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Glen Annie Golf Course Offers Schools Free Teacher Housing
Owners of financially ailing Glen Annie Golf Course make Santa Barbara school district an offer that sounds too good to be true: free affordable housing for teachers.
In a gesture that sounds almost too good to be true, the owners of the financially failing Glen Annie Golf Course are offering the Santa Barbara school district free affordable housing for teachers.
The owners of the golf course located just outside the Goleta city limits north of Cathedral Oaks Road are looking to develop houses on their land to stop the financial bleeding that has plagued the 18-hole course since it opened a decade ago.
To do so, however, they must convince Goleta officials that the changes they wish to make would be beneficial to the public.
Among the proposed changes would be to give to the school district about 15 unattached townhomes, which the district, acting as the property owner, would sell to teachers and other district staff members at below-market rates. The primary targets would be teachers at Dos Pueblos High, which is located across the street from the golf course.
“If we can say a portion of these units are dedicated to teachers, it makes us look good,” John Dewey, a consultant representing the golf course, told the school board during its regular meeting Tuesday night. “And it’s in the best interest of the community.”
Affordable housing for teachers and other school district staff has become a major concern for the board. Some school officials fear an impending crisis of experience will bedevil local classrooms as more and more Baby Boomers retire and are replaced by young teachers who, unlike their predecessors, will never be able to afford a home in Santa Barbara.
As a result, the school board for years has been trying to decide whether to build affordable housing on some of the unused land it owns. The process has been catatonically slow, and some feel the district would be better off reaping the financial benefits of selling the land for market-rate homes rather than try to assess how many affordable homes to build for teachers.
But the situation posed by the golf course is different, because the district does not own the land. This means that, aside from deciphering whether they are even interested in taking up the offer, school board members would not be burdened by having to choose from a similar set of endlessly complicated options, officials said.
Board members Tuesday seemed intrigued, if guardedly skeptical.
“It is unique, certainly in this board’s experience, to have a developer really think about the needs of the school district,” board member Kate Parker said.
“I want to know what the downside for the district would be,” said school board member Annette Cordero.
Superintendent Brian Sarvis answered by saying he couldn’t think of one, aside from having to form a foundation or a nonprofit entity to manage the property.
“I mean this is quite an opportunity to the district,” he said, adding, as a joke, “I asked John to bring a contract in tonight.”
Nothing, however, can happen without the approval of the Goleta City Council.
Dewey, the Glen Annie spokesman, said he is hoping the council will vote to annex the land and allow the golf course to redevelop. He said city leaders already have indicated strong interest in doing so, largely because they believe it would benefit Goleta.
All told, the development on the 160-acre property would include about 250 homes, with roughly 60 of them affordable and the others sold at market rate.
It also would include five soccer fields and several trails for hiking. The golf course, meanwhile, would be reduced to an 18-hole executive-style course, cutting its current size in half.
As it is, the golf course is losing up to $1.5 million a year, Dewey said. The owners had intially hoped to lure around 85,000 golfers every year, but the true figure has been less than half that amount, he said.
Despite the reported interest from Goleta officials, he added, “I’ll be completely frank with you: We might be shot down by the City Council when we ask them for the thumbs up in the next three to six months.”
If that happens, he said, the “fallback alternative” is to close the course and sell the land.
“We think if we get to that point, we lose and the community will lose on a very unique opportunity,” he said.
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» on 01.10.08 @ 01:38 PM
As a teacher AND Goleta resident I find it pretty remarkable that anyone would consider housing earmarked for teachers at one particular school. The golf course was not going to be successful from the start- it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if this was the original plan for the property. Would someone please talk about depreciating home values as much as the spoke of appreciating values or affordable. My wife (another teacher) and I bought our house 6 years ago and it is now worth anywhere from 20-30% more now AND going down! And we are paid better now. Teachers (like everyone else) should make good financial decisions, save, and move up the property ladder like everyone else. No preferential treatment- no entitlement necessary. After 10 years in SBSD you are at 73,000 next year, working 1 out of every 2 days. Not bad. Good luck doing that in the private sector. And let’s talk about benefits. Teachers- quit whining and developers quit using the teachers.
» on 01.10.08 @ 11:08 PM
I am a teacher at Dos Pueblos and the thing that jumps out at me from the article is 250 homes. 250! That would put an incredible amount of infrastructure pressure on this rural-ish part of Goleta. Teachers are being used as sympathetic pawns in this game to get more houses approved. Don’t fall for it! When Glen Annie was developed it was highly environmentally sensitive area; I guess that issue is no longer important. And when the folks trying to develop the Bishop’s ranch make their proposal for 1200 homes, what happens to western Goleta then? Like the above writer opined, don’t feel sorry for teachers, and don’t let big developers use them to pull the City Councils heart strings.
» on 01.11.08 @ 01:50 AM
The city ought to buy the property and open a municpal golf course-the Santa Barbara Golf Club is FULL every day and make money at twenty-nine bucks a pop…Glen Annie needs to cut the rough and encourage the locals-the need to recognize that Rancho San Marcos and other Beanie properties is not their competition-Muni is….
