The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors closed the yearslong Housing Element process by rezoning several sites to make way for the needed units.
“This wasn’t something that happened overnight; this was two, three years in the making,” 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson told the Sun on May 2. “I want to make sure that our community has a balanced approach to this, and that’s what I’m going to be advocating for.”
The California Department of Housing and Community Development requires local jurisdictions to look at housing needs every eight years to identify space to develop new housing units. This cycle, which ranges from 2023 until 2031, requires Santa Barbara County to build 5,664 units in its unincorporated areas by the end of the cycle to meet the county’s housing needs—a requirement that’s nearly 10 times larger than the previous cycle’s 661-unit allocation.
North County must develop 1,522 new units, with 807 low- and very-low income units, 229 moderate income units, and 486 above-moderate units, according to previous Sun reporting. To ensure there’s ample space for housing development, the Board of Supervisors rezoned 10 out of 18 identified sites in North County, with Orcutt seeing seven of the rezones alongside one site in Santa Ynez, one in Cuyama, and a pending project Vandenberg Village.
The board’s unanimous decision during the May 3 special meeting—following a preliminary meeting on April 30—exceeded the state requirements for the North County plus a 15 percent buffer by nearly 200 units, according to Santa Barbara County. While several Orcutt residents shared their thoughts and support for more affordable housing, they also highlighted concerns of increased traffic, losing open space, and a lack of infrastructure that could negatively impact the unincorporated community, as more than 1,000 units are scheduled to come online in the Union Valley Parkway corridor.
Nelson, whose district includes Orcutt, told the Sun that he understands his constituents’ concerns, but he believes that it’s important to act now and develop under current requirements and support projects that include commercial, retail, or other elements that could further support the community.
“If you want to see that density lower, you might want to do it now,” he said. “When we first did this, we thought 20 units per acre was crazy. Now we’re at 40 units per acre. At least it gets developed and there’s not the risk of it being a denser property in the future.”
Having more options on the table allows the county to use a “scalpel” rather than a “sledgehammer” with its selection process and approve projects that brought forth better benefits like commercial development or open spaces alongside housing, Nelson said during the April 30 meeting. However, he said he felt disappointed as more rezones got approved with projects he thought needed a greater vetting process.
“I’m ready to do those, but the projects need to fit,” Nelson told his colleagues during the April 30 meeting. “We don’t want to overwhelm the system by just doing it because we’re cramming it in. We no longer need to do it to satisfy the state.”
Ryan Schwab, an Orcutt resident and president of local nonprofit the Tree Amigos of Orcutt, told the Sun that he was disappointed in seeing the sweeping changes to his hometown, particularly for Key Site 11—one of the approved Orcutt sites. Key Site 11 sits south of Clark Avenue and east of Orcutt Road and was proposed for 100 residential units and 57 mixed-use units, according to the staff report.
“We were quite shocked when … Key Site 11 was introduced in being a part of the Housing Element,” Schwab said.
The Tree Amigos began in 2007 when Schwab’s two daughters advocated to protect the site as an open space when there were plans to make it a multi-use parcel, Schwab said. His daughters later formed a nonprofit and attempted to purchase the land to make a commemorative tree grove. While the owner declined their offers twice, they received letters of support from 1st District Supervisor Das Williams, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Ventura and Santa Barbara Sierra Club chapters, and the Environmental Defense Center to keep Key Site 11 an open space.
“The girls essentially protected the open space for the community for the last 17 years,” he said.
Key Site 11 is still an open space, but it’s zoned for commercial use along Clark Avenue and is owned by the Splash n’ Dash Carwash owners.
Adding the mixed-use commercial and residential project to the community could be dangerous because of the increased congestion, Schwab said.
“We’ve not only seen traffic back up from Clark to Bethany [Lane], we’ve seen it at times back up past the borders of Key Site 11,” he said.
In 2007, Schwab’s daughters proved that a 33-unit mixed-use development could not be built on Key Site 11, which was before the car wash was added and additional neighborhoods like Rice Ranch were built, he said. The Tree Amigos’ concern this time around is the exemptions that the Housing Element makes for traffic and environmental concerns in order to pave the way for the needed housing.
Jacob Weintraub, who represented the Key Site 11 owners at the April 30 meeting, told the supervisors that this site is the prime example of what the county is looking for when it comes to rezones. Located on the Highway 135 corridor 2 miles away from the 101, it’s near two bus stops on two separate lines and is close to grocery stores and parks. The planned Orcutt Creek Trail will act as a buffer to the adjacent residential area.
“We don’t want to develop an apartment island effect where residents are forced to drive for every out-of-home need. Incorporating a small retail hub into the multifamily project affords residents a walkable public space to conveniently grab essentials and allow neighbors to enjoy food and services without concern about parking immediately in front of businesses,” he said. “Placemakeing offers community engagement, social interaction, … a sense of place, accessibility, and inclusivity.”
The developers worked with an all-local team that lives and works in the Orcutt area to make sure that the project meets the community’s needs. Weintraub added that his team is working with the city of Santa Maria to ensure that the site receives water for its commercial use.
“We plan to involve residents, businesses, and other stakeholders in the placemaking process to ensure the streets and public spaces reflect the needs and preferences of the community,” he said.
Chris Sneddon, Santa Barbara County’s public works director, told the supervisors during the May 3 meeting that the transportation team’s mission is to “provide a smooth ride and level of transit,” but also understand the challenges of what needs to be put in the Housing Element.
The county will analyze traffic and transit further in its upcoming Circulation Element, where the board can better understand the impacts of increased housing.
Reach Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor at [email protected].
