May 2001
Agenda
Every Tuesday @ 9 AM
Board of Supervisors meets - on Channel 20.
Every Wednesday @ 9 AM
Planning Commission meets - on Channel 20.
Supervisor Rose holds open office hours from 4 to 6 PM twice
per month on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays.
The 2nd is at Farmers Market and the 4th
is at her office.
Goleta Union School District Board -1st &
3rd Wed. of each month @ 7:30 PM.
Goleta Water District Board - 2nd & 4th
Tues. of each month at 7PM.
Goleta Sanitary District Board -1st & 3rd
Mon of each month @ 7:30 PM.
Santa Barbara City Council - Every Tuesday at 2 and 6 PM.
Channel 18.
Hot Off the
Press
NEIGHBORHOOD PERSONALITIES - New PANA Board Member Cecilia
Brown is hard at work protecting your interests. She joins
Jude Blau, Edith Feniger, Ron Finn, Jack Hawxhurst, Henry
Shames, Bud Sprague and Richard Whited as volunteers directing
the course for PANA.
Cecilia lives on Berkeley Road at Kellogg Avenue. This dynamo
spearheaded PANAs success in getting a better Walgreen's design.
Besides helping with PANA, she volunteers with the county
animal shelter. A area resident as early as 1961 and graduate
of UCSB, she recently completed a career as a high ranking
Naval officer.
Backyard Issues
Maravilla - The County is about to issue a Directors
Amendment and PANA will appeal. Under the guise of "minor
refinements" the developer now proposes to increase the size
of the commons building by over 60%, grading by more than
100%, and to stretch out construction in two phases.
We now expect between 600 and 830 residents and employees
to occupy this 20 acre site. PANA's appeal seeks removal of
third story units, returning the project to a scale consistent
with previous approvals. Eliminating 3rd stories will not
only reduce height, but also reduce both the number of residents
and attendant employees. We now estimate that parking for
employees is too small by over 50 spaces.
Cary Group Self-Storage - Many neighbors were invited
to several excellent presentations regarding development options
for the site previously called the Albertson's or Airbus site.
Trudi Cary has settled on a plan to develop additional self-storage
units, with a quaint looking produce stand facing Calle Real.
While such a project is among the lessor of evils, PANA will
strive to make the appearance from Patterson, Calle Real,
and the freeway far superior to the existing self-storage.
In particular, we must make certain that the project will
be consistent with the future connection of Calle Real to
Turnpike.
Noel Xmas Tree Farm - PANA is monitoring the development
of plans for the 25 acres owned by the Cavalletos. The early
plan involves 4 zones. An area nearest the creek will become
a park. An area closest to the Cavalleto's existing home could
include about 10 very expensive houses on 6 acres accessable
through Cathedral Oaks Village. Another area would be south
of that between Las Perlas and the creek near Merida Drive
involving about 40 houses on 10 acres. The final portion involves
5 acres to the east between Las Perlas and Patterson for condominiums
similar to Sunrise Village. PANA wants this area to connect
to Patterson Avenue and wants the entire project to underground
the power lines. Overall, they began at 68 homes and the County
has already pushed them up toward 85.
Walgreen's Drug Store - PANA succeeded in obtaining
architectural improvements to this Calle Real project at the
location of the previous S&L at Encina Lane. While we were
unable to prevent the reopening of a drive-through window
previously operated by the bank, at least the building will
look more appealing. The existing building will be torn down
and replaced so we can be the drug store capital of the South
Coast.
Neighborhood
Traffic Cop
Calle Real Construction - The widening to four lanes
with a median is scheduled for completion by June. This bottleneck
will continue for another year as work continues on the San
Jose Creek Bridge until next year.
Street Resurfacing - The resurfacing for the list
of streets mentioned in the last newsletter will probably
be delayed until the summer vacation months.
San Jose Creek Class I Bike Lane - Planning is now
underway.
Community-wide
Issues
El Encanto Apts - PANA has decided to support the
pleas of the El Encanto neighborhood opposition to a bad affordable
housing project. This is consistent with one clause of our
Mission Statement calling for support of other neighborhood
groups facing a challenge that might create a bad precedent
for our own neighborhood.
