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The following is an editorial prepared
by PANA and printed
in the Valley Voice on July 4, 2003.
The County of Santa Barbara recently hosted
two workshops to present the draft of its housing
element prepared in response to State mandated
growth targets through 2008. In it the County
has recommended rezoning from agriculture to
residential uses around 135 acres in the unincorporated
area of Goleta. Subsequent development would
result in densities as great as 20 units per
acre, buildings as tall as four stories and
the construction of as many as 2,000 units.
In preparing this plan the County consulted
with affordable housing advocates and the development
community. The residents of Goleta were neither
asked nor did they have the opportunity to provide
any input.
It is not surprising then that the initial
public response to the plan was what one local
paper described as “outrage”.
There are fundamental concerns about the housing
element process being raised by large numbers
of residents of this community that must not
be ignored or blithely dismissed as a typical
“not-in-my-back-yard” reaction.
The County, in its public presentation in support
of this zoning plan, stressed the need for affordable
housing, the State requirement to zone for it
and the dire consequences for the community
if this doesn’t take place. We are told
that this is for the public good but the housing
element update process so far can only be characterized
as being unbalanced and incomplete. Discussion
of the public good requires a dialogue with
the public. This has not happened. The failure
to do so is evidenced by the number of residents
of Goleta who are deeply skeptical of the plan
and harbor great pessimism and resentment that
the County will provide them a meaningful opportunity
to voice their concerns.
The community understands that the State will
assign more housing to this area when the housing
element is updated again in 2008 but the County
failed to address this issue in their public
presentations. However, in a May 2003 presentation
to the County Board of Supervisors the Planning
Department predicted that by the year 2030 Goleta
will need to convert approximately 3,000 acres
of open space to housing based on current growth
rates. Why is this information provided to the
Board of Supervisors but not to the public at
the community meetings? Doesn’t it make
sense for these growth projections to be discussed
in terms of their long-term significance?
It is unwise to attempt to restrict the debate
about growth in Goleta to the next five year
period only. Reassurances of adequate public
infrastructure, protection of open spaces, mitigation
of traffic congestion, water supplies and many
other issues ring hollow and irresponsible when
the cumulative impact of this growth is understood.
It is also not clear whether any thought has
been given toward the combined impact of this
growth in the unincorporated area of Goleta,
parallel growth in the City of Goleta and anticipated
expansion at UCSB.
Make no mistake, the current trend of the State’s
housing element law will result in this –
Goleta will be transformed from a suburban to
an urban region with high density development,
chronic traffic congestion and large scale housing
in the foothills and along the coast.
The overwhelming majority of residents of the
unincorporated areas of Goleta reject these
outcomes. It is time for the County’s
Planning Department to provide the tax-payers
and voters of this area some realistic and detailed
analysis of the long term effects of the housing
crisis and the State’s requirement to
address it. The County is able to calculate
profit margins for developers to produce high
density housing but they have been unable so
far to advise the community of the cumulative
costs of this building on traffic, services,
parks, water, schools and finances. Important
decisions need to be made. The public’s
collective wisdom and perspective are essential
to achieving the best possible decisions.
The State of California and the County of Santa
Barbara have made clear their vision of Goleta’s
future. It is time for both to listen to the
thousands of residents of this area who deeply
respect the beauty and livability of this region
and are determined to seek solutions that will
preserve as much of it as possible for the enjoyment
of future generations.
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