Letter: Scenic route is responsible land management

EDITOR,
Now is the time to support the Scenic Route designation along Highway 17 from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz. It is good land-management policy.
One thing this exercise (Target’s proposed store in Scotts Valley) has taught us is that if we don’t want overdevelopment, we have to stand up and demand from our city leaders that it be preserved.
Processing every application has been referred to as an issue of free speech — it is just a lack of city leadership when there are no protections. Target apparently agreed.
It’s been suggested that enacting a scenic route, which requires a study and vote from the City Council, is not moral, since it could deny the landowners the right to develop. It is the intent of the law to include responsible development (see the California Scenic Highway Program Web site).
The scenic designation is for five years. It represents value to the owner over time. It also represents increased value to the community, among other benefits, including the following:
It would enhance land values by maintaining the scenic character of the corridor.
It would provide a vehicle for the community to promote local tourism that is consistent with the community’s scenic values. Responsible land management, with the support of a scenic route or otherwise, is needed to preserve our great community.
It is disheartening that the small handful of community leaders only uses the yardstick of taxes as its main criteria for development.
It’s hard to believe that after Target, they would ignore such a great opportunity, in concert with the other communities along Highway 17. It’s time to balance development of the Town Center with preservation, a perfect complement.
While I do live in the neighborhood adjacent to 17, I chose it because it is a beautiful place to live and raise a family. We all want it to stay that way — it is a scenic route.