It’s Just My Opinion

 

Be Careful What You Wish For

 

The Buellton City Council meeting on July 12 was a graphic example of democracy in action.  In a struggle between the wishes of the public and the City Council and staff, the people won.  Or, did they?

Those who oppose the City of Buellton’s proposed “Sphere of Influence” (SOI) study certainly got what they wanted, that is, no study.  But, the meeting also raised questions about the wisdom of the City Council’s three-to-two decision to drop it.

Commenting after the meeting, Councilman Dale Molesworth observed that it “was organized and promoted, not by Buellton residents, but by people who live all around us.  Over half the petitions signed against the study were from places other than Buellton, including Montecito, Ojai, Lompoc, Los Olivos, Solvang to name but a few.” 

Councilman Russ Hicks opened the proceedings with a commentary about land use, state mandates and the planning process, concluding with a motion to discontinue the study, which Councilwoman Pointer quickly supported.  And, the remarks of the other City Council members made it apparent up front that the study was going to be cancelled.  It made me wonder why they even bothered to take testimony from the public.  They might as well have moved to the remarks of the other city council members and then to a vote.

That said, aside from the attempts at political theater by opponents of the SOI study, some of which I thought were a bit smug and too clever by half, some interesting information was presented.

 

Preventing Development Around Buellton

 

The opponents of the Sphere of Influence study seem to believe they can stop all future development around the City of Buellton, including land that is not within the city limits. However, Councilman Ed Andrisek, pointed out that Buellton may stop all planning for potential future expansion, but they can’t prevent the County from approving projects that encroach on the City, noting that a large subdivision, something on the order of 3,000 homes, is currently being developed in Orcutt, an unincorporated community outside Santa Maria’s city limits. 

Andrisek further noted that Santa Barbara County is looking for additional sources of revenue, and one way of accomplishing that could be to approve commercial development along Highway 246 to the west of Buellton. 

So, think about this: What would happen if Santa Barbara County approved commercial zoning of agriculture lands along Highway 246 – say to attract car dealerships, which are a major source of sales tax revenue.  The two auto dealerships currently in the City of Buellton would very likely relocate to a new auto center close by.  What then? Buellton would lose the sales taxes generated by these two dealerships, and the revenue would go to the County.

Councilman Andrisek also pointed out that, as long as projects are controlled by the City of Buellton, there are five City Council members who are readily accessible to residents of the community.  However, when the County Board of Supervisors controls development outside the city limits, there is only one Supervisor (out of five) who is likely to be influenced by the wishes of Valley residents.  The other four have differing priorities for their own districts.

 

Developing Agricultural Land

 

Another consideration that was strongly voiced by the opponents of the SOI Study was the fact that all the properties to the west of Buellton are zoned agriculture, most of which can’t be developed because they are in “agriculture preserve” under the Williamson Act, which restricts them to agricultural use for ten years.  The implication in the testimony was that these properties were not an immediate concern for that reason.

However, this assumption was quickly proven wrong, when a map was presented to the City Council delineating all the properties around the City of Buellton that are in agriculture preserve and the number of years remaining on their respective Williamson Act commitments.  Turns out that some of these agreements will begin expiring in as little as two years. 

So, applications to change the zoning on some properties along the Buellton-Lompoc corridor could be forthcoming almost any time. And, what might the change in zoning be? For one thing, those parcels along Highway 246 to the west of Buellton could logically be zoned Highway-Commercial, a natural use for properties with highway frontage.  Or, the County might decide that the demands for housing and state mandates are such that some of this land should be used for residential development. Again, we need only to look at the development in Orcutt to see what could happen.

 

Preventing Growth Indefinitely

 

The group that opposed the Sphere of Influence study appears to believe they will be able to prevent the County from approving any development of agriculture land around the City of Buellton indefinitely. However, the record does not support this.

About 30 years ago, Goleta, then unincorporated County territory, was dominated by an anti-growth group who controlled the Goleta Water District. They limited the availability of water to prevent growth, with the result that many of their decisions unfairly impacted individual property owners, causing hardship for residents the Water District was supposed to be serving and adversely affecting the value of many properties.  And, over the long term they did not stop growth. They may have slowed it somewhat, but looking at the Goleta area today, they certainly did not prevent it, much as they tried.

 

The Purpose of the Sphere of Influence Study

 

Councilman Dale Molesworth has explained, “The SOI is a tool for the Buellton City Council to use in planning; it tells what problems are out there that will have to be solved. The SOI also analyzes effects of traffic, pollution, and how schools are impacted and other city services, including water, are demanded by any development that is made or proposed to be made. This element, totally ignored by the opponents, leaves the City of Buellton in the dark when any developer or the County decides to utilize some of the land contiguous to Buellton. Without the study, we have no means to evaluate any proposed developments, either to support or deny them, prior to their actual submission. In point of fact, many of the problem areas raised by the opponents are answered by the SOI Study.”

And, Molesworth has further stated, “There are no plans being made for malls, huge housing developments or large scale commercial developments in the proposed SOI areas.  When this study was first proposed, the authorization to do so was by unanimous vote of the Council; it was a good idea then, for the reasons noted, to protect, defend, the land around Buellton from unlimited development by interests that this City cannot control.  That same Council has now, in the face of the theatrical and threatening opposition, lost its nerve,” adding, “It remains a mystery to me why Solvang, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez can see homes built on all the hilltops surrounding these communities and not be the least upset”

 

Be Careful What You Wish For

 

In my opinion, the long-term result in Buellton will be the same as Goleta.  There will be growth, like it or not.  The question is, “Who will control it?”

The victory for SY Valley’s no-growthers is likely to end up being a pyrrhic one, especially if the City of Buellton does not adequately plan for the future, as development they are unable to control encroaches on the City.

And, some of the same people who are so adamant about preventing the City of Buellton from doing a Sphere of Influence study now could conceivably be at the head of the line in five or ten years complaining that the City has been poorly managed because no one did any long-range planning.  But, long-range planning requires information on which to base decisions and studies are necessary to obtain that information.

But, that’s just my opinion.

 

© 2007 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved