City targets rural land for development
HistoryMission HalthSafety Environment Annexation News WhatYouCanDo contact

Donate

Help fight prevent Uban Sprawl and protect local water resources. click here

History & Mission

What's happened and what's next

Health & Safety

Water impact, airport safety

Environment

Endangered species, road congestion

Annexation

City targets rural land for development

News

Recent news, press releases, archived FBV Newsletters

Watsonville's Draft Environmental Imact Report

Review and download a copy now!

Meetings & Events

Speak out
 

Item of the Week


Sierra Club joins Friends of Buena Vista to fight development

March 13, 2007: Pilots: Watsonville airport plan fails to take off
January 30, 2007: National group targets Watsonville control near airport
March 3rd, 2007: Plans, problems and solutions at the city‚s airport
December 3, 2006 Karin Kerber-Smith: Watsonville leaders miss the point
November 16, 2006 Watsonville, county spar over Atkinson Lane land
September 2006 Friends of Buena Vista September Newsletter
Friends of Buena Vista's Response to City of Watsonville's Draft EIR.
Key meeting dates. Please attend and voice your opinion

No upcoming meetings at this time.

 

Newsletter

Under the City of Watsonville’s recently updated General Plan, as many as 2,250 homes, together with some commercial development and light industry, are targeted for approximately 340 rural acres along the Buena Vista/Larkin Valley corridor north of the airport.  Aside from the obvious change in landscape this would bring to the area, other likely outcomes of such an action include:

  • The potential addition of more than 10,000 people to the Larkin Valley area
  • An increase of 26,000 vehicle trips/day in the area
  • Over-drafting of precious water resources
  • Compromised safety in the Buena Vista area
  • Placing an additional burden on already overcrowded area schools
  • Destruction of open space, agricultural land and sensitive environmental areas

An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) issued by the City of Watsonville in 2005 failed to adequately address these and other concerns raised by the Friends of Buena Vista.   Further, in 2006, the City of Watsonville chose to ignore a request from the State Division of Aeronautics to rescind an earlier decision that was made to modify and eliminate airport safety zones in order to accommodate new housing in the vicinities around the airport.  

The City’s issuance of a deficient EIR together with their disregard for conformance to the State Aeronautics Act and State Land Use Law led The Friends of Buena Vista, the Sierra Club and the Watsonville Pilots Association to file a lawsuit against the City of Watsonville in 2006.  In January 2007 we experienced our first court victory against the City of Watsonville and we anticipate further success in the Fall of 2007when the full suit is expected to be heard in Santa Cruz.

Read More

Friends of Buena Vista (FBV) is a neighborhood grass-roots organization that seeks to preserve the existing rural environment of the Buena Vista/Larkin Valley corridor located in south Santa Cruz County, California. We believe that citizens can make a difference by participating in community-based decision-making. Join us in organizing and speaking out. FBV disseminates public information and holds meetings to discuss strategies for preserving open space and limiting the development of Buena Vista. Join us.

 Friends of Buena Vista   •   P. O. Box 1797    •    Freedom, CA   95019

 
Friends of Buena Vista © 2005
DONATE