» on 01.11.08 @ 01:50 AM
The only reason that Glen Annie is a financial failure is because its a terrible golf course. That is the fact. Giving away a few houses to teachers is an interesting ploy. I bet it works.
» on 01.11.08 @ 02:08 AM
What a great idea: walk to school and work, affordable housing, saving green space, increasing tax base, helping schools, assisting teachers. But DOA. Cause of death? Terminal NIMBYism in fatal denial.
» on 01.11.08 @ 02:16 AM
I have a hard time believing that the person below quoting teacher salaries is truly a teacher. As a teacher in the SBSD, I just received our yearly "Class Transfer" application with a salary schedule attached. A teacher with a BA 60 semester units (which is the maximum) makes 67,561 and does not reach 73,000 (73,577 to be exact) until year 23.
» on 01.11.08 @ 02:17 AM
Dr. Sarvis should focus on managing the district office and leave this topic alone! 250 homes in any one area is too many! As a teacher I hope we say no thank you!
» on 01.11.08 @ 02:58 AM
As a teacher married to a teacher, I find the prospect of being able to buy a house very desirable. I realize some teachers were able to buy houses and now are set her in town, but realistically a pair of teachers will never be able to afford a home in our town, no matter how hard they work or save, the cost is simply prohibitive.
» on 01.11.08 @ 03:12 AM
Glen Annie GC was originally the dream of John O’Shaughnesy, former part owner of twin lakes GC and excavation contractor. His dream was an affordable public golf course, but the nearly decade long permit process, land holding costs, acquisition and interest payments, environmental studies delays, mitigations, etc. drove the whole project cost to a makes-no-sense deal. O’Shaughnessy sold out, then several owner and operators later(who also have overpaid), and found out that they cannot attract enough player-days at "private- club rates". The current owners may just have to sell at a big loss now, at a price that would allow a GC operator to continue. Housing on this land would be another round of environmental studies, many, many public hearings, a formal application process, and intense community scrutiny, at least. Let’s be reasonable,that won’t happen quickly. Teachers and School board members should be planning other alternative solutions to meet the district’s employees housing needs.
» on 01.11.08 @ 03:41 AM
Have you heard the terms "spin and propaganda"? I am all for teachers but that is Ag zoned property and it was a real land use stretch to approve a golf course there. No way the City or the County should ever approve 250 residences there! Are you kidding? When the property was originally proposed for developement it was zoned for about 4 homes, and no more should ever be approved. The school issues and this land use issue have nothing to do with each other!
» on 01.11.08 @ 04:02 AM
As a teacher I resent the sense of entitlement that so many teachers have. Cost of housing prohibitive? Don’t wait for a handout—change professions or change locations. But to choose a job voluntarily, then choose to live in one of the most expensive places in the US, you have no greater rights to handouts than any other profession. This project would ruin a wonderful part of Goleta. Sarvis wants the contract right away? Does he have no concern for the residents of this neighborhood?
» on 01.11.08 @ 04:24 AM
We don’t need more homes built especially on a area that is not zoned for homes - I don’t like the sympathy for teachers ploy that the owners of the land are using to try to get their way - this is a lovely rural and agricultural area that will be ruined forever if that many homes are built there. The fact of the matter is not everyone can own a home in Santa Barbara/Goleta. Also, with all of the people defaulting on their mortgages these days it seems as though the housing market will be going down….Those of us whose families actually have lived in SB/Goleta for generations are appalled at what is happening to our cities. Also houses don’t need to be as huge as the ones they are building. All the developers care about is money. If the golf course closes there are still plenty of others (that seem to be able to keep open with no problems).
» on 01.11.08 @ 04:36 AM
To those looking at the salary schedule for SBSD. Look at next year after compaction- year 10 maybe 11. It is 72,000 and change. I think its 72,677- don’t have it in front of me. With two incomes near that you should be able to save some money each month. Its possible, trust me I did it with less than that. No NIMBY here- just can’t house everyone where they want to live. Glen Annie has always been a below average golf course with driveable par 4’s, and the shortest par 5’s in town its already executive.
» on 01.11.08 @ 05:12 AM
It only makes sense if the sales contract precludes the teacher from selling the houses at market rate when they are ready to leave the community. At that point they be sold to other community employees, such as nurses and firemen, at a set rate of appreciation which would be tied to inflation. This keeps them as affordable housing in perpetuity.I don’t know why the houses should be only sold to teachers in the first place. What about other community employees? This could be a countywide offer.
» on 01.11.08 @ 05:38 AM
I agree with the idea expressed earlier. Let’s have the City of Goleta buy the property for a municipal golf course.
» on 01.11.08 @ 08:26 AM
There is plenty of affordable housing in Santa Barbara, even for teachers; it’s called renting (or commuting). When you decide that you’d like to make the financial sacrifices necessary to live here, then you can buy a house at the market rate like everyone else. The schools should be spending the money on education, not assuring financial windfalls in the form of discount housing gifts like the County already does through their affordable housing programs. My spouse is an SBSD teacher and was the breadwinner in the family. After 10 years of teaching (through financial planning and sacrifices) we were able to afford to buy a house here in 2002. It wasn’t easy, but then living in a privileged area shouldn’t be. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, just not necessarily in Santa Barbara.
