Environmental review process begins on the land-use plan.

Raising concerns about lack of water and traffic congestion, the Board of Supervisors initiated the environmental review process for the fifth version of the county’s General Plan on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Water seems to be the overriding issue as the county moves forward with the draft plan that would add an estimated 19,500 homes over 20 years.

Supervisor Lou Calcagno said there needs to be a long-term water supply before development can happen in places such as Pajaro and the Highway 68 corridor. “Before we work on any development I want to have a complete survey of water in the Pajaro Valley,” he said. “Same thing applies to Toro Park and the same thing applies to Carmel Valley.” Calcagno added that he wants to know the timeline of the Salinas Valley Water Project and what projects it will serve.

GPU5 is meant to be a compromise between developer-friendly GPU4 and the growth-restrictive General Plan Initiative, both of which voters rejected in June.

After the election, the supervisors directed a Planning Commission committee to make changes to GPU4. The committee advised the county to remove two community areas – Rancho San Juan/Butterfly Village and San Lucas – and delete four rural centers – Prunedale, Toro Park, San Benancio/Corral de Tierra, and River Road/Las Palmas while adding San Lucas. GPU5 would allow development in community areas and rural centers.

Supervisors voted on Sept. 25 to defer action on Butterfly Village since the county is being sued for delaying development in the area north of Salinas. Much to the chagrin of North County residents, however, the supes directed staff to include the development in the EIR analysis as “a worst-case scenario.”

The supervisors also raised concerns over four affordable housing overlays recommended by the committee. The overlays, areas where the county would offer incentives to developers to build high-density, affordable housing, are located at the mouth of Carmel Valley, Mid-Carmel Valley, on land near the Monterey Peninsula Airport and at the intersection of Reservation Road and Highway 68.

Board Chairman Dave Potter questioned the feasibility of the overlays, saying that they could make traffic worse on Highway 68. The city of Monterey agrees. Mayor Chuck Della Sala said the county should analyze water availability, sewage constraints and widening Highway 68 before considering the airport property.

The land-use plan will come back to the supervisors on Oct. 16 for further review.