Pogonip Proposal Raises Issues

Last September a proposal to amend the Pogonip Final Master Plan (PFMP) was heard by both the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council. This proposal raised significant concerns and the Sierra Club provided comment letters to each body. At issue was a proposal to relocate the Homeless Garden Project site from its original planned location in the Lower Meadow to the Main Meadow of the Pogonip Open Space.

The relocation proposal came about after the original Lower Meadow site was found to have lead contamination from earlier use as a skeet shooting range. Rather than start on a remediation plan for the contaminated area, it was proposed to relocate the Garden site to the Upper Meadow, which includes areas of coastal terrace prairie habitat. The newly-proposed site would remove almost the entire Upper Meadow from public use. With the Lower Meadow site, the heavier road, new infrastructure and facilities, and associated traffic for the Garden are limited to just the first portion of the access road. However, all of these impacts would dramatically increase if the facilities move to the Upper Meadow.

The Pogonip Master Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared in 1998 and reviewed three options for the Homeless Garden Project: a Lower Meadow site with support facilities located within the Pogonip; a Lower Meadow site with support facilities located elsewhere; and no site within the Pogonip. The Lower Meadow site with support facilities within the Pogonip was found to be the most impactful but was accepted nonetheless.

The EIR ruled out an Upper Meadow site so strongly on numerous habitat and use grounds that this option was not included as an alternative. When discussing the Lower Meadow site, the EIR specifically found that “(n)o other sites within Pogonip are feasible for garden relocation.”

Although the Sierra Club strongly supports the Homeless Garden Project, it does not support this proposed relocation. The Sierra Club believes the HGP has other options available, which may include remediation of the originally designated site, or use of locations outside the Pogonip.

See our comment letters here:
Sierra Club Letter to City Council - Pogonip HGP
Sierra Club Letter to Parks Commission - Pogonip HGP