July 2004
Building on the Periphery of More Mesa
MMPC is deeply concerned about a distressing and dangerous precedent in the making.
Major environmental impact is being felt on More Mesa from development on its periphery. Two large and elaborate, double-story houses have already been permitted off Mockingbird Lane (northeast corner of More Mesa). The permitting of these houses disregarded more than two decades of precedence concerning the size and height of structures built on the edge of More Mesa. Construction of these, and the eight others in the adjacent Las Brisas project are affecting both wildlife and the magnificent views looking north. That is, there is already significant cumulative impact from the additional ten structures, in construction, or planned. Photos of the construction can be seen here.
Now a new project, Hacienda Vieja, proposes four additional, two story structures … 4000 square feet, and much larger than any previous development in the neighborhood. These four buildings, currently under consideration by the Planning Commission, will be located immediately north of a wetland abutting More Mesa, and a particularly important grove of trees used for hawk roosting and nesting.
MMPC believes that, in order to protect both the environment, as well as the aesthetic qualities of More Mesa:
| No additional two-story structures abutting More Mesa should be permitted | |
| The size of one story houses should be consistent with other developments in the neighborhood, and certainly no larger than Las Brisas (3610 square feet maximum). |
Therefore, in keeping with the above, the position of the MMPC is that structures in the Hacienda Vieja project should be only one-story high, as well as reduced in size and number. In addition, we believe that the wetland and associated trees should be placed under the protection of a third party; a land trust or other organization, who will be responsible for maintaining this wildlife habitat.
For additional information on the current status of the Hacienda Vieja project, or suggestions about how you can help minimize impact on More Mesa, contact us via the Contact Page.
Invasive Plants
The California legislature has proclaimed July 19-25, 2004 as Invasive Weeds Awareness Week in California. Under the Restoration Section in the More Mesa web site, there is a new menu option “Invasive Plants“. This consists of a list of common invasive plants found on the central coast. Those that are or have been sold in nurseries for landscaping are marked “Used in landscaping”. Invasive plants known to be on More Mesa, are marked as “Present on More Mesa”. This list will be updated as missing pictures become available or when other plants need to be added.
