No Las Positas Area Study
[SBN-P, 3/2/2005]:
S.B. rebuffs calls for Las Positas-area study
3/2/05
By JOSHUA MOLINA
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Veronica Meadows proposal includes bridge over Arroyo Burro Creek
Residents of the rural Las Positas valley went home dejected on Tuesday night after the City Council rebuffed calls for a comprehensive study of their neighborhoods.
A stream of development proposals that area residents say could wreck their quality of life have made the Las Positas valley a battleground over housing, traffic and the environment.
"I urge you to protect our special community," said James Kahan, president of the Allied Neighborhood Association, an umbrella group of Santa Barbara residents. "Protect our neighborhoods. They are important to us."
Potential housing projects in the Las Positas valley have mobilized the city's neighborhood groups, whose members believe that Santa Barbara's small-town character and charm are being eroded by the city government's tolerance and even embrace of housing that trumps traffic, environment and quality-of-life concerns.
Critics cite two projects: a Hillside House proposal of up to 127 units and the nearby Veronica Meadows project, which calls for 24 two-story homes off Las Positas Road. The Veronica Meadows developer wants to build a bridge over Arroyo Burro Creek from Las Positas Road so future residents can drive to their homes.
Rather than the city approving each project piecemeal, critics want a study of the cumulative effects of the current and potential projects before approving anything else.
Others contend that Santa Barbara already has a thorough planning process and that staff members are capable of approving projects one at a time. In short, they say, there's no need to undergo a comprehensive study of the Las Positas valley.
"We are very comfortable with the city's current planning process," said Pam Flynt, executive director of the residential care facility Hillside House. "We have had a home for persons with development disabilities in the Las Positas valley since 1955 and have always felt that the city has had a good planning process."
About 75 people packed the City Council chambers for the special night meeting.
Last week, during a charged Park and Recreation Commission hearing, speaker Sharyn Main was booed by the audience for criticizing the environmental effect of the Veronica Meadows bridge.
"I have not been real pleased with the amount of animosity," Mayor Marty Blum told the attendees. She set the tone for Tuesday's meeting immediately, warning the crowd to avoid booing or hissing.
Veronica Meadows developer Mark Lee was not present at the meeting, nor were most of his project's supporters, who back the plan only if the bridge is allowed because it would then take away traffic from other residential streets.
Some council members said the issues raised by the valley residents are good ones but that they would be better addressed as part of a general plan update, rather than focusing just on the valley.
Speaking sternly to the residents, Councilman Brian Barnwell accused some of being intellectually dishonest because of their use of the word "pristine" to describe the rural area. He said he looked up pristine in the dictionary and it meant "uncorrupted by civilization."
"It is not pristine," Mr. Barnwell said, suggesting that Arroyo Burro Creek is already the draining spot for much of the runoff in the city. A "small bridge," he said, is not the "be all, end all" for development in the area.
Councilman Das Williams countered by saying the Las Positas valley was "the last frontier of open space" in the city and that the development projects should be held to the highest environmental standards. He said that though there were not enough votes on the council to call for a comprehensive plan in the area, each project will still go before the council for approval eventually.
Focusing on the Veronica Meadows project throughout the meeting, Mr. Williams said Santa Barbara should respect open space and water-quality issues.
"Saving Santa Barbara by developing open space is like trying to save a village by destroying it," Mr. Williams said.
Councilman Dan Secord disagreed.
"I think we've got enough planning," Dr. Secord said. "I don't think we need any more."
[SBN-P Online edition: S.B. rebuffs calls for Las Positas-area study]
S.B. rebuffs calls for Las Positas-area study
3/2/05
By JOSHUA MOLINA
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Veronica Meadows proposal includes bridge over Arroyo Burro Creek
Residents of the rural Las Positas valley went home dejected on Tuesday night after the City Council rebuffed calls for a comprehensive study of their neighborhoods.
A stream of development proposals that area residents say could wreck their quality of life have made the Las Positas valley a battleground over housing, traffic and the environment.
"I urge you to protect our special community," said James Kahan, president of the Allied Neighborhood Association, an umbrella group of Santa Barbara residents. "Protect our neighborhoods. They are important to us."
Potential housing projects in the Las Positas valley have mobilized the city's neighborhood groups, whose members believe that Santa Barbara's small-town character and charm are being eroded by the city government's tolerance and even embrace of housing that trumps traffic, environment and quality-of-life concerns.
Critics cite two projects: a Hillside House proposal of up to 127 units and the nearby Veronica Meadows project, which calls for 24 two-story homes off Las Positas Road. The Veronica Meadows developer wants to build a bridge over Arroyo Burro Creek from Las Positas Road so future residents can drive to their homes.
Rather than the city approving each project piecemeal, critics want a study of the cumulative effects of the current and potential projects before approving anything else.
Others contend that Santa Barbara already has a thorough planning process and that staff members are capable of approving projects one at a time. In short, they say, there's no need to undergo a comprehensive study of the Las Positas valley.
"We are very comfortable with the city's current planning process," said Pam Flynt, executive director of the residential care facility Hillside House. "We have had a home for persons with development disabilities in the Las Positas valley since 1955 and have always felt that the city has had a good planning process."
About 75 people packed the City Council chambers for the special night meeting.
Last week, during a charged Park and Recreation Commission hearing, speaker Sharyn Main was booed by the audience for criticizing the environmental effect of the Veronica Meadows bridge.
"I have not been real pleased with the amount of animosity," Mayor Marty Blum told the attendees. She set the tone for Tuesday's meeting immediately, warning the crowd to avoid booing or hissing.
Veronica Meadows developer Mark Lee was not present at the meeting, nor were most of his project's supporters, who back the plan only if the bridge is allowed because it would then take away traffic from other residential streets.
Some council members said the issues raised by the valley residents are good ones but that they would be better addressed as part of a general plan update, rather than focusing just on the valley.
Speaking sternly to the residents, Councilman Brian Barnwell accused some of being intellectually dishonest because of their use of the word "pristine" to describe the rural area. He said he looked up pristine in the dictionary and it meant "uncorrupted by civilization."
"It is not pristine," Mr. Barnwell said, suggesting that Arroyo Burro Creek is already the draining spot for much of the runoff in the city. A "small bridge," he said, is not the "be all, end all" for development in the area.
Councilman Das Williams countered by saying the Las Positas valley was "the last frontier of open space" in the city and that the development projects should be held to the highest environmental standards. He said that though there were not enough votes on the council to call for a comprehensive plan in the area, each project will still go before the council for approval eventually.
Focusing on the Veronica Meadows project throughout the meeting, Mr. Williams said Santa Barbara should respect open space and water-quality issues.
"Saving Santa Barbara by developing open space is like trying to save a village by destroying it," Mr. Williams said.
Councilman Dan Secord disagreed.
"I think we've got enough planning," Dr. Secord said. "I don't think we need any more."
[SBN-P Online edition: S.B. rebuffs calls for Las Positas-area study]
Posted by Malcolm on
3/02/2005
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