SB CAN Novermber 3, 2009 Information & Action Alert
Santa Barbara County Action Network
INFORMATION & ACTION ALERT
November 3, 2009
Greetings SB CAN members and friends! Please take a few moments to review our news. And feel free to forward to your friends and others who are interested in creating sustainable communities through sound planning that integrates housing, open space and transportation—our HOT principles.
News in brief:
1. Santa Barbara City Election TODAY, November 3
Drop-off Centers for Ballots
10 Reasons to Vote “NO on Measure B”
2. Santa Maria Planning Commission Hearings, Nov. 4
Unmet Housing Needs / Housing Element Update
Master Bike Plan Update
3. Workshop on Energy Legislation, Nov. 16, Santa Barbara
Now the Details:
1. Santa Barbara City Elections: LAST DAY TO VOTE!
If you haven’t voted yet, you can drop off your ballot at one of the following locations TODAY, 7am to 8 pm:
Drop-Off Center Locations
* Braille Institute, Auditorium, 2031 De La Vina St.
* Cleveland School, Multi Purpose Rm,123 Alameda Padre Serra
* Grace Lutheran Church, Fellowship Hall, 3869 State St.
* Holy Cross Church, Parish Hall, 1740 Cliff Dr.
* Pilgrim Terrace, Activity Center, 649 Pilgrim Terrace Dr.
* Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Fleischmann Auditorium, 2559 Puesta Del Sol
* City of Santa Barbara City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 735 Anacapa St.
City Clerk: 564-5309 or visit http://www.facebook.com/l/2e3b6;www.SBCityVote.org
10 Reasons to vote “NO” on Measure B
Join SB CAN and other environmental and progressive organizations and leaders in voting NO on Measure B, an initiative to restrict building heights in the City of Santa Barbara that is bad for our environment, our economy and working families. Here are ten reasons why to vote no (from Santa Barbara for All website).
Preserve Our City’s Character.
Santa Barbara is beautiful, and has been built our under the existing height limit of 60’. We have buildings with various heights, roof types and designs, and that’s what makes Santa Barbara so visually appealing. Camarillo has a 35’ height limit. We don’t want Santa Barbara to look like Camarillo.
Preserve Our City’s Character.
Santa Barbara is beautiful, and has been built our under the existing height limit of 60’. We have buildings with various heights, roof types and designs, and that’s what makes Santa Barbara so visually appealing. Camarillo has a 35’ height limit. We don’t want Santa Barbara to look like Camarillo.
Protect Cottage Hospital.
The new Cottage Hospital buildings (currently under construction) are over 45 feet in height, as is the existing building at Bath and Pueblo. One proposed section of the new hospital does not yet have a permit: if Measure B were to pass, it could not be built. Since Measure B does not include a “grandfather clause”, those buildings could not be rebuilt if destroyed in a fire or earthquake.
The new Cottage Hospital buildings (currently under construction) are over 45 feet in height, as is the existing building at Bath and Pueblo. One proposed section of the new hospital does not yet have a permit: if Measure B were to pass, it could not be built. Since Measure B does not include a “grandfather clause”, those buildings could not be rebuilt if destroyed in a fire or earthquake.
Preserve Our Architectural Heritage.
Our City is graced with beloved buildings that are taller than the proposed 40 and 45 foot height limits, including the Lobero Theatre, Trinity Church, the Masonic Building and the Arlington Theatre. Under Measure B, none of these landmarks could be rebuilt if destroyed in a disaster.
Our City is graced with beloved buildings that are taller than the proposed 40 and 45 foot height limits, including the Lobero Theatre, Trinity Church, the Masonic Building and the Arlington Theatre. Under Measure B, none of these landmarks could be rebuilt if destroyed in a disaster.
Preserve Our Ability to Make Balanced Design Decisions.
Our City has traditionally considered a number of design criteria in deciding whether a building should be approved, including size, bulk, scale, setbacks, roof design and height. By imposing a one-size-fits-all mandate for one of these criteria, Measure B will handcuff our design review boards and reduce our ability to design and approve beautiful buildings. The height issue should be discussed in the broader context of the ongoing General Plan update, not through a separate ballot measure.
Our City has traditionally considered a number of design criteria in deciding whether a building should be approved, including size, bulk, scale, setbacks, roof design and height. By imposing a one-size-fits-all mandate for one of these criteria, Measure B will handcuff our design review boards and reduce our ability to design and approve beautiful buildings. The height issue should be discussed in the broader context of the ongoing General Plan update, not through a separate ballot measure.
Preserve Our Open Space by Reducing Urban Sprawl.
Imposing lower building heights in the urban core will increase development pressure on the Gaviota Coast and Carpinteria farmlands.
Imposing lower building heights in the urban core will increase development pressure on the Gaviota Coast and Carpinteria farmlands.
Protect our Suburban Neighborhoods.
Imposing lower building heights in the urban core will increase development pressure on the Mesa, San Roque, and other residential neighborhoods.
Imposing lower building heights in the urban core will increase development pressure on the Mesa, San Roque, and other residential neighborhoods.
Protect our Workforce.
Currently 30,000 commuters drive every day from Ventura, Lompoc and other distant towns. Many of them would live in Santa Barbara if there were housing here they could afford. Imposing a lower downtown height limit will make it more difficult to build housing for working families.
Currently 30,000 commuters drive every day from Ventura, Lompoc and other distant towns. Many of them would live in Santa Barbara if there were housing here they could afford. Imposing a lower downtown height limit will make it more difficult to build housing for working families.
Protect the Environment.
The commuting caused by the housing shortage results in traffic congestion, air pollution, and fossil fuel consumption. We should be doing more to reduce these environmental impacts by creating a more sustainable community, which includes building housing closer to workplaces, particularly in the urban core. People who live near their work can bike, walk, or ride the bus.
