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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.
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| 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, June 25, 2007 – The Energy Commission and Land Use If you’d like references to the Commission’s Integrated Energy Policy Report, and workshop notices, you can find them by clicking on the Land Use Report link on the KUSP website. Most interesting is the 2006 Update, which spells out in significant detail how land use affects our ability to meet the state’s energy needs. The Update also notes that we need to do a better job of thinking about the energy implications of our land use decisions. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Tuesday, June 26, 2007 – A Toll Road Through A State Park? To provide a specific example, I was delighted to find that Supervisors Campos and Coonerty have put an item on the Board’s agenda today that asks the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors to take a stand against a road proposal pending in Orange County. Does this seem far afield to you? Well, the proposal is to put a toll road through San Onofre State Park, bad in itself, and a terrible precedent for Santa Cruz County, if this technique becomes common. How about a Highway One to Highway 9 connector, right through Big Basin? Find out more on the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Wednesday, June 27, 2007 – AMBAG Community Planning Forum One item of interest is the 9th Annual Community Planning Forum, hosted by AMBAG, which will take place tomorrow at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. The Forum will begin at 9:00 a.m., and continue till 12:30, and you can probably still register to attend. This year, AMBAG’s Community Planning Forum is entitled “Climate Action Plans – Strategies for Local Government.” The State Air Resources Board, charged with implementing AB 32, the “Global Warming Solutions Act,” will be represented by James Goldstene, whom I’ve heard speak in Sacramento. Dr. Christopher Potter, from NASA, is the keynote speaker, and the conference wraps up with a presentation by PG&E. In the middle, a couple of panels will include presentations by representatives of ICLEI, which was founded in 1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. I’d encourage your attendance. And bring up land use! For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Thursday, June 28, 2007 – Tuesday in Arroyo Grande Residents of Arroyo Grande, of course, have a very direct stake in what ultimately happens on the property, which is currently owned by the public. Others might like to examine the relevant documents to understand how local governments attempt to stimulate certain kinds of economic development which they believe will have local benefits. In this case, the proposed hotel development would advance a redevelopment plan that was initially adopted more than ten years ago. The “myth” is that community development takes place as private property owners make decisions to build and develop, and that local government sometimes just “gets in the way.” Here’s proof of the opposite case: the local government is in fact driving the economic development plan. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information Friday, June 29, 2007 – SB 303 and SB 375 – Two Ways To Get To The City SB 303 is sponsored by the California Major Builders Council. SB 375 is sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council, and by the California League of Conservation Voters. SB 303 is intended to prevent local communities from “downzoning” properties in response to development proposals, thus increasing densities urban areas. SB 375 would encourage more compact development, promoting higher densities in “infill” areas, and discouraging development in “greenfield” areas. Both bills promote the idea (from their different perspectives) of higher density development in “infill” locations. “Sprawl” can be defined as low-density development on “greenfields,” outside of existing urban areas. Both these bills, in other words, with very different sponsors, and coming from different directions, espouse the “smart growth” principle: let’s build at higher densities in “infill” areas! There is more information on the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton. More Information
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