Nine Reasons to Sign the No on GPU4 Referendum Petition

1. GPU4 doesn't protect the right of Monterey County voters to decide their own future

GPU4 lacks any provision for allowing Monterey County voters to have a direct role in approving large-scale developments that will impact the quality of their lives. The County Board of Supervisors spent 7 years and $7 million developing four different versions of the general plan update. GPU4 fails to address critical public concerns about the location, density, and level of growth in the County. It's time to let the voters have control over their own destiny. [Can also be posed as a question: Why shouldn't an update to Monterey County's General Plan protect the right of Monterey County voters to decide their own future?]

2. GPU4 represents the interests of out-of-county developers and their attorneys, not the general public.

Over the past 7 years, out-of-county developers and their attorneys ceaselessly lobbied the Board of Supervisors and showered them with campaign contributions. In the end, these special interests got the plan they paid for.

3. GPU4 encourages the worst kind of San Jose-style junkyard development.

GPU4 allows for more than 18,000 new residential units in 7 community areas, 9 rural centers, 16 special treatment areas, and 8 study areas — all outside of cities. This level of growth exceeds AMBAG’s 2030 housing forecast for unincorporated areas by 22%.

4. GPU4 is a "sprawl-now, pay-later" plan. It will result in higher taxes, poorer public services (including police and fire), or both.

By promoting excessive growth, GPU4 worsens existing road, water overdraft and other infrastructure problems. The County already has a huge economic backlog of un-funded infrastructure projects. The additional traffic and sprawl allowed under GPU4 will increase these costs. The only way to pay for these costs will be to increases taxes or take revenues from other sources.

Unfunded infrastructure projects include:

$3,200,000,000 - The estimated cost of road improvements to bring existing conditions to LOS C is about $3.2 billion (BAE Report). The estimated cost of meeting a LOS D standard is $280 million (BAE Report).

$2,400,000,000 - Needed road improvements for the next 30 years total almost $2.4 billion. Only $67 million has been identified as being available for these projects

(2005 RTP)

$ 750,000,000 - Meeting water supply, water quality and flood control needs

(Monterey County Water Resource Agency, BAE Report)

$ 220,000,000 - An Army Corps of Engineers project to address flood control in the Pajaro areas (BAE Report)

$ 200,000,000 - Desalination plant for Monterey Peninsula (construction only).

$ 42,000,000 - Distribution system for Salinas Valley Water Project required by 2030, no mitigation costs included

$ 33,000,000 - Economic loss of agricultural land conversion for Rancho San Juan alone

5. GPU4 will worsen already congested and unsafe roads.

GPU4 includes no concrete plans to improve county roads in conjunction with the 18,000 new, ill-planned residential units. Under GPU4 daily vehicle miles traveled would increase by at least 460,000 trips or about 65% over the year 2000 travel. As a result, by 2030

· The number of road segments operating at level of service "E" would increase from 15 to 33

· The number of road segments operating at level of service "F" would increase from 14 to 30.

In order to prevent gridlock, taxpayers will be forced to make huge investments in roads and other infrastructure outside of urban areas.

6. GPU4 fails to address critical housing needs.

GPU4 only requires that developers provide 20% affordable housing in Community Areas and Rural Centers, and this housing will not be permanent, creating a never-ending treadmill for new affordable housing. Additionally, by allowing low-density sprawl, development will be less likely to occur in community areas where higher density, more affordable housing could be built.

7. GPU4 will destroy at least 5,500 acres of prime farmland.

The Salinas Valley is a critical resource, not just to Monterey County but also to the entire State of California. As Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman, a fourth-generation rancher, notes, “Each year California’s tremendously fertile farmland is whittled away by development. Ensuring that we keep our farmland in agriculture is vital to the future of our state,”

8. By encouraging low-density sprawl on farmland, GPU4 discourages economic reinvestment of urban areas.

Developments that could help revitalize urban areas such as East Salinas will be drawn to cheap farmland. Likewise, investment funds will go to non-urban areas to support sprawl rather than redevelopment.

9. GPU4 is an environmental disaster.

The EIR identifies the following significant impacts:

· Loss of important farmland

· Conflicts with Williamson Act contracts

· Agricultural and resource use soil erosion

· Groundwater overdraft and saltwater intrusion

· Decline in level of service (LOS) of regional and county roads

· Visual character and light and glare

· Loss of special status species

· Degradation in water quality from increased soil erosion

· Erosion hazards

As a specific example, GPU4 eliminates the current provision prohibiting cultivation on steep slopes greater than 30% and allows conversion with a permit.