Santa Barbara County planning commissioners will be talking about resort living at their weekly meeting on Feb. 11. They’ll also discuss dining and relaxing spa visits, though all through the lens of potential upcoming construction in Lompoc.
First proposed in August 2007, the Hunter/La Purisima Resort project calls for the construction of an 80-room resort, restaurant, spa facility, and 85 clustered residential units next to La Purisima Golf Course off Highway 246 in Lompoc.
To make the jump from proposed plan to physical construction, the project requires a commission-approved amendment to the county’s general plan, which would change the property’s land-use designation from agriculture to resort/visitor-serving commercial.
That potential change, however, has agriculturists and environmentalists worried that such approval would open the county’s doors to increased urban sprawl that would spread through traditionally open-space and ag-friendly communities.
The five-person Planning Commission will decide whether or not to accept the developer’s application. The Feb. 11 meeting marks the fourth time the project has been scheduled to come before the commission, which has voted each time to postpone a decision until staffers could provide more information about the proposed project’s impact on county planning. If everything gets approval for the next phase of development, county staffers will begin conducting an environmental review.
Based on staff reports, however, approval isn’t in the bag for the controversial resort. County staffers are recommending that the project not be considered.
“The golf resort is an urban [development] in a rural part of the county,” county case planner Nathan Eady said, adding that the La Purisima property falls a few miles outside of urban zoning. “At this point in time, we don’t accept that.
“It’s one of the most complicated projects to come through in a while,” Eady explained. “We’ve made a recommendation, but it’s not uncommon for the board to review it and go the other way.”
In a letter to the developer, the majority of the Planning Commission reported viewing the project as a positive addition to the county. The commissioners did voice several large concerns with the project—such as the lack of a Lompoc community plan and zoning issues—but last month, the commission passed the project on to the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Advisory Committee for review. That committee also recommended that the changes necessary for construction be denied.
Opponents’ concerns, along with a declining economy and mounting public dissent, could ultimately prevent the project from advancing.
“[The developer] is coming in a little late with this project,” Fourth District Planning Commissioner Joe Valencia said, adding that newly established dynamics on both the Planning Commission and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors could act as major roadblocks for the project.
Fourth District Supervisor Joni Gray agreed.
“I don’t think the new board would be at all receptive to the project, and I think it’s tragic,” Gray said. “The Lompoc community and Santa Maria Valley wine trail need a place to support their expansion.”
The sentiment—from both the public and county officials—that the project’s fate is virtually pre-determined has been challenging for business, said Erik Vasquez, a representative for La Purisima owner Ken Hunter.
“The golf course has been losing money on an annual basis to the tune of six figures,” Vasquez said. “We’re trying to create a situation where we can keep the course open.”
On top of maintaining the fairways and greens, he said, the resort would help strengthen the local economy by encouraging tourism, creating more jobs, and bringing in more tax revenue. It would also give smaller, local winemakers a place to host dinners and other tasting events, he said.
Still, some people think the resort—specifically the additional 85 residential units—would open loopholes in the county’s general plan that could lead to urban sprawl.
Vasquez pointed out that, according to the current proposal, those 85 units would be more like vacation time-shares and are therefore different from typical residential developments.
“It’s a tourism-based project, not a residential project,” he said. “The point of the project is not to be a developer or a hotel owner; it’s to keep the golf course open and help the local economy.”
This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2009.
