Opportunity for Input on Goleta Beach - March 18, 1:30 p.m.

City of Goleta sent this bulletin at 03/13/2014 03:07 PM PDT
City News

Opportunity for Input on Goleta Beach - Tuesday, March 18, 1:30 p.m.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will be talking about the future of Goleta Beach at its meeting on Tuesday, March 18 at 1:30 p.m. It may be the last time for the public to comment at a local level on this important topic.  Over 1.5 million people visit the beach annually, including many of our residents, and the City of Goleta wants to ensure that you are informed about how to participate in the decision-making process.

The meeting notice implies that the Board of Supervisors will make a decision on the future of Goleta Beach without vetting it through the public review process. 

 Goleta Beach

Their meeting notice states the Board will receive a report on the Goleta Beach 2.0 EIR project and project alternatives presented in the Proposed Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and select a preferred project for Goleta Beach 2.0. Staff will be directed to submit the selected project as part of a Coastal Development Permit application, including the Proposed Final EIR, to the California Coastal Commission for approval.

In plain language, this means that instead of taking the project through the normal path of public hearings through the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, the Board plans to not certify its own EIR and pass off the decision-making to the California Coastal Commission.  This eliminates the public’s opportunity to contribute to the development of the project design.

The City is committed to the requirement that all projects be subjected to the legally mandated environmental review process in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) before any decisions are made choosing or eliminating alternatives.  The public has a right to know environmental consequences and to participate in the process.  The City urges the Board to follow the law and postpone any decision making until after the public has completed its input through the CEQA process.

Last August, after hearing from a number of constituents, the Goleta City Council unanimously voted to support Alternative 2 as the environmentally superior alternative along with the provision that the current revetment stay in place if the experimental measures prove insufficient to protect the park.   The Council agreed to have the subcommittee of Mayor Michael T. Bennett and Councilmember Jim Farr represent the City at all public meetings on this important issue.  Mayor Bennett and Councilmember Farr will be speaking at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. and urge the public to participate as well. 

MEETING DETAILS: Tuesday, March 18, 1:30 p.m., Board of Supervisor’s Hearing Room, 4th Floor, County Administration Building, 105 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara. California.

CONTACT INFORMATION: For questions, contact Planning and Development Planner Alex Tuttle at (805) 884-6844 or Community Services Parks Division Capital Projects Manager Jill Van Wie at (805) 568-2470.

The Final EIR can be found here.

The agenda can be found here.