Stymied for decades in their efforts to expand Lompoc, frustrated City Council members have approved a new plan to move the city limits toward the west and make room for new development to help ease financial woes and a housing shortage.
The council recently voted to have City Attorney Jeff Malawy lead the effort for the Bailey Avenue expansion area west of the present boundary.
A current proposal seeks to add about 140 acres for development of 469 residential units — a smaller area and fewer than sought in previous plans.
In July 2018, the city submitted its formal application package to the Santa Barbara Local Agency Formation Commission, a regional panel tasked with overseeing orderly growth.
“Having a stronger advocate for our applicant and for ourselves to reflect on the local conditions and circumstances so the LAFCO board hears what those are and can move this forward is a key piece of this,” Mayor Jenelle Osborne said.
Osborne added that the city should not take a combative approach and instead seeks a solution to make Lompoc, LAFCO and Santa Barbara County successful.
While other North County cities have seen housing subdivisions rise in recent years, Lompoc has had no new subdivisions and has even lost housing because of demolitions in some years, according to City Manager Jim Throop.
Councilman Jim Mosby called the annexation “probably one of the most important things we can do,” and he said the city needs to pursue every angle.
“I keep thinking back to the movie Independence Day when the alien comes over and wraps around the guy’s neck,” he said. “They’re asking him, ‘What do you want us to do?,’ and he says, ‘Die.’ That’s what I keep seeing South County wants us to do.”
As required, Throop said, Lompoc officials met in October with county Planning and Development Department officials to hash out financial matters regarding splitting taxes, only to learn that county staff would recommend against the Bailey Avenue proposal.
Officials say having the city’s attorney take the lead will put Lompoc on a level playing field since the Environmental Defense Centerr’s attorneys typically speak out against the Bailey Avenue annexations.
“They’re all coiffed and giving out their ideas,” Throop said, adding that Lompoc has started assembling data to make a strong case for the annexation plan.
Estimates for the city attorney’s involvement, about 500 hours in time, range from $90,000 to $160,000 and would be paid by the applicant.
“I think having an attorney look at that presentation will just prepare us better for what we may face when we’re facing opposition in front of decision-makers,” property owner Marc Annotti said. “We just want to make the city better by building houses.”
Annexation proposals prompt debates about preserving agricultural lands versus growth, with at least one past proposal sparking a lawsuit.
The proposed annexation brought supporters and opponents to the October meeting.
“This is really critical for Lompoc to get some growth going,” Tim Smith said, adding that the city needs “modest growth.”
“We have to get over this LAFCO impasse or apparent impasse that we see. There just simply is not enough revenue.”
But Mary Ellen Brooks called for the city to protect prime agricultural land.
“If it goes, that’s it,” she said. “We won’t have it ever again.”
Brooks advised the council to revise its approach.
“I would just urge the council to explore the infill development options that were brought up during the General Plan process,” she said, adding that the effort dated back a decade. “I know during the sessions that we had, many people felt we have adequate areas in the town for infill development and that we will try to save the prime ag land in the Lompoc Valley.”
During the discussion, Councilman Dirk Starbuck expressed concerns about Lompoc lacking a voice on LAFCO’s board.
“It’s almost like we’ve been pushed away, excluded, never nominated,” he said.
After learning that the late Dick DeWees was the last Lompoc representative to serve, two decades ago, Starbuck remarked, “It’s even grimmer than I thought then. We’ve had no input, no representation, and we’re being bossed by a bunch of people who don’t even live here is the synopsis on this.”
The LAFCO board is made up of representatives from the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, city councils, special district boards and the public.
“Just to be clear, when your staff report says LAFCO, it’s just LAFCO staff that is saying it won’t recommend it to the LAFCO board,” Osborne said. “The LAFCO board, which is fellow electeds, has not heard the actual application yet because it’s not finished the whole process.”
She added that LAFCO has new board members who might respond more favorably to Lompoc’s latest proposal.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.