Press Releases

 PRESS RELEASE

 For immediate release

 Contact:  Deborah Brasket, SB CAN Executive Director, deborah@sbcan.org, 805-722-5094.

SBCAN Supports Lawsuit About “Dumb-Growth” Veronica Meadows Project in Santa Barbara SANTA BARBARA, Jan 31, 2007 — Today, Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) announced its support of a lawsuit filed by Citizens Planning Association (CPA) against City of Santa Barbara and the owners of the proposed Veronica Meadows luxury housing project along Las Positas Road and Arroyo Burro in Santa Barbara. SB CAN has pledged an unspecified amount of funds to assist CPA with the lawsuit, which is based on whether the City properly followed the procedures required under the California Environmental Quality Act to approve the current project. “This project raises many policy issues that our members are concerned about regarding housing, open space, and transportation,” said SB CAN’s Executive Director, Deborah Brasket. “We are concerned that not all reasonable and feasible project alternatives were adequately explored or mitigated, thus causing unnecessary impacts on the creek environment and traffic in this heavily impacted corridor in Las Positas Valley.” In addition, SB CAN expressed its concern that the community would be subject to significant adverse impacts for the sake of expensive multi-million-dollar homes that the City had no obligation to approve. “SB CAN is committed to supporting projects that provide more of the workforce and low-income housing that our community really needs while addressing corresponding environmental and transportation issues.