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KUSP provides a brief Land Use Report on KUSP Radio. Tune in every weekday at 6:33 or 8:49 am. KUSP is at 88.9 FM in General Coverage, 105.9 FM in Big Sur Valley, 91.3 FM in Palo Colorado Canyon, and 91.7 FM in San Ardo. Archives of past transcripts are available here. Week of November 3, 2003 to November 7, 2003
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors. Monday,
November 3, 2003 – California Wilderness Coalition The “Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act” was authored by Congress Member Farr. It expanded the Ventana Wilderness, adding nearly 35,000 acres. The Silver Peak Wilderness, created in 1992, was more than doubled in size. 2,715 acres were added to the Pinnacles National Monument Wilderness, located in San Benito County. The bill had its beginnings in the summer of 1998 when the Ventana Wilderness Alliance began an inventory of roadless areas in the Los Padres National Forest. The results of this inventory helped lay the groundwork for Congress Member Farr’s legislation. According to the California Wilderness Coalition, phttp://www.calwild.org/photos/content/cc/coastridge1b.jpgassage of the Act would not have been possible without extraordinary efforts by both Representative Farr and Senator Boxer. As is often the case, the KUSP website can guide you to more information. If you’ll click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org, you’ll get a full briefing on what the celebration is all about. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Tuesday,
November 4, 2003 –East Garrison Development One of the most interesting proposals for redeveloping Fort Ord is in the unincorporated area, way on the other side of Fort Ord. This is the so-called “East Garrison” project, which plans to utilize “new urbanist” techniques that aren’t being employed in any of the other projects. The principles of “new urbanism” call for walkable neighborhoods, mixed uses, housing affordability by design, and the integration of civic and commercial uses into local neighborhoods. It’s a great concept, and Monterey County and the local developer, called Woodman Development, should be congratulated for their willingness to try out in real life some the planning concepts that have gotten great critical reviews. If you’d like to learn more about the East Garrison Development, tune in tomorrow, when I’ll continue this discussion. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Wednesday,
November 5, 2003 – More on East Garrison The developer has brought in “new urbanist” designers to make the proposed East Garrison project something special. There are some problems, however. The whole idea of “new urbanism” is to integrate new development into a compact, urban design. This proposed project is definitely a skip, and a hop, and a jump, and a long way from anything else. There seems to be a bit of an internal contradiction, in other words. It’s too bad that Marina and Seaside haven’t focused on the advantages of “new urbanism,” since they actually have some urban areas to develop. Perhaps even more important, the County and the developer have entered into an Option Agreement that gives an awful lot of advantages to the developer. Of course, that’s no different from what Seaside and Marina have done. All the local jurisdictions with land on Fort Ord seem quite anxious to transfer title from the public to various private developers. To find out a whole lot more about the East Garrison project, I do encourage you to visit the KUSP website. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Thursday,
November 6, 2003 – Seaside GPU At The City Council The complete Draft Seaside General Plan Update is available online. I encourage you to review the Draft, and to let the City Council know what you think. A community’s General Plan is the single most important document governing land use and development. The General Plan really does chart the future of the community, so the community needs to get engaged at the General Plan level. All too often, we start paying attention to planning issues only when a specific project is proposed. That’s late in the game, because the policies to which every project must conform are almost always incorporated in or based on the General Plan. Whether the issue is parks, street widths, height limits, the design of shopping centers, or affordable housing, the General Plan is the place where policy statements can have the most effect. If you’ll click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org, you’ll find directions to the Seaside General Plan Update. You can take it from there. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Friday,
November 7, 2003 – California Futures Network One way to stay informed (providing you have email access) is to sign up for the bulletins put out periodically by the California Futures Network. CFN is a statewide coalition that works for state land use reform, and for land use policies that are fiscally, socially and environmentally sound. CFN has about ninety affiliate members, including representatives of business, labor, local government, social justice, and environmental organizations. LandWatch Monterey County, for instance, is a member. CFN affiliates think California should steer public and private investments toward existing developed areas; provide for increased social justice, economic, and housing opportunities; and conserve the state's agricultural and natural lands. I’m happy to report that CFN has had some real success at the state level. The passage of AB 857, last year, has established some land use priorities for California that could make a huge difference to the future growth and development of the state. I’ll tell you more…next week. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Archives of past transcripts are available here |
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