And boy does this bad precedent. It could be referred to
as "Stalag El Encanto." The lot is covered with such poor
fill dirt that it must be excavated to 16 feet and build a
retaining wall around the 3 sides of the property to hold
in the new dirt. At places the wall is 13 feet high, so to
keep people from falling off the edge of the property and
killing themselves, they need to fence the residents in. The
plan is to build 16 units on the under one acre lot - all
on the back half so the front can be parking. It is way too
close to freeway noise, so they need a 14-foot tall steel
roll-up door between the apartments and the parking to shield
the tenants from the noise. And to top it off, they need to
take a portion of Calle Real right-of-way owned by the public
because it doesn't fit on the lot. Finally, it needs to be
rezoned because it is currently zoned commercial. Suppose
a private developer came to the County for approval of a project
like this!
This project received approval from the County Planning Commission
over the opposition of Chair, Doreen Farr and on Jume
19 goes before the Supervisors. This is an unfortunate example
of how far County authorities are willing to go for affordable
housing. They seem willing to suspend ALL community standards
for affordable housing in Goleta that would never be considered
for Montecito, Hope Ranch, or Santa Ynez.
PANA will join in asking the Supervisors to disapprove this
project - but the County is a partner on this project, so
there is an apparent conflict of interest.
Sumida Apartments - 200 apartment units are planned
for the area next to Saint Raphael's church on Hollister Avenue.
This project will include a road that connects Overpass Road
to Hollister Avenue and create yet another traffic signal
on Hollister.
This location seems far more appropriate for such housing
density since it is not adjacent to any existing residential
neighborhood. It is no more dense than the Encina Road apartments
and condominiums at 20 units per acre. But there is another
disconcerting issue that will be discussed below.
Growth Inducing Public Works Decisions - The El Encanto
apartments, Sumida Apartments and the Cary project have a
common aspect. All three may impact future traffic and circulation
around the community.
The El Encanto apartments don't fit on the lot, so the County
needs to give up a part of the Calle Real right-of-way in
order to make the project happen. If this giveaway of property
happens, the ability to provide improvements to Calle Real
in the future will be severely limited. The County is talking
about eliminating a current right turn lane in order to facilitate
this project and there are plans to build a freeway over-crossing
not too far away, which could increase traffic to the area.
The Sumida apartments require putting Overpass Road through
to Hollister. But the County is choosing to place this new
intersection in a location that will ease future development
of the agriculturally zoned land South of Hollister. These
properties are prohibited from development, according to our
Community Plan, but UCSB has hopes of expanding the campus
there. The location of this new intersection could facilitate
development where there is not supposed to be any.
The Cary self-storage Phase 2 on Calle Real at Patterson
may also affect community circulation. It plans to build alongside
the right-of-way for the Calle Real extension to Turnpike.
There are formal plans for the County to build a portion of
Calle Real that tunnels under Patterson, through a portion
of the existing Cary self-storage to the east, and connect
to Turnpike Road. If the recently proposed project is built,
we might face a situation of driving along the future road
mere feet from a warehouse wall - too much like LA.
Do all three of these projects show common symptoms of the
Public Works department facilitating growth by bending the
rules?
Affordable Housing - Why would the County consider
approval of such a bad project as the El Encanto apartments?
The County seems willing to suspend ALL community standards
in the name of affordable housing. Well, it is in Goleta instead
of Montecito, Hope Ranch or Santa Ynez. Also, it is said that
we have a housing crisis. But do we? Instead we have a group
of owners of commercial property that desperately need to
rezone for housing.
One of PANA's most important accomplishments occurred almost
2 years ago. Just after Supervisor Susan Rose was elected
to office, she and the other South Coast supervisors, with
persistent support from PANA, voted to revise the Goleta Growth
Management Ordinance (GGMO) and stopped the previous practice
of continual exceptions and exemptions to its limits. The
GGMO, like Measure E in the City of Santa Barbara, doles out
approvals for job creating commercial growth very slowly.
However, housing is not limited by the GGMO.
The effect of actually obeying this law is that many would-be
developers of commercial land must wait in line for 10 or
20 years. Since they would rather develop NOW, they are screaming
to rezone their property for housing - and to get the attention
and support of the authorities and public, they are touting
the "housing crisis" for personal gain.
