The City of Seaside has wonderful potential. There are significant development opportunities for commercial and visitor serving projects. And if lands on the former Fort Ord are properly utilized, Seaside can continue to be a place where the working families of Monterey County can find an affordable home.
Initiative Petition Would Reverse "First Tee" Decision
Several months ago, Mayor Jerry Smith and the Seaside City Council approved something called the "First Tee" project, essentially a new golf course in Seaside. Among other things, the proposed golf course would use up very scarce water supplies that would then not be available for other uses like new jobs and affordable housing. Opponents of the project have decided that the people of Seaside should have their own say. They are now ready to begin circulating an initiative petition, here is a draft of the petition. For more information contact:
Billy DeBerry, 10 Athens Court, Seaside, California -
bdeberry7765@sbcglobal.net
Helen Rucker, 1405 Mescal St., Seaside, California -
hrucker@sbcglobal.net
(02.11.04)
Seaside Highlands Lawsuit
The lawsuit challenging the legality of the KB Homes development in Seaside may profoundly affect not only this development in Seaside, but all other developments on the former Fort Ord. LandWatch will keep this section updated with all the latest court documents.
Press Releases:
LandWatch Announces That Court Documents Will Go Online
Lawsuit Documents:
"KB Home one-page disclosure to Seaside Highlands homebuyers regarding lawsuit, presented to Court at August 15th, 2003 hearing by KB Home attorneys" PDF 109KB
"Plaintiff's First Amended Complaint filed by the Court on August 8th, 2003. Exhibits not included." PDF 2.10MB
"Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction, filed July 16th, 2003. Includes Declarations of U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, Nader Agha, Appaiser Richard Van Steenkiste, and Tom Cravens. Some exhibits not included." PDF 14.0MB
"Defendant's Opposition to Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction, filed July 28th, 2003" PDF 7.61MB
"Plaintiff's Reply to Defendant's Opposition to Motion for Preliminary Injunction, filed August 1st, 2003" PDF 2.18MB
"Transcript of hearing at which Plaintiff's Motion for Preliminary Injunction was granted by the Court, August 7th, 2003" PDF 137KB
"Plaintiff's Opposition to K&B Motion to Vacate Preliminary Injunction, filed August 14th, 2003" PDF 2.52MB
"Transcript of hearing at which K&B's Motion to Vacate Preliminary Injunction was granted by the Court, August 15th, 2003" PDF 2.78MB
"Plaintiff's Case Management Report, filed September 15th, 2003" PDF 1.11MB
Seaside Housing Element Too Modest, Says LandWatch
This letter from LandWatch contains our official comments on the draft
Seaside Housing Element. (posted 05.15.03)
"Accentuate The Positive" Where Affordable Housing Is Concerned
Instead of listing the reasons it's hard to provide affordable housing, local governments and FORA should be doing everything possible to maximize affordable housing opportunities. Only when the affordable housing issue is tackled in this spirit will we begin to make progress. (04.18.03)
Hear From The Public First!
The City of Seaside is beginning its General Plan Update process, but instead of hearing from the public at the start of the process, it is apparently proposing to prepare a Draft General Plan Update, and the required Environmental Impact Report, prior to hearing what the public thinks. In this comment letter, LandWatch says, "hear from the public first!" (04.08.03)
LandWatch Letter Urges Permanent Housing Affordability
LandWatch continues to urge all local communities to support permanently affordable housing. This LandWatch letter to the Seaside City Council makes the case. (02/07/03)
Seaside City Council Considers Affordable Housing Policy For Fort Ord
How Seaside uses the Fort Ord lands it receives from the Army will have a major impact on what kind of community it becomes. LandWatch argues that Seaside should preserve affordable housing opportunities over the long term, to avoid a massive change in the character of the community, as escalating market prices displace working families. (01/15/03)
