City Council Agenda Watch

On the City Council's 6/17 agenda...

Afternoon Session:

C.2 Business License Operations

C.3 Consideration of Ballot Measures for the November 2008 General Election for the City of Goleta

Evening Session:

C.4 UCSB Draft Long Range Development Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report

D.4 Adoption of the 2009-09 to 2012-13 Five Year Implementation Plan for the Goleta Old Town Redevelopment Project Area

D.5 Continued from June 3, 2008 - 07-201-GPA, City-Initiated Track 2 General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan Amendments

Michael Bennett Has Visions of Disneyland in Old Town

BlogaBarbara has an active discussion going on about The Pacific Coast Business Times reporting that Goleta Council Member Michael Bennett told his buddies at the Chamber of Commerce that he would like to create a "semblance of Disneyland" in Old Town Goleta.

Years in the Making, Old Town Inn and Condos Almost Done

Santa Barbara Newsroom
By Tom Schultz
April 24, 2007

A new Hollister Avenue hotel, touted as an important piece of a years-long push to revitalize Old Town Goleta with new housing and business, will open sometime in July, according to the city.

The 98-room Old Town Hampton Inn could be finished by July 4 — just in time to capture revenue in connection with the national holiday, Goleta Planning Director Steve Chase said Monday.

"The best way to characterize this is attempts are being made," he said. "We are getting pretty close. This is a big deal. I'm glad to see this is coming along."

With scaffolding still surrounding the unfinishd building, crews on Monday banged away under a bright sun. It appeared as though most of the windows were installed. The exterior was not yet painted.

Located at 5665 Hollister Ave., the hotel at the intersection of Hollister and Kinman avenues will total 54,000 square feet and include 1,000 square feet for retail-commercial purposes, according to plans.

To the rear, 37 condos are under construction as part of a separate project approved along with the hotel in 2004 by the City Council. The condos, to be known as the Willow Creek Townhomes, will total 59,000 square feet.

The city expects to conduct a series of routine inspections in the next few weeks, Mr. Chase said. "There's a whole series of compliance matters."

The project was approved in large part to breathe new economic life into Old Town, an area of Goleta with rundown facades and flooding issues, two key areas being considered in efforts to improve the area.

Officials say they expect Goleta to reap millions annually in tax revenue once occupancy begins. An estimate of just how much was not available Monday.

The most densely populated area of Goleta, a city of 30,000 residents, Old Town dates back decades and features mostly mom-and-pop shops.

The inn project was not without controversy. Some residents questioned its location sandwiched between a car dealership and a school bus maintenance yard.

Others told officials the project might exacerbate traffic problems along Hollister Avenue.

Traffic safety was on the mind of Randy Rosness, exectutive director of the Goleta Valley Community Center, which is located two doors down from the project.

The center regularly hosts dance classes and other activities for children, and welcomes an estimated 350,000 visitors a year.

Rosness said Monday he had met with developers and was confident that traffic issues had been addressed by builders and the city.

"I think it's going to be a nice project," Rosness said. "I hope it will work well."

The Clock Ticking, Yardi Seeks Worker Housing

Santa Barbara Newsroom
By Tom Schultz
April 9, 2007

An 11th-hour request by company officials Monday has set the stage for the addition of employee housing to an Old Town Goleta project that's been years in the making.

Yardi Systems Inc. is now on track for a construction time extension that could bring up to 50 homes in addition to office space on property near the Santa Barbara Airport.

At a hearing before the City Council, company officials said that without worker housing it would be difficult to recruit and retain employees.

In a 5-0 vote, the City Council agreed to engage Yardi officials in a new round of project review. The council set a May 7 hearing to consider amendments to an approved 2001 development plan currently governing construction at the site near the Santa Barbara Airport.

“We have had some issues with recruiting and retaining employees,” Gordon Morrell, Yardi executive vice president and chief operating officer, told the council.

It’s a refrain that has filled board rooms, economic forecasts and government chambers up and down the South Coast in recent years, as housing costs have soared. Morrell said that Yardi might incorporate up to 50 new homes, including perhaps 10 rental units.
“This is a very, very rough number,” Morrell said. “We are very new at this.”
Yardi employees would get first priority for the new homes, according to the company.

On Monday, all five council members appeared sympathetic and several complimented Yardi on its effort to expand employer-sponsored housing for workers.

“This is a vital thing we need to consider, housing for our employees,” Mayor Jean Blois said.