» on 01.11.08 @ 09:33 AM
OK, who here believes that that comment on January 10th was really from a teacher? That post misquotes teacher’s salaries, argues that teaching is easy ("good luck doing that in the private sector"), and suddenly switches to the third person and tells teachers to "quit whining." Also, note the use of the standard hack realtor phrase "move up the property ladder." This is a local property developer trying to preserve his property values by stopping other development. Sorry buddy, the real estate bubble has burst. Maybe once you file for bankruptcy you can start a new career. Hey, I hear teaching is really easy ...
» on 01.11.08 @ 09:38 AM
Teachers, police and firefighters are the darlings of developers who think they can exploit their needs to gain a sympathetic audience. What moron thought they would get 85,000 golfers a year. It is obvious that they were willing to lose a million or two a year to get their foot in the door for development. They got the re-zone for golf. If they can’t make it work change the property back to ag-1. Brian Sarvis couldn’t see the down side because he lives on the Riviera.
» on 01.11.08 @ 09:52 AM
Santa Barbara County needs the housing and this golf course. This is a creative, albeit self-serving, gesture by a developer that needs serious consideration. Having golfed the course many times, I actually think housing around the golf course would be a nice addition to the community and in an area that has the space for it. Stop the NIMBY mentality, we need more housing.
» on 01.11.08 @ 10:02 AM
I quote from the Salary Schedule for 2008-09. Year 10- $69,588 and Year 11 $72,722. This is after the agreed upon compaction and with no extra duty required or compensated for. This is for 185 days or as I put it 1 out of 2 days a year. I’ve never done anything else but be a teacher, but I do feel fairly compensated at that level. Not rich, but fairly compensated. It does not always feel that way between the first couple years and mid career though- the teaching game is a marathon not a 100 yard dash. This area has been expensive since the beginning, its a sacrifice that everyone makes, many professions seem to pay a reduced rate for whatever reason.
» on 01.11.08 @ 10:42 AM
We love teachers and they do important jobs. However, so do many other professionals, who work—count ‘em—TWELVE full months a year with maybe 2-4 vacation weeks a year. A teacher gets 3 months of vacation in summer plus a week at Spring break and a few weeks at Winter break—- Sorry to note the obvious, but this is a 2/3 time job. So, adjust the salary figures for the difference in work days actually worked, and you have the equivelant of about $100,000 per year (if the worker was working a full 12 months a year). AND, please do not forget the very generous pension money that the teachers are paid each month, for many years on end, after they retire. Really, I’m just pointing out that it is difficult to hear teachers whining about their salaries. My mother was a teacher and I have HUGE respect for what teachers do. But, it is true that they work only 2/3 time, and they get generous pensions that most private-sector people do not receive.
» on 01.11.08 @ 03:07 PM
Nor do private sector jobs have tenure. If so many teachers are strapped financially, why do school districts have difficulty filling their summer school positions? The last thing this country needs are whiners educating our children. And as for the golf course owners/developers/investors, where is it written that your poor investment should become our community’s problem?
» on 01.13.08 @ 04:10 AM
Sounds like a total scam…250 homes! Where the heck are THOSE kids going to go to school? Goleta needs a municipal golf course—-this might be it!
» on 01.13.08 @ 05:08 AM
To all those worried about creeping urban sprawl: expect the golf course owners to tell local government that they should be allowed to rezone and build on the Ag-zoned land because it is no longer economically viable for agriculture. Golf, if you didn’t know, is considered agriculture under local zoning ordinances. Economic infeasability is a familiar pitch by builders here because it’s a rare loophole in Ag land protections. Another tiresome builder’s gimmick has been to offer a smattering of "affordable" units that become available to a hair-thin sliver of the house-buying populace and do nothing to cure the area’s chronic lack of cheap housing. It’s about time the community got tired of this shell game.
» on 01.13.08 @ 05:19 AM
Sounds like developers are getting as adept at exploiting loopholes as environmentalists and no-growthers.
» on 01.14.08 @ 01:02 AM
Teacher housing located across the street from the High School so they can walk to work. If that isn’t the kind of smart growth the community has been talking about for years, what is? Plus soccer fields that the community has also been asking for. It sounds like the golf course is sincere in trying to provide the community what it needs. Glen Annie has been a great recreational asset to the community for 10 years. It seems like they are looking for creative solutions to their financial challenges that could also provide real benefits to the community. I am looking forward to learning more about their proposal.
» on 01.14.08 @ 01:14 PM
It’s all too comical..I’m a 27 year resident, teacher, and want my kids to afford to live here…but it’s not fair to any young family wanting to live here. It would be a major impact on Goleta.
» on 01.14.08 @ 04:36 PM
Building houses eventually has always been the developer’s plan. They were commenting at a recent meeting on how operating the property as a golf course has helped them get past the environmental, traffic, and water usage concerns. They feel they have an advantage over other proposed developments now. It would be nice if the Goleta City Council recognized that they have been played but its likely that they will build out all of Goleta before they leave office.
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