind is outrunning public services.
This is a major problem. The updated general
plan should require that adequate public
facilities and services&emdash;including police,
fire, schools, parks, transportation facilities
and reliable water supplies&emdash;be in place
prior to or concurrently with new
development.
- The current
general plan is complex, and the planning
process is more uncertain and costly than it
should be. This is a major problem. The updated
general plan should increase certainty for both
landowners and the public. Once the updated
general plan is adopted, the county should
prevent developers from combining their
development application with a request to amend
the general plan.
Please let county
government know that the updated general plan
should address the problems just listed&emdash;and
other problems and concerns you have, as well.
Thanks for your participation in this critically
important set of meetings.
Gary A. Patton,
Executive Director
LandWatch Monterey County
Round Table
Meetings
Monterey
Peninsula
Tuesday, 11-16-99, 630 p.m.
Doubletree Hotel (De Anza Room)
Two Portola Plaza
Monterey, CA
Central
Salinas Valley
Wednesday, 11-17-99, 6:30 p.m.
Salinas Valley Fair (Orrade Room)
625 Division Street
King City, CA
South
County
Thursday, 11-18-99, 6:30 p.m.
San Ardo Elementary School Auditorium
62428 Center Street
San Ardo, CA
Cachagua/Carmel
Valley
Monday, 11-29-99, 6:30 p.m.
Carmel Valley Trail and Saddle club
85 E. Garzas Road
Carmel Valley, CA
Salinas/Toro
Area
Wednesday, 12-1-99, 6:30 p.m.
Spreckels Memorial Veterans Bldg.
90 5th Street
Spreckels, CA
North
County
Thursday, 12-2-99, 6:30 p.m.
Prunedale Grange Hall
17890 Moro Road
Prunedale, CA
Big
Sur
Monday, 12-6-99, 6:30 p.m.
Big Sur Lodge, Pfeiffer Big Sur State
Park
Highway One
Big Sur, CA
Step Two /
County-Wide Roundtable
Tuesday, 12-7-99, 6:30 p.m.
Salinas Community Center (Santa Lucia
Room)
940 N. Main Street
Salinas, CA
Further
Information: 831-755-5065
Website: www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu
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