Councilman Michael Bennett said the city and Yardi had nothing to lose by exploring their options. The project might help Yardi stay local, he said.

“This is an opportunity for us to be flexible,” Bennett said.

Councilman Eric Onnen suggested that a long extension could be a problem and said he hoped the city would pressure the company to finish in a reasonable stretch of time.

The coming months could bring a clear test of how the council members who were elected last November may handle the design review questions — the size, bulk and scale of projects and how many units to include — that haunt Goleta politics week after week.

Yardi's request came formally in a Thursday letter to the city, which had first learned of the idea about two weeks ago, according to Planning Director Steve Chase.

As currently approved, the Yardi project along South Fairview Avenue near Ekwill Street would add a 73,000-square-foot office building to properties that already hold a 60,800-square-foot workplace and a 108,000 square-foot office building.

Before the extension, the construction of Yardi's third and newest building was slated to begin before Oct. 23 to satisfy terms of the original project approval. Santa Barbara County signed off on the project before Goleta incorporated in 2002.

The third round of construction might have started in a couple of weeks, Morrell said.

“We are that close,” he said. “Our preference, however, is to take care of what we consider the real need.”

While supportive of working with Yardi, Councilwoman Jonny Wallis suggested that a degree of caution was warranted.

Choosing between housing and space for high-paying jobs could prove tricky, she said. Wallis said that adding housing should not get in the way of the expansion of nearby industrial areas.

“We have to be careful,” said Wallis, who lives in Old Town. “Let’s get the issues on the table."

Goleta Keeps Flood Control On Tap For Old Town

Santa Barbara Newsroom
By Tom Schultz
April 2, 2007

The Goleta City Council late Monday moved a flood control proposal, described by officials as “the highest priority improvement project for the city,” one step closer to groundbreaking.

In a 5-0 vote, the council OK’d findings released last month that a $14 million reconstruction of the lower San Jose Creek channel through Old Town would not have significant negative effects on the environment.

In doing so, council members directed staff managers to add language describing why alternative designs championed by some environmental organizations would not be feasible.

The Goleta City Council late Monday moved a flood control proposal, described by officials as “the highest priority improvement project for the city,” one step closer to groundbreaking.

In a 5-0 vote, the council OK’d findings released last month that a $14 million reconstruction of the lower San Jose Creek channel through Old Town would not have significant negative effects on the environment.

In doing so, council members directed staff managers to add language describing why alternative designs championed by some environmental organizations would not be feasible.

“It will help the community understand,” Councilman Michael Bennett said.

The channel runs under Hollister Avenue and parallel to Highway 217. Old Town -- along Hollister and south to the ocean, and between Kellogg Avenue and Fairview Avenue -- has historically suffered millions of dollars in damage to homes and businesses in heavy winter storms.

“The San Jose Creek Capacity project is considered the highest priority improvement project for the City of Goleta,” according to the report in question, known as a mitigated negative declaration.

The report determined Goleta can adequately offset problems in its preferred plan associated with construction dust and the disruption of natural habitats. No impacts to agriculture, mineral resources, housing, recreation or public services would occur, according to the 109-page document.

“No other major infrastructure project identified in the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan can go forward until the San Jose Creek flooding problem is resolved,” according to the report.

The public can comment on the environmental findings through Wednesday at City Hall.

Recent efforts to tackle the flooding problem date to the mid-1990s, when severe weather battered the region. When things got really bad, kayaks could be spotted where cars typically travel.

Plans currently include reconstruction of the Hollister Avenue bridge over San Jose Creek, modifications to the existing concrete flood control channel downstream of Hollister, the permanent replacement of approximately 350 feet of existing concrete channel with a natural bottom, and relocation of an existing “at risk” above-ground sewer line.

Modifications also would involve removal of an existing secondary steel bridge -- located approximately 100 feet downstream of Hollister -- and the relocation of an existing sewer line currently suspended from that steel bridge to underneath Highway 217. Officials say that line is susceptible to damage from floods and debris.

Approximately 475 feet of the concrete-lined creek channel -- extending from 80 feet upstream to 300 feet downstream of the bridge at Hollister -- would be removed and replaced with new vertical concrete banks 15 feet high, according to plans.

A 430-foot section of concrete bottom would be removed and left unpaved as a natural stream bed approximately 50 feet wide.

Upstream of the Hollister Avenue Bridge, the existing creek banks would be tied into new vertical walls, using boulders as a transition. These boulders would be placed, covered with soil, and planted with native plants, according to the city.

