Salinas City Council Approves Carr Lake Park Project!
It was unanimous! On Tuesday, September 14 the Salinas City Council supported the resolution to adopt the mitigated negative declaration for the Carr Lake Park project and approved the General Plan amendment and site rezone. This is a major milestone in the project’s history.
We want to thank all the project partners that publicized this important meeting and those that attended to advocate for the project in person – including Building Healthy Communities, Center for Community Advocacy (CCA), MILPA and the Monterey County Department of Health – along with many residents. A special shout-out goes to CCA for their tireless engagement efforts, and for delivering 1,560 petition signatures and 254 letters from residents supporting our project!
As we celebrate this truly transformational effort, I continue to be inspired by how we all work together, with the support of our generous donors and funders, to meet our collective vision for healthy lands, healthy people, and healthy communities.
I also want to acknowledge our Director of Conservation Rachel Saunders and her team for their tremendous efforts in working through the many technical and procedural challenges in getting us to this stage in the planning process. Countless hours have been spent coordinating with consultants, city staff, adjacent landowners, elected officials, local agencies, and attorneys, in addition to working with our many fantastic organizational partners.
The most inspiring aspect of this project has been just how enthusiastically community members have continued to support the park project. They have demonstrated their commitment by participating in community stewardship events at the garden, planning meetings, and engagement events – reaffirming just how important this project is for the city of Salinas.
I hope you will join us in taking this moment to celebrate. The momentum continues and there is much more work to be done. Onward!
With deep gratitude on behalf of Big Sur Land Trust’s board and staff members,
Big Sur Land Trust
Big Sur Land Trust
Big Sur Land Trust
Big Sur Land Trust
Jeannette Tuitele-Lewis
President/CEO, Big Sur Land Trust
P.S. Check out Monterey County Weekly’s article on this “quintessential multi-benefit project” here.