TGO #29 — 4 New Items

The Goodland Outlook, Edition 29 — March 13, 2016

In this issue:

1. THE COMMUNITY IS INVITED TO A COMMUNITY FORUM ON GOLETA DEVELOPMENT: "WHAT IS THERE NOW AND WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING?"
2. THE COMMUNITY IS INVITED TO THE GOODLAND COALITION'S COMMUNITY FORUM ON GOLETA'S PROPOSED NEW ZONING CODE.
3. GOLETA'S PROPOSED ZONING CODE REVISIONS: OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN MORE.
4. THE PROPOSED ZONING CODE SECTION DEALING WITH MOVABLE, ELECTRONIC SIGNS - A LETTER SENT BY GOLETA RESIDENT CECILIA BROWN TO GOLETA'S CITY COUNCIL ON BEHALF OF THE GOODLAND COALITION.
1.  THE COMMUNITY IS INVITED TO A COMMUNITY FORUM ON GOLETA DEVELOPMENT: “WHAT IS THERE NOW, AND WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING?” —  Wednesday, 3/16, noon – 2 p.m., at the Louise Lowry Davis Center, Victoria/de la Vina Streets, Santa Barbara. Sponsor: League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara County.

PROGRAM: First, the League’s long-time member and friend, and former Goleta mayor and council member, Margaret Connell will talk about how Goleta was formed and the vision behind its initial Community Plan.  She will be followed by 27-year Goleta Resident George Relles, Convener of The Goodland Coalition, who will talk about how the General Plan evolved, The Goodland’s own role in amending it, and some of the challenges and opportunities that have arisen.

They will be followed by a presentation of two separate issues causing new concerns.

  • Cherie Topper, Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s executive director, will explain why a new coalition is forming to resist the rezoning of the Shelby Project from agriculture to residential.
  • Cecilia Brown, an experienced county planning commissioner, will discuss Goleta’s plan to adopt a completely new Rezoning Ordinance and the problems the public has in understanding it.

Finally, Robert Miller will discuss the Westside Goleta Coalition‘s successful effort to change the location of a new, enlarged California Highway Patrol substation in Goleta.

Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions of each speaker.

WHEN: March 16, 2016, Noon-2:00PM.

WHERE: The Louise Lowry Davis Center – corner of De la Vina and Victoria Street.

ADMISSION: Free, no reservation is necessary. Free parking. Bring a bag lunch, drinks will be provided.

2. THE COMMUNITY IS INVITED TO THE GOODLAND COALITION'S COMMUNITY FORUM ON GOLETA'S PROPOSED NEW ZONING CODE — sponsored by The Goodland Coalition and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara and Citizens Planning Association of Santa Barbara County

PROGRAM: This unique program will allow for more in-depth interaction with City staff by providing more time to ask questions and comments and to hear specific staff responses on the proposed zoning code.

The Moderator will provide a brief introduction on the background of the process to date, what is happening next, and then introduce City staff.

Planning and Environmental Review Director Jennifer Carman and staff will make some comments and answer questions.

General information about the proposed changes and review process can be found at  goletazoning.com.

WHEN: Thursday, April 14, 6:30-8:30PM.

WHERE: The Goleta Public Library 500 N Fairview Avenue, Goleta

ADMISSION: Free, no reservation is necessary

3. MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN ABOUT GOLETA'S PROPOSED ZONING CODE REVISIONS:

Here are details of upcoming City of Goleta meetings on Zoning

  • The last scheduled Open House on the Goleta Zoning Ordinance will take place April 7, Thursday 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Goleta City Council Chambers, 130 Cremona Drive. Staff attending will be able to provide general information and respond to participants’ questions.
  • The next Planning Commission Zoning Ordinance workshop is April 11, 6:00 p.m. in the Goleta City Council Chambers, 130 Cremona Drive.

The meetings are televised on Channel 19 and are also streamed on the Internet from the following link, where agenda and staff reports can also be obtained: http://www.cityofgoleta.org/i-want-to/news-and-updates/government-meeting-agendas-and-videos/planning-commission-meetings

4.  THE PROPOSED ZONING CODE SECTION DEALING WITH MOVABLE, ELECTRONIC SIGNS – A LETTER SENT BY GOLETA RESIDENT CECILIA BROWN TO GOLETA’S CITY COUNCIL ON BEHALF OF THE GOODLAND COALITION

 

Mayor Farr and Councilmembers,

Next week the Design Review Board and the following week the Planning Commission will start their review of the sign ordinance which proposes to allow electronic changeable copy signs for quasi-public land uses (i.e., community assembly facilities which are churches and a facility like the Elks Lodge) located in residential areas.

In the northeast quadrant of the city where I live, N. Fairview to east of Cathedral Oaks, there are 11 of these facilities, most located in the heart of neighborhoods with the majority directly across from houses. Should these signs be codified into the ordinance, they will be a radical departure where now just two traditionally lighted and static changeable copy signs exist.

While electronic changeable copy signs allowed in the sign ordinance will be smaller than the colorful, brightly lighted, and visually distracting LED sign at Earl Warren Showgrounds, they will have many of the same characteristics. The sign ordinance allows them to “blink, flash, shimmer, glitter, rotate, and oscillate” and change copy every few seconds, making then totally out of place and character with residential living. Most importantly, electronic changeable copy signs are in conflict with the city’s General Plan land use and visual resource policies and inconsistent with other policies in the proposed zoning code. The city needs to rethink the use of these signs for any land use located in or near residential areas because of their incompatibility with residential zoning.

A consistent theme across a search of internet literature reveals the negative effect electronic changeable copy signs have on the quality of life of residential areas.  Now a part of the new sign ordinance, these signs should have been included for analysis and assessed for their impacts in the zoning code’s draft supplemental EIR (DSEIR).  But, there is no mention of them at all.

The Goodland Coalition believes this an oversight. In the DSEIR, there must be an analysis of these sign’s impacts and inconsistencies with the General Plan and mitigations provided for those impacts or if not possible, then a rewrite of the project description (the sign ordinance) to eliminate them is required. The community must know why the City of Goleta is imposing these community character changing signs on neighborhoods. To not have already had a public dialogue or discussion before decision maker hearings take place is a disservice to the public process. The three minutes allotted to speak at decision-maker hearings is insufficient and inadequate to address the many issues with these signs.

Sincerely,

Cecilia Brown

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The Goodland Coalition | 5710 Hollister Ave. #234 | Goleta | CA | 93117