Dozens of residents of the unincorporated Goleta Valley got their chance to give county planners their input at a public workshop Saturday. It’s all part of a process to update the Goleta Valley Community Plan, a policy document that was last updated in 1993.
The plan is unique to the unincorporated area of the county, but it’s also a list of guidelines, policies and development standards that keep the area consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan. County planners will host a series of the meetings to gauge what residents would like to see addressed as they shape a draft document they’re hoping will be done by the end of the year.
Derek Johnson, director of planning for the county’s Office of Long-Range Planning, said Saturday that much has changed since the original plan was formed 16 years ago. One of the biggest changes occurred when the city of Goleta was formed, removing about 5,000 acres and 30,000 people from the unincorporated planning area. Now, the unincorporated area is sandwiched between the western Santa Barbara boundary and the eastern edge of Goleta, and includes acreage north of both cities.
Last year, the county found funding to begin the process of updating land-use policies, Johnson said, and the changes made to the document most likely will be in place for the next 10 to 20 years.
“Today’s workshop is about hearing from the public and the things that concern you in your day-to-day lives,” Johnson told Saturday’s attendees.
Groups gathered around tables, each dedicated to a different topic, and rotated around the room every few minutes after giving input. Each table was organized around key issues such as parks and recreation, transportation, commercial and residential land use, and housing, among others.
At a table focused on parks, recreation and open space, resident Ray Forrester said parks in the area are sufficient. “They’re well used, they’re well kept,” he said. “What we do have works very well.”
Patricia Ailes, who lives in a pocket of unincorporated area at Foothill and La Cumbre roads, also was in the group. “I think we have to fight to preserve open space, because there’s a constant push from developers,” she said. “I think we all live out here because we don’t want high density. We don’t want to live in the city.”
Participants at a different table clustered to talk about housing. “The Goleta Valley is a monument to urban sprawl,” said Tish Gaines, whose family has lived in the Goleta Valley since 1948. “It was built around the car … there was very little planning.”
Gaines said the valley doesn’t have the beauty that it could, adding that what once had been a place for people to purchase starter homes was no longer accessible to younger people.
“There are no longer places where young people can start out in life,” she said, and that younger people are forced to live in Lompoc and other areas that require a commute. “Is that what we want? We have to look beyond ourselves.”
Goleta Valley Planning Advisory Committee members took notes from Saturday’s discussion and will report in August what goals should be for certain areas.
Associate planner Erika Leachman said she was pleased with Saturday’s turnout. “Each table is filled up … I’m so thrilled,” she said. “It’s so critical to get this feedback early in the process.”
The input process did not end Saturday, however. The public is invited to attend the next GVPAC meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 4 in the County Planning Commission Room at 105 E. Anapamu St. After Aug. 4, officials will hold biweekly meetings that will continue until the end of the year.
To get people involved and aware of the workshops, officials have posted fliers in public places such as the Goleta Coffee Company, in addition to the usual notices required by law in newspapers.
“We’re hoping that if the workshop is inconvenient, at least the word will be out there and people can contact us with input,” Leachman said.
Contributors are invited to send letters to the Office of Long-Range Planning, 30 E. Figueroa St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101. Suggestions also can be e-mailed to Leachman at eleachma@co.santa-barbara.ca.us.
“As we go through the process, we’re going to be looking at what was done in 1993 and deciding what’s still appropriate,” she said. “I’m sure there’s a lot of things that we haven’t even heard of yet that we’ll hear today from the public.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com.
