After years of controversy and scrutiny, the Santa Barbara Ranch Project, dubbed the Naples Project, came one step closer to reality on July 10. The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission accepted the development’s final Environmental Impact Report.
Located on the Gaviota Coast two miles northwest of Goleta, the Naples townsite has been the focus of a heated debate over land use and development rights.
According to a detailed summary written by county staff, the conflict centers on the original map of Naples filed by the Naples Improvement Company in 1888 and the official map of Naples recorded by the county in 1995.
The map filed in 1888 reinforces the argument of landowners in the Naples area that they have the right—over the county—to develop the 274-lot townsite, an argument that was ultimately upheld by the California Supreme Court.
Local environmentalists and concerned citizens, however, argue that the developers must abide by the California Coastal Act and other local coastal land-use policies that promote the preservation of agriculture, sensitive habitats, and visual quality of the Gaviota Coast.
For years, the county has worked on and revised a potential Environmental Impact Report that would preserve open space and agriculture land while allowing development of the townsite.
Originally, the memorandum of understanding for the pending 485-acre Santa Barbara Ranch Project consisted of 54 new rural estate residences, an equestrian center, agricultural support facilities, a worker duplex, and public recreational amenities.
The memorandum also allowed for conservation of 137 acres for agricultural use and 188 acres for open space.
However, after receiving comments from the public about the project’s impact on the environment, staffers created alternative options that could be amended to the project.
The alternative option, which was eventually accepted by the planning commission, combined the 485-acre project with the adjacent 2,769-acre Dos Pueblos Ranch.
The new plan makes way for the development of 72 new rural estate residences, one employee duplex, one agricultural support facility, and public recreational amenities. It also allows for conservation of 2,629 acres of land for agricultural use and 372 acres of open space.
Most noticeably, the alternative option calls for the relocation and slight reduction of sections of the development from opposite sides of Highway 101 in order to preserve the Gaviota Coast viewshed.
Still, quite a few members of the public remain displeased with the final EIR.
“The decision was hurried and unfortunate,” said Phil McKenna, president of the Naples Coalition, a nonprofit group focused on preserving the area.
“The Planning Commission has been unresponsive to the idea of developing a robust transfer of development rights, and program that would solve Naples’ problem,” he said.
When asked if he had a response to people who might disapprove of the project, project director Tom Figg said, “We’re not dealing with a blank canvas here. This land already has history. The Naples townsite is not devoid of any development rights.
“Preserving ag land, preserving open space and the viewshed—these are all the goals that we have in common,” he said. “But with this project, it’s not a question of if it’s going to happen but when and how. It’s always been that way.”
The Planning Commission is set to pass the final EIR on to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for consideration at a later date.
For more information about the project and a copy of the final EIR, visit www.sbcountyplanning.org.
This article appears in Jul 17-24, 2008.