KUSP 88.9 fm, Santa Cruz - Gary Patton's Land Use Report

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
Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.

You can contact Gary Patton at PCL by emailing him at: gapatton@pcl.org.

Monday, January 15, 2007 – Vineyard Workshop
In adopting land use and other regulations of various kinds, state and local agencies have typically established less stringent requirements for agricultural uses. This is a generality, of course, but it’s not far off the mark. As an example, restaurants are subject to a set of very specific and mandatory food handling requirements, and local departments of environmental health typically enforce these requirements with both regular and “surprise” inspections. The agricultural fields and processors that generate the raw food that ultimately makes its way into our restaurants (and into our kitchens) don’t generally operate in such a highly-evolved regulatory environment. The recent episode of contaminated spinach getting distributed throughout the country indicates why a more regulatory approach might be justified.

In recent years, regulations under the Federal Clean Water Act have begun to focus on agricultural operations. The approach taken is still less “regulatory” that that taken with other types of businesses, but farmers are being asked more and more to conform their operations to regulatory guidelines. Tomorrow and Thursday there will be workshops for vineyard operators, telling them how best to comply with the need to have a ‘Farm Plan’ addressing clean water issues.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information
In order to comply with the Conditional Ag Water Discharge Waiver (which responds to requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act) all vineyard owners and/or managers on the Central Coast, Region 9, must have a “Farm Plan” for their vineyards. The Central Coast Vineyard Team (CCVT) is trying to help vineyard owners and managers as they work to comply with these relatively recent requirements, and are sponsoring two local workshops this week:

On Tuesday, January 16th, an “in the field” and “hands on” workshop will be held at the Hahn Estates, located at 37700 Foothill Road, in Soledad. The workshop is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
On Thursday, January 18th, another “in the field” workshop will be held at the J. Lohr Vineyards, at 6169 Airport Road, Paso Robles. This workshop is also scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

More information on these two events is available from Gaylene Ewing at Gaylene@vineyardteam.org.
Telephone: 805-369-2288.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 – A Special Meeting in Monterey County
I think I’m about six years behind the curve, but I’ve recently become aware of the TV drama called “24 Hours,” which has kept me on the edge of my seat, moving from episode to episode, seeking the gratification of some sort of completion and conclusion, though without ever quite reaching it.

In the realm of land use, the policy debates in Monterey County continue to be of very significant importance, both within that county, and regionally, and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors is playing out dramas that are keeping us all on the edge of our seats!

Today, the Board will be holding another special meeting focused on development issues. At 1:00 p.m., the Board will enter into a “closed litigation session,” to consider a number of the most important land use policy matters in the County, virtually all of them involved in litigation. The Board will then meet in the open at 2:30 p.m., to start new development happening in the most remote corner of Fort Ord, and to consider submitting to the voters the question of whether or not to repeal the 2006 County General Plan, adopted by the Board of Supervisors in a special meeting on January 3rd. The ballot measure proposed would not stop development between now and June, so to make sure that the voters’ voice really means something, local citizens are circulating a referendum petition.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information
Monterey County Website – http://www.co.monterey.ca.us
Agenda, January 16, 2007 Monterey County Board of Supervisors Meeting - http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda.htm
To get more information on the referendum, contact LandWatch Monterey County – www.landwatch.org.
Telephone: 831-422-9390. Email: landwatch@mclw.org

Wednesday, January 17, 2007 – Architectural Review
The Monterey City Architectural Review Committee meets today, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers, at the City Hall in Monterey.

The agenda, which is available online, says this:
“Architectural Review Committee (ARC) review is to encourage and promote good development that is related to the setting and established character of the surrounding area or neighborhood. To accomplish this, the ARC will review all areas of a proposal that influence outside appearance. Access, on-site circulation, grading, tree impacts, building placement, landscape areas, landscape planting, architectural style, bulk, mass, color and signs are evaluated for conformance with adopted design guidelines, tree protection standards and neighborhood compatibility. Applications may be approved as submitted, continued for further study, denied or approved subject to conditions, specified changes, additions, or deletions.”

The Land Use Report most often discusses planning and land use policies at the very highest, or “General Plan” level, but what I have just read makes clear that the community’s right to determine its own destiny can get into the details, beyond the grand design. If you’d like to see the “detail work” of planning up close, think about attending that meeting today.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information
Monterey City Website – http://www.monterey.org/cityhall.html
Architectural Review Committee - http://www.monterey.org/boards/arc.html
January 17, 2007 Agenda - http://www.monterey.org/boards/arc/agendas/2007/0117arcagenda.pdf

Thursday, January 18, 2007 – Job Opportunities and Ag Land Protection

Today, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Santa Cruz Main Public Library, California Farmlink is holding a workshop on Coastal Agricultural Protection, focusing specifically on affirmative agricultural easements. This presentation is part of a series, the overall goal of which is to provide a forum where state and local government land use planners, farmland protection organizations, and farmers may work together to help preserve coastal farming in California.

Now for a job opportunity announcement. Starting on January 29th, Monterey Peninsula College will be offering a course called “Introduction to GIS, GPS, and Cartography.” You can get information from the MPC catalogue, or from the transcript of today’s Land Use Report. If you’re interested in making a career in the land use policy arena, you should seriously consider becoming an expert in Geographical Information Systems, or GIS. GIS provides a powerful new set of tools for community planners, and all those who care about land use policy. Land use policy is about designing our own future, instead of letting the future simply “happen to us.” A talented GIS technician can help local communities implement their vision, and establish a set of planning policies that will allow us to achieve our economic, environmental, and social equity goals!

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information
For information on California Farmlink visit the California Farmlink website at www.californiafarmlink.org, or contact Reggie Knox at 831-761-8507, or email info@californiafarmlink.org.

Monterey Peninsula College Website - http://www.mpc.edu.
The GIS course mentioned in this Land Use Report is MAST 10, under the Marine Science and Technology department at MPC - http://www.mpc.edu/apps/pubs.asp?Q=1&P=131. The class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the MPC GIS Lab. To enroll, visit the college or call 831-646-4000, or visit the MPC website. For additional course information contact Deidre Sullivan at 831-646-3081 or by email at dsullivan@mpc.edu.

Friday, January 19, 2007 – Last Friday With FORA
The Fort Ord Reuse Authority, or FORA, is overseeing the redevelopment of the former army base at Fort Ord, and has very significant planning responsibilities. You can find out more by tracking down the transcript for today’s Land Use Report at www.kusp.org.

Last Friday, FORA addressed a number of important planning issues. For instance, it held a public hearing to explore whether the Marina Zoning Ordinance was consistent with the FORA Plan, thus allowing the City of Marina to let development proceed under its local zoning ordinance. As you can tell, cities with lands within the boundaries of the former Fort Ord need to go through an additional step, before they can carry out their planning program on lands on the former army base. The FORA Board also considered water allocations for Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Seaside, and the County of Monterey.

Not on the agenda was something of a surprise visit by the Monterey County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, which wants FORA to guarantee that new construction taking place on the former Army Base will pay “prevailing wages” to the workers who will actually accomplish the work of rebuilding and redeveloping Fort Ord.

If you care about the future of the Monterey Peninsula, it’s important for you to start paying attention to what the Fort Ord Reuse Authority does.

For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.

More Information
FORA Website - http://www.fora.org/
Monterey Bay Central Labor Council - http://www.montereybaylabor.org/