Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Tue, Aug 10 2004
Watsonville And Greedy Developers Still Threaten Rural Buena Vista Community
Our local battle over the encroachment of the city of Watsonville and its effects on our airport continues tonight at the Watsonville City Council meeting.
The city's residents were allowed to vote on a measure that opened the way for development in the unincorporated Buena Vista area of the county. The residents of Buena Vista were not allowed to vote, and we will be the most heavily impacted by the city's plans to annex and develop the area. Much of the area would be marked for "affordable housing", and would be developed with dense, multi-story units that will change the landscape of Buena Vista forever. What is now a rural area of rolling hills with horse farms and green hills will become congested with people and traffic. The already-stressed Highway 1 corridor will have further demands placed upon it, and plans for possible future widening of the this scenic, historic coastal road do not include the portion of the highway that intersects Buena Vista Drive.
As water becomes more of a precious commodity, the idea of putting multiple units on smaller and smaller portions of land is a ludicrous choice.
The safe and proper use of our airport is a tremendous factor in all this controversy. The pilots in the area have spent long hours educating the public and the Watsonville city council members on the facts concerning the need to keep the airport unencumbered and operational in a safe manner that benefits the entire Santa Cruz County. If we lose this fight, we lose scenery, we lose history, we lost valuable business and personal transportation, and we lose quality of life for existing and future Buena Vista area residents.
My post involves a local controversy, but urban sprawl could be affecting your local airport and community too. The Center for Immigration Studies has a chart showing land use trends in states, and they also have a bit of background on the multiple factors contributing to urban sprawl.
posted at: 09:07 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
Our local battle over the encroachment of the city of Watsonville and its effects on our airport continues tonight at the Watsonville City Council meeting.
The city's residents were allowed to vote on a measure that opened the way for development in the unincorporated Buena Vista area of the county. The residents of Buena Vista were not allowed to vote, and we will be the most heavily impacted by the city's plans to annex and develop the area. Much of the area would be marked for "affordable housing", and would be developed with dense, multi-story units that will change the landscape of Buena Vista forever. What is now a rural area of rolling hills with horse farms and green hills will become congested with people and traffic. The already-stressed Highway 1 corridor will have further demands placed upon it, and plans for possible future widening of the this scenic, historic coastal road do not include the portion of the highway that intersects Buena Vista Drive.
As water becomes more of a precious commodity, the idea of putting multiple units on smaller and smaller portions of land is a ludicrous choice.
The safe and proper use of our airport is a tremendous factor in all this controversy. The pilots in the area have spent long hours educating the public and the Watsonville city council members on the facts concerning the need to keep the airport unencumbered and operational in a safe manner that benefits the entire Santa Cruz County. If we lose this fight, we lose scenery, we lose history, we lost valuable business and personal transportation, and we lose quality of life for existing and future Buena Vista area residents.
My post involves a local controversy, but urban sprawl could be affecting your local airport and community too. The Center for Immigration Studies has a chart showing land use trends in states, and they also have a bit of background on the multiple factors contributing to urban sprawl.
posted at: 09:07 | category: /Politics | link to this entry
