Water & development in CA

[Tim Bousquet <chicoexaminer@xxxxxxxxx>]

GROWTH ISSUE
Bill pairs water, land planning
San Joaquin Record - 9/16/01
Staff and wire reports

SACRAMENTO -- A bill that could change the way housing
developments are approved in San Joaquin County and
the rest of the state is now in the hands of Gov. Gray
Davis.

Called historic by its author, Sen. Sheila Kuehl,
D-Santa Monica, the bill forbids local governments
from approving sub- divisions with 500 or more homes
unless builders identify a guaranteed water source.

''Rarely do we bring together water-use planning and
land-use planning,'' Kuehl said. ''This is a question
of whether those people coming to California will have
water supplied to their houses.''

Local slow-growth proponents, however, say it's
unclear if it will do enough.

In some cities, public-works departments would have to
assess water supplies and then give that information
to the cities' planning departments.

Given pressures from some city leaders, there is
little hope for a reasonable review of water
availability if it is all done in-house, said Mark
Connolly of Tracy Region Alliance for a Quality
Community.

Cities such as Stockton, which gets water from the
Stockton East Water District, would have to consult
the agency under the legislation.

Kuehl's bill passed the Senate 25-10 Thursday and
passed the Assembly 44-29 earlier this month.

So far, Davis hasn't indicated a position on the bill,
which follows years of debate over building only where
water is available, or building new dams and
underground storage to provide more water for new
housing.

''Common sense tells you when you build a subdivision,
you need roads to get there," said Sen. Jim Costa,
D-Fresno, the Senate's specialist on water. "In the
same way, you have to have a water supply.''

The California Building Industry Association took a
neutral stand on the bill because of promises to study
new sources of water, said Tim Coyle, the senior vice
president for the group that represents the state's
developers.

Builders removed their opposition in exchange for a
compromise that the bill would only apply to large
subdivisions, Coyle said, and for the promise to
''study the real issue of water in California, which
is supply.''

Coyle said Kuehl and others promised to help ''figure
out how to store more water, particularly so urban
California can get its growth.''

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