Unrestrained growth of commercial floor space is not good
for the community, so the GGMO is crucial. Unrestrained conversion
of commercially zoned property to housing is not good for
our community either. And community standards are good for
any community, not just Montecito, Hope Ranch and Santa Ynez.
We know the underlying motives for the suspension of our
community standards and PANA will prevent their erosion. That
is why PANA exists and is supported by over 500 families.
Our representatives must maintain a clear perspective of the
actual situation.
City of Goleta Boundaries - The Santa Barbara Local
Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approved boundaries similar
to those proposed by Goleta Now! The city will not include
UCSB or Isla Vista.
Boundaries on the east in the PANA area were changed slightly,
after repeated consultation with the residents of various
areas. LAFCO Commissioner and County Supervisor Susan Rose
went door-to-door in the area of Somerset Drive, Princeton,
Kellogg, Huntington, and Pembroke. These areas were included
in the city as a result of her determination that the majority
favored this expansion. The area of Camino Campana, to the
north, remains outside the city at the request of a majority
of those residents. The homes on both sides of Cambridge Avenue
were also included based upon results of a postcard survey
by LAFCO. The Elks Club, Villas East and Maravilla were also
added north of the freeway.
South of the freeway, the areas west of Maria Ygnacia Creek
were added, including the Patterson condominiums, the area
of Overpass Road, medical offices, Post Office, Goleta Valley
Cottage Hospital, General Research Corp and Mentor, and the
Rancho Goleta mobile home park. Only the agricultural fields
are left out in this area.
PANA fought to prevent any changes that would ignore the
wishes of the majority of any neighborhood, and we hope that
this principle has been obeyed. If the neighborhoods where
the majority favored inclusion have been included and the
neighborhoods wishing to remain outside have been excluded,
that is the best we could hope for. Unfortunately, every individual
cannot have their way - the boundaries will never be unanimous.
It is PANA's belief that a new city will aid in control of
growth our area's growth, independent of exactly where the
boundary is drawn. Neighborhoods remaining outside the boundaries
initially will have time to watch whether the new city behaves
responsibly, and in the future they will have the right to
join, or not.
To Your Credit - The Fields Forever campaign to buy
the Little League fields at Camino Real Marketplace has been
a big beneficiary of YOUR involvement with PANA. About 2 years
ago, PANA led the fight for large increases in development
fees. The hardest part of this effort was to raise park fees
from $500 to $7000 per unit.
The Fields Forever campaign is due to receive an $800,000
contribution from the County to acquire Girsh park from the
company that owns Camino Real Marketplace. YOU, through your
support of PANA, have made that contribution possible.
City Council - PANA President Jack Hawxhurst will
somewhat reluctantly become a candidate for the Council of
the new City of Goleta, as will several other members of Goleta
Now! If successful in this campaign, he will turn over the
reins of PANA to one of the other highly capable members of
the Board of Directors. There is therefore a slim chance that
this may be his last feeble attempt at a PANA newsletter -
so expect the next one to be the best.
PANA Status
Report
THANK YOU. Recipients of Speed Bump have shown their outstanding
support with donations to keep us going. Over 125 donations
have come in since the last newsletter. This means that PANA
now enjoys financial support from over 540 families in addition
to about the same number who have attended meetings on specific
issues. We are in our third year of serving you.
Speed Bump is distributed to over 3000 area addresses, so
as many as 10,000 people may see the Speed Bump as a direct
result of YOUR support. PANA's area is north of the freeway
between Turnpike Road and Fairview Avenue. Our considerable
strength comes from you.
We Need Your
Help
We need your contributions to continue our
newsletter distribution and to fight for your interests. When
you contribute to PANA, more of your neighbors learn what
is happening around our area. Please think of your contributions
as extending PANA's reach - not just getting the newsletter
to yourself.
So many of you have been kind enough to help
in the past, that we have no plans to expand circulation further.
Some send a little each time, while some send a lot all at
once. Either works. But it may have been a year ago that you
last helped PANA with your contribution. Please consider helping
again - or joining in for the first time.
We hope you agree that our record of volunteer
effort and success in representing the Patterson Area Neighborhoods
speaks for itself. |
