Article taken from the Santa
Barbara News Press Group seeks voters' help
to preserve land By
MELINDA BURNS 08/31/05 To save the "working landscape" of the Gaviota coast -- a slice of old California that remains largely unchanged today -- a self-appointed group of landowners and environmentalists is recommending a "rural planning area" west of Goleta be placed on a countywide ballot. The measure, as the group sees it, would keep development from moving west of Winchester Canyon for the next 30 years. During that time, voter approval would be required before any property between Goleta and Vandenberg Air Force Base could be rezoned from commercial, industrial or high-density residential use. Voters also would weigh in on any increases in development potential involving new lots smaller than 100 acres. The group's report, still in draft form, is the product of a three-year effort by 14 people, half of them Gaviota coast landowners. Yet some members fear it may be too late to make a difference. During the past three years, 18 projects with a total of 135 homes -- including two 10,000-square-footers -- have been submitted for land west of Goleta. The list also includes plans by oil companies, El Capitan Campground and the Glen Annie Golf Course. "This coast is being developed before our very eyes," said Ariana Katovich, a Sierra Club activist and group member. "Once it's gone, it's gone. A ballot initiative is a good idea because it puts the decision-making in the hands of the voters. By placing a 30-year limit on it, we're not tying landowners' hands permanently."
The report recommends that the county take the lead in drawing up a blueprint for the future of the coast. Specifically, it says, the county should appoint a citizens advisory committee and immediately begin to update its general plans for the area. Design standards should be set for the size, shape, color and scale of new homes there, the report says. "It's up to the locals to decide about the future of that coastline and ensure that the values that everybody cares about don't just get eroded over time," said Michael Feeney, a group member who serves as executive director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. But county Supervisor Brooks Firestone, who represents the Gaviota coast, said now is not the time to try to "catch up" by working on a regional plan. His only commitment to date is that he will not support any new homes that can be seen from Highway 101. "Who cares how big the house is if you can't see it?" he said in an interview Tuesday. He noted that a large chunk of the coast -- 5,500 acres in all -- is protected by being under state park ownership. The study group began meeting on its own in 2001, when the National Park Service was working on a report on the Gaviota coast. Both reports highlight the significance of the area for its biological diversity, historic ranch operations, Chumash heritage and scenic beauty. In 2003, the park service deemed the coast worthy of inclusion in the national park system, but it stopped short of designating it a national seashore or historic reserve. The study group's report clearly seeks a plan that would be more palatable to property owners. Most members did not return a reporter's calls on Tuesday, but in the report, they state that back in 2001, the people who own land and make a living on the coast "became increasingly alarmed about government interference."
As a result, the report said, a few landowners and environmentalists decided to work together to see how "local people and organizations could determine the future of Gaviota, based on a shared set of goals, rather than just arm wrestling in endless public debates and campaigns."
No one in the group favored all of the recommendations, but everyone wanted to put forward a package of ideas and policies. These included abolishing the federal estate tax on agricultural land; broadening the definition of how farmers and ranchers can use their land for agriculture; maintaining buffers between farmland and urban areas; and setting up a Chumash museum. The report suggests that a scientific advisory panel be formed to assist landowners in restoring and preserving the 34 creek drainages on the coast, some of which contain endangered steelhead trout. The report opposes the use of "hostile condemnation" of property to acquire public trails or open space. Instead, it says, a ballot measure should be developed to raise funds to buy land from willing owners. In addition to Ms. Katovich and Mr. Feeney, the Gaviota study group included Hollister Ranch residents Kim Kimbell and Monte Ward; coastal landowners JosŽ Baer and Jim Poett; Phil McKenna of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy; Mike McGinnis of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Center at UCSB; Greg Archbald of the Trust for Public Land; Chumash descendant Art Cisneros; rural land manager Charlie Eckberg; Monty Parsons, owner of the Eagle Canyon Ranch; Mark Lloyd, a consultant for Mr. Parsons and other landowners; and Eric Hvolboll, a coastal landowner whose family permanently protected their ranch by selling development rights to the land trust. "We tried to come up with a balanced approach that protects agriculture and respects the rights of property owners, but also looks into the future and protects as many of the environmental qualities of the coast as possible," Mr. Hvolboll said.
e-mail: mburns@newspress.com
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