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KUSP LandWatch
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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 December 15, 2003 to December 19, 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,
December 15, 2003 – Marina Coast Water District It appears that the Marina Heights project, in Marina, has run afoul of this new, and quite logical, law. The Marina City Council is poised to approve the Marina Heights project, but the water district has not yet produced its Water Supply Assessment, and the public has certainly not had its opportunity to comment. The issues involved aren’t “technicalities.” Water supplies in Marina are very scarce, and the groundwater aquifer from which that water comes is threatened by toxic contamination and seawater intrusion. If water is provided to the proposed Marina Heights development, which is essentially upper income homes, there may not be any water for job producing developments. Tonight at 7:00 o’clock, the Marina Coast Water District will consider this controversial subject. You can get more information by clicking on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Tuesday,
December 16, 2003 – Scotts Valley City Council Tomorrow, the Scotts Valley City Council will appoint a creek habitat subcommittee to explore what sort of development standards should be established, to protect the city’s riparian creeks and habitats. Land use policies will either protect natural resources, or not, depending on what those policies are. This is an important effort by the City of Scotts Valley. It’s Agenda Item #2. Agenda Item #3 is an update report on the draft population, employment, and housing units forecast prepared through the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments. Professional planners always begin with the numbers. If you’d like to understand how those numbers are developed, show up at that Scotts Valley City Council meeting tomorrow night. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Wednesday,
December 17, 2003 – Tree Protection There’s another aspect to natural resource protection, however. Aren’t there some natural resources inside our cities that are worth protecting? This is the issue at the Scotts Valley City Council tonight, where they’ll talk about creek habitat protection, for riparian areas inside the city. It’s also the issue before the City of Santa Cruz Planning Commission, which will consider the proposed removal of a heritage tree. The City of Santa Cruz has decided that there are natural resources, inside the city, that are worth protecting. Large trees are one of them. If you’d like to get involved, the Planning Commission meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. tonight. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Thursday,
December 18, 2003 – Carmel Valley Road Committee Today, there’s a similar meeting coming up, but it’s a meeting of the Carmel Valley Road Committee, to be held in Carmel Valley. The residents of that area, like the residents of Big Sur, are not at all bashful about letting their governmental officials know what they think. What they think, by and large, is that Carmel Valley is one of the most spectacular geographic areas in the world, different from but fully equivalent to Big Sur, and they want to make sure it’s protected. Traffic issues, as in Big Sur, are a hot topic in Carmel Valley. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m., at the Mid-Valley Fire Station. If you’re a Carmel Valley resident, you might want to attend. On the agenda is a discussion of what I understand is a proposal to eliminate language in the draft General Plan Update that many Carmel Valley residents believe is vitally necessary to prevent the over-development of Carmel Valley. Find out more by clicking on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Friday,
December 19, 2003 – The Seaside Lawsuit Most controversial has been the way that KB Homes acquired the property. The property is part of the former Fort Ord, and was purchased from the Army by the City of Seaside, which immediately resold the land to the developer. The City of Seaside made a profit of about $750,000 (total) on this sale. The City then approved a development of about 380 homes, and as I said earlier, all of those homes will sell for more than $500,000 apiece. $500,000 times 380 is $190,000,000. That’s the gross income to the developer. The people of the City get $750 grand. A lawsuit is challenging this financial arrangement as a giveaway of a public asset, and the Trial Court Judge has ruled the plaintiffs are likely to win. Today, at 10:00 a.m., KB Homes is making a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Proceedings are at Judge Kingsley’s Courtroom, in Monterey, and you’re very welcome to attend. For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
Archives of past transcripts are available here |
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