Final design of the project is scheduled for the end of 2007. However, the proposal must then wind its way through a series of reviews, including a final council vote plus consideration by the state Coastal Commission, before any work can begin.

The Santa Barbara County Flood Control District, an independent agency, owns and maintains the channel and also must approve any changes to the channel. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, must approve change to flood hazard maps associated with the project.

If approved, construction could begin in Spring 2008.

Several individuals on Monday night and in preceding letters to the city pushed the council to consider more options before a final vote.

Ben Pitterle, watershed programs director at Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, joined those calling for Goleta to perform a full environmental impact report and tap grant funds to better accommodate the passage of steelhead trout. Options could include a deeper, more natural bed than the one proposed, or redirecting the creek through nearby agricultural lands, he said.

“Money should not be a problem here,’ Pitterle said. “There’s a tremendous opportunity that the city of Goleta is missing out on. You just need to decide that this is really what you want to do. Please don’t pull the trigger on this yet.”

Options for fish habitat enhancements and creek diversions were among alternatives considered by biologists and public works brass, Community Services Director Steve Wagner responded. “We looked at all sorts of ranges for natural channel options."

But difficulties arose, he added.

Trout passage improvements could be incorporated at a later date as a separate project, and relocating the creek could make the city liable for damages associated with the diversion of flood flows, Wagner said.

Some homeowners and business leaders describe the speedy correction of flood problems as critical to the successful revitalization of Old Town, an area more dense and rundown than other parts of the city.

Kristen Amyx, president and CEO of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, said Old Town would be well served by the city’s proposal:

“The project is very much needed to address the economic vitality of businesses of OT and the safety of employees and residents there.”

Click here for article.

Old Town Goleta: Two Alarm Fire Destroys Two Businesses

KEYT is reporting on a two alarm fire that took place around 4:21am Wednesday morning.

Update 3/22: KEYT video is posted.

At 4:21 Wednesday morning, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded with 7 Engine Companies, 1 Ladder Truck, 1 Air and Lighting Vehicle and 3 Chief Officers to a large commercial structure fire, in Old Town Goleta. It burned approximately 9000 square feet. County fire was assisted by 1 Ladder Truck and 1 Battalion Chief from Santa Barbara City. 30 Firefighters worked for about 90 minutes to knock down the blaze which was well involved and had burned through the roof of the building when the first units arrived. An aggressive initial attack by those first arriving firefighters spared the other 4 adjoining businesses from any major damage. The involved business were "805 Clothing", 335 Rutherford, which was totally destroyed, and Moore Machine Shop at 5759 Dawson which suffered major damage. The fire was visible throughout the Goleta Valley. No injuries occurred and the cause is under investigation by the County Fire Department. Dollar loss is being calculated and will be high due to the large amount of damage.

Update 3/22:

Click here for the KCOY article. (Video)

City Adjusts Traffic Light Timing Through Old Town

Santa Barbara Daily Sound
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
By Colby Frazier
Daily Sound Staff Writer

An effort to improve traffic flow through Old Town Goleta was completed yesterday, after city engineers changed the timing of five traffic signals between Fairview Avenue and State Highway 217 along the Hollister Avenue corridor.

The project began about six months ago when the city installed a new traffic signal at Kinman Avenue and Hollister.

While installing the new signal, officials decided to put the remaining five signals on a more updated timing schedule that included motion sensors, which will trigger light changes.

The "system in place in the past had gone into disrepair prior to the city's incorporation," said Marti Schultz, the city's principal civil engineer. "With that installation [at Kinman Avenue] we reconnected the entire system and put it back in working order."

Shultz said the previous lights were on a set timing system, which wouldn't change regardless of the flow of traffic on crossing streets.

Kirsten Zimmer Deshler, a spokeswoman for the city said the old setup was frustrating to drivers because it forced traffic to stop every hundred feet.

Schultz said the only hiccup residents may notice are perceived delays on side streets that cross Hollister Avenue.

"They will experience possibly a little bit longer wait time," Schultz said of traffic on cross streets. "If they do, then they should be patient, it's not broken but there has been a change."

"Vehicles will now be able to travel on Hollister Avenue through Old Town with less stopping and starting which results in less wear and tear on vehicles and is good for the environment," said Steve Wagner, community services director for the city.

Posted with permission from the Santa Barbara Daily Sound.