Archive » December 21, 2007

County projects reviewed

 

Projects in the Santa Ynez Valley dominated the discussions during recent Santa Barbara County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors meetings.

Four construction and zoning projects for the Santa Ynez Valley and northern Santa Barbara County were approved by the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission during its Nov. 28 session. A fifth project was submitted to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for review and a sixth, concerning La Purisma Resort, was continued until Jan. 9, 2008. The supervisors also approved two other land use requests during its November sessions. Another project is in progress near Highway 154.

 

A proposal before the county planning commission on Dec. 12 to build a large mixed-use project in Los Olivos, which received compliments from numerous residents and business owners in the Santa Ynez Valley, was postponed with a 4-0 vote until Jan. 23, 2008. The delay came because of questions concerning the Santa Ynez Valley Community Plan, which has yet to be approved and adopted by the county planning commission.

 

Speaking in favor of the project were members of the Los Olivos Business Organization. President Sam Marmorstein said his board unanimously supports the development. Questions concerning archaeological or cultural resources on the project site were raised by representatives of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Sam Cohen, tribal attorney, said there are “real archaeological issues” involving the site.

On Dec. 10 the tribe officially requested a SB-18 consultation with Santa Barbara County staff but no date has been set, and the project approval should not proceed until that consultation has taken place, advised David Allen, deputy county attorney.

 

In addition, in 2005, the county Board of Supervisors issued a policy that would not allow any projects in the area to be built until the plan is completed, which is expected in early 2009, with the only exception being projects that offer a “significant community benefit,” as determined by the commission. Dan Blough, commissioner, said this project definitely falls into that category.

The three-acre project, to be built on commercial property on Grand Avenue at Highway 154, directly east from Nojoqui Avenue and Mattei’s Tavern, includes a restaurant, an art gallery, offices and other retail shops, as well as eight townhouse condominiums, which would be sold at market rates.

 

It also includes public restrooms with nine stalls, a public plaza, walkways and benches, 90 public parking spaces on the northern side, a conference building for community meetings and two studio apartments, which would be listed for rent as “affordable.” The site, to be known as Stage Stop Plaza, is owned by Harvey Saarloos of Solvang.

The county planning commission unanimously approved a project to divide 349 acres into three lots of more than 100 acres each at Rancho Encantado, located just southwest of Highway 154 in Santa Ynez. The site includes the Santa Ynez River, running through the northern and western fringes, and approximately 236 acres of walnut trees and dense oak woodland. Several structures and residences are already on each of the lots.

 

Rezoning was approved 5-0 for three parcels owned by the Jourdi de Werd family, located on Foxen Canyon Road north of Los Olivos. The parcels, approximately 21 acres, 7 acres and 9 acres, respectively, have been general agriculture property. The rezoning adheres to Land Use Development codes. After giving its approval, the commission recommended the project be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final action.

Two Orcutt-Santa Maria projects were unanimously approved with revisions to conditions of the approvals. One project is a modification to allow development of a five-acre site west of U.S, Highway 101 and south of Clark Ave., in Orcutt. Approval conditions prohibit oak tree removal on the site, which is owned by Steve Malfo.

 

The second project, owned by Phil and Sheri May and represented by Urban Planning Concepts, will allow division of a 10.43 acre parcel into three lots of 6.41 acres, 1.92 acres, and 2.10 acres; the development of a 29,373-square-foot building on the largest lot; and structure improvements on the same lot. The structure will be used as the Hope Community Church. The conditions include compliance with county construction and mitigation rules.

Decisions by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors also concerned new housing under construction at the Los Prietos Boys Camp, located on 17 acres in Los Padres National Forest. The parcel is leased from the USDA Forest Services. The Probation Department asked the supervisors to allow the new units to be occupied with the provision that the residents, who will be part of the camp staff, pay their own use fees and utilities. The project was reviewed and continued during the Nov. 6 meeting and finally approved at the Nov. 20 session.

 

In another motion that carried unanimously, the Board of Supervisors approved an “owner’s agreement to construct and maintain private drainage improvements and private drainage and maintenance easements” with Dunn School in Los Olivos. The agreement allows the present and future owners of the property, located at 2555 Highway 154, to be responsible for maintenance in perpetuity of private drainage improvements.

In a Dec. 10 decision, Santa Barbara County officials said a compressed schedule for the Santa Ynez Valley Community Plan would be ready for adoption in late 2008. The blueprint, drafted after a series of hearings that took place over several years, includes a written environmental analysis to be available by July, 2008 and the release of the final environmental Impact Report in September. Two hearings before the county planning commission would be set for September and October in 2008, with Board of Supervisors hearings in November and December.

 

Before this decision, in a matter concerning issues with the Santa Ynez Valley Community Plan, including rezones, general plan amendments, and procedure change, the county planning commission did not accept the staff recommendations and sent the problem to the Board of Supervisors for final action. The option proposes to maintain the current procedure, adopted in May, 2005. However, planning commission staff proposed additional language to further clarify the definition.

Because the SYVC Plan has yet to be adopted, commission staff would partially process applications and conduct a site visit. The procedure change, if adopted, would require environmental documents to be prepared for individual projects.

 

Meanwhile, Supervisor Brooks Firestone, representing the Santa Ynez Valley, said the Board of Supervisors will consider adopting the drafted plan and certifying its environmental review during the scheduled sessions in late 2008.

A Santa Barbara County Public Works Department project, scheduled to be finished in January, is expected to cause construction delays on East Camino Cielo in the mountains between Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley. The mountaintop roadway project, about 1.3 miles east of Highway 154, will close the road between midnight and 6 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays. It will remain open on weekends.

There also will be approximately 20-minute delays when the roadway is open. Repairs include rebuilding a portion of the roadway that washed out during storms in 2005, as well as construction of a retaining wall to prevent new slippage. Funding for the repairs, estimated at $360,000, come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.