Opinion: Victories over development few, far between
March 6, 2006 12:00 AM
On Tuesday the City Council did something very special, yet somewhat
out of character. It said no to an ambitious mixed-use project that
would have changed upper State Street forever.The
State Street Lofts project intended to insert 9,000 square feet of
commercial development and 55 condominiums onto a parcel in the middle
of one of the most heavily traveled areas of Santa Barbara.The
Planning Commission approved it on a 6-1 vote in December. Planning
Department staffers were resolute that the project should become
reality.Thanks to a combined effort by a variety of neighborhood watch-dog groups, the project was defeated on appeal.An
important factor to remember in this story is that if an appeal had not
been filed, the Lofts project would have been a done deal.Allied
Neighborhoods Association spearheaded the effort, along with Citizens
Planning Association, League of Women Voters and Coalition for Sensible
Planning. Good, hardworking community volunteers raised the appeal fee,
crafted the appropriate documents, and presented their winning argument
in a standing-room only council chamber.Sadly, victories by
these groups over the last several years have been few and far between.
Having been in the midst of the fight against high-density development
for over a decade, I can attest to the fact that Tuesday night's
accomplishment was rare indeed.I have witnessed countless
approvals of high-density, traffic-inducing development. I've watched
as planning terms such as "size, bulk and scale" and "adequate setback"
have lost all meaning.The good news is that the council, led by
an articulate argument from Councilman Brian Barnwell, finally saw
things our way. It agreed to stop a project that was "just too big" and
"just too dense."Most importantly, council members spoke of a need to take a comprehensive look at planning for the upper State Street area."There will be a sea change," according to Mr. Barnwell -- a change that neighborhood advocates have been seeking for years.Included
in the conversation was the notion that development in our community is
truly a regional issue. The State Street corridor leads into the
Hollister corridor, involving parts of two different cities and county
unincorporated land.This fact highlights the need for
city-county collaboration on planning issues. Hopefully, decision
makers will work together and see to it that development decisions
adhere to strict planning standards in order to minimize adverse
impacts and maximize quality of life for the entire region.The City Council took a bold step in the right direction. It is now up to the community to ensure that we stay on course.Joe Guzzardi is a candidate for 2nd District supervisor.Joe Guzzardi
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