Hollister
– The San Benito County Board of Supervisors recently endorsed
the creation of a regional planning blueprint for the counties of
Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito. Supporters say the blueprint
will help local agencies approach land-use issues from a regional
perspective, but some critics worry i
t could take authority away from the county government and
general plan.
Hollister – The San Benito County Board of Supervisors recently endorsed the creation of a regional planning blueprint for the counties of Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito. Supporters say the blueprint will help local agencies approach land-use issues from a regional perspective, but some critics worry it could take authority away from the county government and general plan.
The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments applied yesterday for a grant to fund the blueprint. At its last meeting, the Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized Chair Pat Loe to send a letter in support of the application.
“This grant opportunity provides an excellent means by which to enhance forecasting for alternative land uses, both locally and regionally,” Loe wrote.
AMBAG estimates the blueprint will cost nearly $630,000, of which the grant could provide $440,000. AMBAG’s members – including San Benito’s Council of Governments – are expected to provide much of the remaining funds either directly or through in-kind staff services.
“The blueprint will allow cities to undertake visioning exercises, and after those exercises, they can elect to alter their plans if they want to,” said Kathie Urlie, AMBAG’s principal planner. “It’s a way for people to visualize the impacts of land-use decisions.”
COG transportation planner Mary Dinkuhn agreed that the regional blueprint should help local agencies by giving them a broader perspective, but she said she wasn’t sure if it would have a substantial effect on COG.
“It’s possible that with a blueprint, we’ll find new alternatives,” Dinkuhn said. “But that’s not what I anticipate.”
Supervisor Anthony Botelho – who, along with Supervisor Don Marcus, represents the supervisors at AMBAG meetings – said the blueprint could also provide more concrete benefits.
“It signifies that we’re working together as a region, and that will give us a little more leverage in applying for grants,” Botelho said. “Other areas in the state have these plans, so we need to be able to feed at the trough, too. I hate to put it that way, but it’s true.”
However, Gilroy attorney Joseph Thompson had a much less sanguine view. Thompson said he was worried that AMBAG’s document would supersede San Benito’s general plan and regional transportation plan.
“It’s emasculated the county’s jurisdiction over its general plan,” he said.
Thompson also argued that AMBAG has a poor record that makes it a particularly bad choice to take charge of San Benito’s transportation plans.
When asked about these concerns, Botelho said he was confident the blueprint would reflect San Benito’s needs and goals.
“At the meeting I went to, it was very clear that the county’s general plan and the city’s general plan are the governing documents,” he said.
Urlie also said the blueprint would not trump local government’s authority.
“It’s a completely voluntary process,” she said.
This is the second year AMBAG has applied for the grant. According to a memo from Urlie to AMBAG’s board of directors, the group’s application was declined last year due in part to a lack of letters of support. Urlie said that this year AMBAG has received 15 letters, with three more potentially on the way.
The grant awards will be announced on Dec. 15; the agencies that win this year’s grants must complete their projects by Dec. 31, 2008. Botelho said he was confident that AMBAG’s application will be successful, but Urlie was more cautious, saying she didn’t want to make any predictions.
“We’re hoping and crossing our fingers that the state believes in our efforts,” she said.
Urlie added that if AMBAG’s application is declined again, the organization will still proceed with at least one blueprint component – the population, employment and housing forecast.
AMBAG was first formed in 1968. When San Benito joined the association last year, it was the last regional government to do so. Botelho said that becoming an AMBAG member has improved the county’s working relationships in the region.
Anthony Ha covers city and county government for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 635-5566, or ah*@fr***********.com.
