Monterey County Local News: Land Use & Development


All Local Land Use & Development News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works

The Williamson Act, passed in 1965, now keeps more than 16 million acres of farmland out of the hands of developers. Here's how the law puts the brakes on the development of California agricultural properties.

Image caption: Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

Image caption: The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land

How California’s 10 state conservancies buy up open land and shield it from developers to preserve the natural environment for public use.

Image caption: Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does

What is the California Coastal Commission? How one of the state’s most powerful agency protects public access to the state’s scenic coast from Mexico to Oregon.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society

Zoning laws determine what can be built and where. These laws have shaped California, but are they really just tools for social engineering? The history of zoning is closely tied to racial segregation, as well as the state's shortage of …

Image caption: Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz, which might be a huge resort if not for the Coastal Commission.
The Public Shore Protectors

The future of 1,100 miles of spectacular coastline is in the hands of the California Coastal Commission, which is beloved by coastal environmentalists, notorious among those who favor development, and little-known in the inland parts of the state.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

07/24/2024
California Forever’s announcement July 22 that it has decided to pull a ballot measure that would have let voters decide on a controversial planned city in rural Solano County drew swift reaction from political leaders and opponents.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/24/2024
What happens when voters take to the ballot to thumb their nose at state housing law? Courts haven’t offered a clear answer.

California Local Pin Marker From SF Gate...

07/22/2024
On July 22, California Forever announced it was withdrawing its initiative to amend the Solano County General Plan off the November ballot and would instead begin working with the county through the normal, though less expeditious, process.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

07/19/2024
The City of Marina is working with the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District on plans for improvements to the 17-acre Locke Paddon Park.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

07/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Board Delays Its Decision on Pajaro Farmworker Housing Plans After Supervisors Are Split on the Project.

For the second time in three months, a government body deadlocked on a proposed farmworker housing project in Pajaro.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

07/12/2024
Image for display with article titled The Carmel City Council Rejects an Appeal of Hofsas House Luxury Hotel Project.

Progress is coming to Carmel, much to the disappointment of the leader of the Carmel Preservation Association, Neal Kruse.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

07/12/2024
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held July 11 to celebrate the grand opening of the 66-unit Alfred Diaz-Infante Apartments in the East Garrison.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

07/11/2024
Image for display with article titled A Divided Carmel City Council Gives a Green Light to Street Addresses.

The town famous for having no numbered street addresses is now a step closer to adding them, after a divided 3-2 vote of the Carmel City Council on Tuesday, July 9.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

07/03/2024
Image for display with article titled A Protest Against Progress Sends a Carmel Hotel’s Transformation to Council.

In 1957, Donna and Fred Hofsas built a quaint, four-story Bavarian-themed hotel in Carmel. Donna commissioned an artist friend, Maxine Albro, to paint a welcome mural, and Fred created a coat of arms, with the Latin words “Otium Cum Dignitate,” or “Leisure with Dignity.”

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

07/03/2024
Image for display with article titled East Garrison’s Last Phase of Construction Is Moving Forward, With Questions About Parking.

Like other local developments in the former Fort Ord that were approved in the aughts, a time of great optimism, East Garrison – which the County Board of Supervisors approved in 2004 – failed to launch as the Great Recession tanked the market.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/02/2024
Nearly every major environmental group in California opposes a bill that would modify the state’s signature environmental law to speed up upgrades to power lines. Supporters say it would help free the state from fossil fuels and make the grid more reliable, but opponents fear it would damage state parks.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

07/01/2024
The first 1.5 mile segment of the FORTAG project is set to begin construction in Del Rey Oaks later in July.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

06/26/2024
Image for display with article titled The Stars Are Finally Aligning for the Developers of Campus Town to Get Shovels in the Ground.

Ever since the City of Seaside entered into a purchase and sale agreement with KB Bakewell Seaside Venture II, LLC in 2017 to develop the Campus Town project, which envisions 1,485 housing units and more than 150,000 square feet of commercial space on 122 acres at the city’s border with Marina, progress has been slow.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

06/26/2024
In their June 25 meeting, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved the final phase of the East Garrison housing project.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/25/2024
A push to bolster housing production in California's coastal communities in recent years has led to heated battles over potential state reforms. Below, a veteran elected official believes the debate has created a false choice between housing and protections. The opposing view: A former attorney for the Coastal Commission says the state Coastal Act has failed to deliver on what it envisioned.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

06/20/2024
On June 19, California YIMBY announced support for the California Forever project going to the Solano County ballot in November.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

06/19/2024
Image for display with article titled Land Use Watchdogs Sue the City of Seaside Over Its 2040 General Plan.

Yet again, the City of Seaside finds itself embroiled in a lawsuit over its attempts to develop the former Fort Ord, just over a week after City Council finalized an $850,000 settlement with Sacramento-based developer Paul Petrovich.

King City Rustler logo From King City Rustler...

06/19/2024
Image for display with article titled King City Beautification Week Kicks Off This Weekend

King City’s Beautification Week is just around the corner, and residents and businesses are urged to pick a project to beautify the town.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

06/18/2024
On June 17, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County applied for a state grant to connect existing trails and bike lanes in the area of Fremont Boulevard and Highway 218 near Seaside.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

06/18/2024
A new round of litigation began when environmental groups opposed to the Sites reservoir in Colusa County filed an appeal on a ruling which dismissed their suit seeking to halt the project from proceeding.
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