The commuting caused by the housing shortage results in traffic congestion, air pollution, and fossil fuel consumption. We should be doing more to reduce these environmental impacts by creating a more sustainable community, which includes building housing closer to workplaces, particularly in the urban core. People who live near their work can bike, walk, or ride the bus.
Protect The Local Economy.
Local employers find it difficult to recruit and retain employees because of the high cost of housing. Lowering building heights will make it even harder to tackle our housing shortage, further hurting local businesses and our local economy.
Local employers find it difficult to recruit and retain employees because of the high cost of housing. Lowering building heights will make it even harder to tackle our housing shortage, further hurting local businesses and our local economy.
Protect Reasonable Property Owner Expectations.
The 60 foot height limit for downtown property has been in effect since 1972. People bought their properties in reasonable reliance on those rules.
The 60 foot height limit for downtown property has been in effect since 1972. People bought their properties in reasonable reliance on those rules.
To help in our efforts to defeat Measure B, watch this great video about Santa Barbara height limits and forward to your friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYxI0s_qUtM
2. Santa Maria Planning Commission Hearings: Housing and Bike Plans
What: Santa Maria 2009 Housing Element Update Hearing, Santa Maria Planning Commission
When: Wednesday, November 4, 6:30 PM
Where: Santa Maria City Hall, Corner of Main and Cook
Low Income Housing Needs Not Being Met
Santa Maria needs more affordable housing. That’s the conclusion of the city’s latest update to the 2006 Housing Element, a State required document that will be presented to the Planning Commission on November 4. It contains a wealth of information about housing needs, including extreme overcrowding and overpayment for housing. Unfortunately its plan to meet those needs falls far short.
Two-thirds of Santa Maria’s jobs are in the three lowest-paid income sectors—agriculture, retail and service—with 55.54% of the population falling into the low and very low income level (30% of median income). Furthermore, 49% of existing housing in Santa Maria is overcrowded, and 35% of households pay more than they can afford. This clearly indicates that creating more affordable housing is a critical need for Santa Maria and should be a priority. Yet only 24 low-income unitshave been built in Santa Maria since the 2006 Housing Element, and approval for this project was split on a 2/3 vote by the City Council. In all, only 259 affordable units have been built in the previous decade.
The 2009 Housing Element Update does nothing to correct this deficiency.
Key concerns are:
Annexation: The City’s plan to use annexation as a plan to provide more housing, despite the fact that 3600 acres of mostly agricultural land has been annexed to Santa Maria since 1970, yet only 259 affordable housing units have been built in the last decade.
Overcrowding: 49% of existing housing in Santa Maria is overcrowded, yet the City counts these households as having been sufficiently housed.
Overpayment: 35% of households pay more than they can afford for housing (more than 30% of income), yet the City counts households who overpay as having been sufficiently housed.
Clear Priorities Needed: The City plans to provide more housing for moderate to above moderate income groups (1920 units) where there is no housing shortage, than for low to very low income groups (1557) with a severe demonstrated shortage. It appears that the housing needs of moderate and above moderate income households have been given a clear priority over lower-income households.
Please join us on the 4th to urge the City to make housing for our low-income workforce a priority.
Send your comments and concerns to the Planning Commission at: planning@ci.santa-maria.ca.us
Bikeway Master Plan Update
This update to the bike plan is long overdue and sorely needed.The plan is sound, adding much needed east-west routes, increasing the number of parking facilities, encouraging the provision of shower and locker facilities, developing a Safe Routes to School Program, facilitating the development of employment incentive programs, and recommending the creation of a Bicycle Facility Coordinator staff position. We highly support all these recommendations. In addition, we recommend:
Class II Bike Lanes along Main and Broadway: The report shows that the majority of bike accidents and injuries occur along these major arteries. The creation of Class II Bike Lanes will provide safely marked biking paths. Traffic calming strategies should also be implemented to slow traffic and make using bike lanes safer.
Transit Center Bike Lockers & Showers: The new transit center should include bike lockers and showers for bicycle riders who transfer to buses for their commutes.
Join us on the 4th to let the Planning Commission know your thoughts on the Bikeway Plan.
Send your comments and concerns to the Planning Commission at: planning@ci.santa-maria.ca.us
3. Workshop on Energy Legislation, November 16, Santa Barbara
What: Stakeholders Workshop on Energy Legislation, Community Environmental Center (CEC)
Where: SB Contractors Association Green Building Resource Center, 914 A Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara
When: Monday, November 16, 8 -11 AM
Presented by Community Environmental Center. Co-sponsors: SB CAN, The Sustainability Project, AIA Santa Barbara, Home Builders Association, Santa Barbara County Energy Watch, Santa Barbara Contractor’s Association, and Built Green Santa Barbara.
Concerns about large out-of-pocket costs are some of the biggest barriers that many property owners face when exploring whether to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient (such as adding insulation, improved furnaces, air conditioners and water heaters) or when adding a renewable energy system (such as solar photovoltaics or solar hot water system). Although all these measures pay back over time, the up-front costs can be too big of a hurdle for many.
Last December, California paved the way for individual cities and counties to help their residents get over those hurdles by enacting a new “enabling” law. Through AB 811, a government entity or jurisdiction (i.e., the County) can voluntarily develop a program that lends money to property owners to make energy efficiency improvements and/or add a solar system to their home. The loans can come from various sources, and are one way to funnel federal stimulus dollars into the pockets of local residents. The loans are repaid through bi-annual property taxes over five to 20 years, depending on the condition of the loan. If the owner moves, the loan stays with the property, and the new owners take over the payments.
Call 805-963-0583 x111 for more details.
Date:
3 Nov 2009 - 1:20pm