Goleta goes back for more - City to seek less money from county in second bid

Santa Barbara Daily Sound
By Colby Frazier
July 9, 2007

Nearly two months after being denied $350,000 in Coastal Resource Enhancement Funds by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, the city of Goleta is set to ask for a slightly less amount at Tuesday's board meeting in Santa Maria.

If the money is approved by the board, Goleta plans to purchase a one acre parcel of land on the Ellwood Mesa known as the Doty property, which city officials say is integral to complete the Ellwood Mesa Preserve.

"I feel very confident that on Tuesday they will approve most of the money we're asking for to purchase this property, which is the last of the parcels needed to complete the reserve," said Goleta City Councilman Roger Aceves.

The city's original request for CREF money was based on a $475,000 purchase agreement with the city negotiated with the property owner. Third District Supervisor Brooks Firestone argued this total was too high because the property was appraised at $400,000.

The board voted 4-1 at that meeting to temporarily deny the allocation until further information was available.

Aceves said the city has worked closely with the county since then in order to come to a suitable compromise.

In order to quell concerns that the purchase agreement was too high, the city renegotiated it with the property owner, who agreed to lower the price to $400,000.

As a result of the lower asking price, the city lowered its CREF request to $300,000. The remaining $100,000 will have to be funded by the city.

First [sic] District Supervisor Janet Wolf was the lone dissenting vote in May, and made a motion at that time to give Goleta $250,000, but it failed with a 3-2 vote.

Wolf said she was happy to see the issue back on the agenda.

"I'm glad that they've been working on it and let's hope it passes," Wolf said.

CREF funds are paid out by oil and gas companies as a condition of being issued offshore oil and gas permits. The money is offered as a mitigation effort for impacts to coastal resources.

At the May meeting, the board approved funding for Rincon Park, Franklin Trail, Lookout Park, the Surf Exhibit at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, the Sea Center, Walter Capps Park, the Tide & Seek and Belly of the Whale exhibits at the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum and the Seabird Care Compound. The money allocated to these projects totaled $405,305.

Aceves said the Doty property is the missing link of the Ellwood Mesa, at which most of the trails and pathways meet.

"It's a really beautiful area," Aceves said. "It's really used a lot."

The Board of Supervisors meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center in Santa Maria.

Supes Balk at Goleta Land Buy Near Ellwood Mesa

Santa Barbara Newsroom
By Barney McManigal
May 16, 2007

County supervisors put the brakes on a land acquisition near Ellwood Mesa Tuesday, saying officials need to determine the true value of the one-acre Doty property before allotting funds to buy it.

Their rejection of the proposal means a key gateway to the coastal hiking haven could potentially be unprotected from future residential development.

Voting 4-1, the Board of Supervisors halted the proposal to give $350,000 to a broader fund-raising push to acquire the property. The land, they said, needs further appraising. Janet Wolf, who supported earmarking the funds, voted no.

While Brooks Firestone, the area’s supervisor, described himself as “extremely interested” in the deal, he raised concern about conflicting reports of the land’s value. Among other things, he cited a report indicating that the property could contain sensitive habitat that may limit building opportunities.

“This is far from complete,” Firestone said of the deal.

Goleta officials have sought to obtain the parcel for years, due to its location as a key gateway to Ellwood Mesa.

The city recently paid $47,000 for a one-year option to purchase the parcel from the owners, who reportedly received multiple offers, for prices as high as $500,000.

On Tuesday, Goleta officials, residents and environmentalists looked to supervisors to kick in a chunk of the cost, using money the county receives from oil companies to offset extraction activities.

Numerous speakers urged supervisors to act before the owner could sell the property to someone at a higher price.

“It is a matter of not being penny wise and pound foolish,” said Goleta City Council Member Johnny Wallis, explaining why the property was a good investment.

Supervisor Janet Wolf, the sole dissenter, encouraged colleagues to support the disbursement, noting the value of open space to future generations. She even proposed allotting $250,000 immediately toward the proposal, but that measure failed 3-2.

In the end, North County supervisors, who called for doing more homework before sealing the deal, prevailed. Supervisor Joni Gray, an Orcutt native, referenced her roots in saying she needed to know the true value of the property before voting yes.

“Right now it makes zero sense to this country girl,” Gray said.

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