Larry Sokoloff
Salinas Growth Spurt Bypasses Downtown, But Plans Persist
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 25 February 2010 - 10:40amSalinas is the blue-collar workhorse of Monterey County and the center of a wealthy agricultural region. But unlike its sister cities on the nearby Monterey Peninsula, Salinas has a downtown that is devoid of upscale restaurants and boutique hotels.
Although it is home to the National Steinbeck Center, a museum honoring the Nobel laureate and Salinas resident John Steinbeck, downtown Salinas has never taken off. Instead, the community has sprawled out on the fertile farmland that surrounds it.
Proposed Quarry Is Unwelcome Neighbor In Temecula
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 24 November 2009 - 11:01amResidents of the Riverside County city of Temecula, which has been among the state’s fastest growing cities for 20 years, have run into some growth they do not want. City leaders and local residents are opposing a proposed quarry located one mile south of the city limits near the San Diego County line.
Moffett Field May Provide Base Reuse Model
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 21 October 2009 - 3:49pmThe Navy closed Moffett Naval Air Station in 1994, and, at first, some buildings sat empty. But now, given the right economic conditions, Moffett is poised to be a national model of base reuse with various parts serving as a business incubator, business park and research university. Collectively, those projects could add as many as 4,000 residences, more than 2,000 students and upwards of 5,000 employees to the former base.
Riverside County Approves New Freeway, But Abandons Half
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 19 August 2009 - 3:08pmAlthough freeways have helped shape the development of California, very few new freeways have been built since the 1980s. The focus has instead been on widening existing freeways, and adding carpool and transit lanes. But in Riverside County, where construction and development are major economic drivers, county officials are trying to add a new east-west freeway.
SD County's Creeks, Farmland Key To New Habitat Plan
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 15 July 2009 - 9:37amSan Diego County has been a national leader in habitat conservation planning, setting aside areas where rare and endangered species can thrive in the midst of ongoing development. Now, 12 years after a plan for the southern, inland part of the county was adopted, a second habitat plan has been released, this time for the inland North County.
In Shadows Of Downtown, SD's Little Italy Thrives Again
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 29 October 2008 - 1:06pmLittle Italy is one of San Diego’s most popular neighborhoods today. In some ways a high-priced residential district with an Italian theme, Little Italy also provides an example of what a city can do to restore a down-on-its heels area. Twelve years ago, few had heard of this area north of downtown San Diego. But since the late 1990s, the area has grown and prospered.
No More Car Chases On The Streets Of SF?
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 30 July 2008 - 1:40pmTo many Californians, the lively, pedestrian-oriented streets and plazas of San Francisco are what make the city so enjoyable. But away from these celebrated areas, San Francisco has many of the same problems with its streets as other aging urban areas. There are countless blocks of treeless roads that are more useful for shuttling speeding cars to freeways, than for providing safe corridors for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The city has set out to improve those streets that don’t match up to the city’s reputation with an ambitious “Better Streets Plan."
The Long Haul To Wetlands Restoration In Oxnard
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 24 June 2008 - 10:02amWetlands used to cover a huge swath of Southern California’s coast, serving as a sanctuary for wildlife and plants. But today one is hard pressed to find many wetlands left in this urbanized section of the state, where homes, marinas and ports long ago replaced native habitat. While wide, sandy beaches and rocky tide pools are part of the Southern California landscape, quieter wetlands with estuaries, marshes and sand dunes are harder to find.
Housing Injects Life In Downtown Hayward
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 19 November 2007 - 10:12pmThe downtown in the East Bay city of Hayward has many features that any redevelopment agency would envy — an Amtrak station, a Bay Area Rapid Transit station, historic buildings, and a modern grocery store with additional shops. Soon to come is a 12-screen movie theatre and more retail shops. But what may be helping the downtown area even more is years of work to create additional housing in and around downtown, within walking distance of BART and its connections to jobs in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties.
Future Looks Uncertain, Costly For Salton Sea
Submitted by Paul Shigley on 17 August 2007 - 11:20amThe Salton Sea sits likes a time bomb in the desert, serving up a brew of bad smells, turgid waters and the potential to increase air pollution in an area where thousands of homes are planned. But under a proposal making its way through the Legislature, some of the sea’s lurking hazards may be stopped. Instead, the Salton Sea may be shrunk to a third of its current 240,000 acres and revived as a recreational lake for sport fish and migrating birds. All it will take is billions of dollars and at least 75 years of maintenance.