A Lompoc businessman’s plans to build a resort, restaurant, and timeshare were shot down by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on March 24.
The board voted 3-2, with supervisors Joni Gray (4th District) and Joe Centeno (5th District) dissenting, to kill the project, which has been in the preliminary planning stages for two years.
When handing down their vote, supervisors Salud Carbajal (1st District), Janet Wolf (2nd District), and Doreen Farr (3rd District) told La Purisima Golf Course owner Ken Hunter that developing the project would create several problems for the county.
To approve the project, the board would have to amend the county’s General Plan to rezone the property off Highway 246 from agricultural to urban use. The amendment, the three supervisors said, could jeopardize the county’s ag land by opening the door for future urban developments.
Other community members, including Supervisor Gray, disagreed.
Initiating an Environmental Impact Report for the project, Gray said during the meeting, would allow the board to fully assess the project’s impact on ag land before making a final decision. Gray has said in the past that the resort would benefit the Lompoc economy by creating more local jobs and supporting the wine and tourism industry.
Ultimately, the board sided with CEO Mike Brown who said going forward with the EIR would be a waste of the county’s time and money.
Representation for Hunter could not be reached for comment as of press time.
This article appears in Apr 2-9, 2009.
