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Listen to the reports each weekday at 6:49 am & 8:49 am To suggest a topic for a future land use report, or to convey a comment, please use this link. |
| Past
Reports
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP by Gary Patton, Executive Director of The Planning and Conservation League. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP You can contact Gary Patton at PCL by emailing him at: gapatton@pcl.org.
Monday, January 8, 2007 – Monterey County and the Right To Vote In fact, the Board did no such thing. Last Wednesday, the Board adopted the pro-development GPU4 document. While the Board tried to give the impression that they would let the voters decide, their official action would put the pro-development GPU4 policies into immediate effect (so that the developers of Rancho San Juan, and other developers, could immediately get project approval on the basis of these new, more “pro-development” policies). In order actually to honor the right of the voters to decide, a “referendum” of the GPU4 General Plan is now required. The community-based activists who have been trying to get Rancho San Juan and the Community General Plan to the voters (over the continued opposition of the Board of Supervisors) have now launched a referendum campaign, so the voters will get a chance to express their opinion in a meaningful way. A public announcement about the referendum will take place tomorrow, at 8:30 in the morning, at the County Governmental Center in Salinas. Think about attending, to provide a demonstration that the voters really do care about these issues! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Tuesday, January 9, 2007 – The Transformation of Spreckels A huge legal battle took place, over whether a so-called “ancient subdivision” map gave the current landowners the right to develop. Many local governments would have fought against the landowners’ claims, but given its generally pro-development views, it’s not surprising that the Monterey County Board of Supervisors sided with the developers. The Board said that the County should not have jurisdiction to review the creation of the 73 new home sites, and that the public should not have the right to be heard on the matter, and that there should not be any environmental review. The “big decision,” in other words, has already been made. The Planning Commission is paying attention to the details. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Wednesday, January 10, 2007 – Arroyo Grande Development As I looked at Arroyo Grande in a satellite view, I saw that making the specified properties more “developable,” which is what was proposed, would quite likely lead to the infill of areas already committed to urban development. This is generally a better pattern for development than “pioneering” efforts to spread development out onto adjacent farmlands, or into natural areas, which is what a lot of proposed projects are all about. For those interested in land use issues, Google Earth is hard to beat. It lets you see what the written documents are talking about, so you can get a pretty good idea of how a particular proposed development might relate to adjacent properties, and how it might affect the surrounding environment. You do need to have a relatively up to date computer, with one of the “faster” CPU chips, but if you have the computer capability to use the Google Earth tool, it’s something well worth your effort. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Thursday, January 11, 2007 – Widening Highway One As you may remember, the Santa County Regional Transportation Commission has most recently been a strong advocate for the widening of Highway One. About fifteen years ago, when I served on the Commission, the philosophy was different. In that era, the Commission thought that we needed to solve our transportation and congestion problems by using our existing transportation facilities more efficiently. Most members of the Commission then believed that widening the highway (always very costly, of course) wouldn’t really provide any longer term congestion relief, because of the “induced demand” phenomenon. There is good evidence that increasing highway capacity only brings temporary relief for congestion, because the freer-flowing conditions that follow a widening project lead to more people getting out on the highway, ultimately jamming it up as before, but with more vehicles caught in the jam. That is emphatically not the view of the current Commission, which supports the widening of Highway One. Santa Cruz County voters have said that they will not pay for a Highway One widening, but if funding can be obtained elsewhere, the Commission and the State of California have the legal ability to proceed. The statewide bond measures passed in November may well provide the money, and if you care about the issue, you might want to attend today’s Commission meeting, where this mater will be debated. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Friday, January 12, 2007 – Neighbors Fight to Save the Roadhouse Surfers in particular are rallying around a neighborhood land use issue affecting the Pleasure Point area off East Cliff Drive. The issue is whether a spot revered by surfers, and inhabited by surfers, too, will be protected and preserved as part of the area’s history, or whether the land owner’s desire to transform the property into a more conventional residential development will be honored. You can get the full story of the fight to save the “Pleasure Point Roadhouse” by clicking on the Land Use Report link on the KUSP website. If you’re supportive, you can sign a petition in favor of the efforts to provide an “historic” designation for the Roadhouse structure. Those spearheading the “Save the Roadhouse” campaign are hoping to have the “Roadhouse” declared of historic significance, which will provide the structure with some additional protections. Ultimately, though, saving the “Roadhouse” will mean finding funding to make this site into a community center and historic museum facility, which is what advocates are aiming for. For Pleasure Point and Live Oak residents, now is a good time to get engaged. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information |