Unmanaged growth like the City of Watsonville’s proposed annexation of nearly 400 rural acres in the Buena Vista/Larkin Valley corridor to develop 2,250 new homes may be harmful to health and unsafe. Such urban sprawl will destroy the existing delicate environmental ecosystem and wreck havoc on natural resources such as water and land. Friends of Buena Vista believes that the proposed overdevelopment of Buena Vista will produce both long-and short-term environmental devastation whose ramifications extend far beyond the immediate 400-acre development area.

Water Sources and Availability (back to top)

The Pajaro Valley water system cannot support extensive urban sprawl. Santa Cruz County’s General Plan identifies a critical water shortage in the county and discusses the lack of any new water supplies identified in the past 20 years. While acknowledging that the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency is in the process of implementing a water management plan to decrease coastal groundwater pumping, the report concludes that current water resources are already at or beyond sustainable capacity of the water supply agencies, and that this may have an effect on the development capacity throughout the county.

Groundwater Recharge  (back to top)

Buena Vista is home to the Harkins Slough Watershed, the longest freshwater waterway in the Watsonville system. The Upper Harkins Slough presently provides essential groundwater recharge for private wells servicing existing homes throughout the Buena Vista/Larkin Valley area. High-density housing will increase water demand so much that present groundwater recharge cycles will be unable to meet demand. In addition, higher water use will overburden the local groundwater table. The City claims to have enough water currently to supply new development.  However, thus far it has done nothing to prevent saltwater intrusion along the coast, resulting from over-pumping of groundwater supplies. 

Flooding Due to Water Runoff (back to top)

Large-scale growth will worsen existing flooding problems on the Larkin Valley floor. The extensive paving-over of land in upper Buena Vista that will accompany high-density development will increase impervious surfaces like asphalt and concrete that are unable to absorb water. The result will be an increase in surface water runoff onto the Valley floor during rainy months. Current residents are well aware of the extensive flooding problems that already exist in winter months. The County of Santa Cruz already acknowledges that current flooding problems are partly due to an increase in runoff from impervious surfaces (e.g., paving) created by construction. In addition, it notes the County’s inability to remedy the problem due largely to restrictions imposed by regulatory agencies to protect riparian corridors. Knowing this, does a new 2,250-home housing development make sense?

Ensuring Airport Safety and Land Use Compatibility (back to top)

To further its high-density development vision, the City of Watsonville has re-designated one of the Watsonville Airport runways. The Watsonville airport, located on the eastern edge of the proposed Buena Vista annexation area, is an obstacle to high-density development because of the state-mandated safety zones that surround each of the runways. By design, these safety zones limit the extent of allowable development for the areas immediately surrounding the Airport to protect the safety of airport users as well as people and structures on the ground nearby.

At a Watsonville City Council meeting on April 12, 2005, Watsonville Airport's east-west runway 8-26 was designated a "low activity runway." This reclassification allows the removal of Safety Zones 3 and 6 and restrictions over public facilities. It also opens the door for high-density development just west of the Airport. The Watsonville City Council also voted to strip away language from the new Airport Master Plan that used to stipulate safety zone "Basic Compatibility Qualities" for responsible airport land use planning.

In April 2006, the State Division of Aeronautics issued a letter to the City of Watsonville stating non-compliance with the State Aeronautics Act as well as State Land Use Law.  The agency requested that Watsonville rescind their April 2005 decisions to modify and eliminate airport safety zones to accommodate new housing in the vicinities around the airport.  However, the City of Watsonville chose to ignore this objective input and instead, proceeded with certifying the 2030 General Plan and corresponding EIR which provide for the overdevelopment of Buena Vista.

The Watsonville Pilot’s Association (WPA) and FBV oppose any modification to the Airport that would compromise personal and public safety.  For additional information on the airport runway issue, visit the WPA website.