Goleta Updates Planning

Santa Barbara Daily Sound
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
By Colby Frazier
Daily Sound Staff Writer

The Goleta City Council took several steps last night to change the way big and small projects are dealt with by the city's Design Review Board.

The council voted on 24 staff recommendations and heard spirited public comment from citizens concerned about the openness and fairness of the effort to "demystify," as the council members referred to it, the planning process.

The recommendations stem from three public study sessions held on Dec. 18, Jan. 16, and Feb. 20, which "brought focus upon difficulties encountered in the permitting of small residential projects, both from a technical and customer service perspective," according to an agenda letter prepared by Steve Chase, planning and environmental services director for the city.

The first item on the agenda to change was the Design Review Board's structure from a nine person board consisting of five city residents, two licensed architects and two licensed landscape professionals, to a seven member board made up of four community members and three professionals.

It passed 4-1. Councilman Eric Onnen was the lone dissenting vote. Onnen agreed with staff recommendation that said the board should consist of five members. The five member board would have consisted entirely of professional with one at-large member of the public.

Other issues such as the board's authority as a decision-making body and the length of terms were not tampered with.

Of much concern to some of the council members were complains from residents who had spent thousands of dollars moving through the planning process, only to be shut down near the end.

The council voted to amend the board's three-step process for approval that include conceptual, preliminary and final review of plans.

This also impacted the point during the process at which an appeal can be filed on a particular project.

Staff recommended the council vote to require appeals be filed no later than the second step in the approval process.

"The point of appeal occurs late in the process, sometimes long after design considerations are established and after costly working drawings are drafted," Chase said.

While the majority of the council felt this would help clear up any confusion and eliminate costly expenditures that are eventually thrown out, Councilwoman Jonny Wallis said she thought moving the appeal back will encourage residents to file appeals before they hear all of the information.

"If you cut off an appeal you've done a disservice," Wallis said. "To file an appeal you have to know everything."

Another hot topic for the council was staff recommendation from the city's capital improvement projects to be exempt from board review.

The argument for exempting the city according to the staff report, was that capital projects already undergo substantial review by the city council and redevelopment agency and so shouldn't be required to go before the board.

Also talked about was that capital projects are less visible than private projects.

Wallis said capital projects are very much in view.

"City Hall could be very visible," Wallis said.

"I personally think the city is being hypocritical when we can do this but the citizens cannot do this," said Mayor Jean Blois.

Councilman Roger Aceves agreed with Blois and the council agreed to defer the item until a later meeting.

Also discussed were how to deal with floor area ratios, corner setbacks, land use permits, discretionary projects and how to deal with remodels versus new homes and buildings.

The meeting highlighted campaign promises by Onnen, Aceves and Michael Bennett -- the three newest councilmembers -- who repeatedly said they hoped for quick change to the planning process as well as the city's General Plan.

Harry Rouse said he's fine with improving the planning process, but doesn't want public input and other things to fall by the wayside in the process.

"Yes, streamline the process if necessary," Rouse said. "But stay the course, protect the good land."

Posted with permission from the Santa Barbara Daily Sound.

Update 3/20 6:00pm: This story is now posted at the Santa Barbara Daily Sound Blog.