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MyspaceNext Tuesday, June 14, in Council Chambers at 4 p.m., the fate of the last inland oak grove in the City of Santa Barbara will be decided. The grove, located on the Valle Verde campus, is connected via the Rutherford meadow to the Arroyo Burro watershed. Valle Verde has proposed building luxury housing on this site. We think one of the wealthiest housing developments in Santa Barbara has the resources to come up with a plan that meets their wants without sacrificing critical habitat. The environmental impact report process has been a sham, ignoring expert testimony and neighborhood outcry. We hope the City Council will find the courage to honor the civic process by demanding a development more sensitive to neighborhood and environmental need. ~Sherry Hall
* * *
Who is safeguarding our last oak woodland in the City of Santa Barbara? Our city planners and commissioners have not protected the last intact oak woodland, and one of only two oak woodlands identified in the Conservation Element of Santa Barbara’s City Plan. Our city has given the developer the green light to build, even though the environmental impact report concluded that many of these units should not be built into this important oak hillside, as it required the removal of dozens of old growth oak trees and the destruction of acres of sensitive wildlife habitat, and builds parking lots over wildlife corridors and hiking trails. To add insult to injury, most of the hillside was required to be dedicated to the City of Santa Barbara 27 years ago as a condition of use, and the city failed to follow through. Now this same hillside, which should already be protected, will not be left undamaged. Shame on you Valle Verde.
On June 14th an appeal of the approval of the 40-home expansion of Valle Verde will be heard by the City Council. You can learn more at SaveHiddenValley.org.
Please lend your voice, to ask our City Council to do the right thing. ~Heike Kilian
Previous Month
Comments
Leave these precious Oaks alone! For luxury housing? Shame!
joey racano, Folks for Oaks
spiritpen (anonymous profile)
June 6, 2011 at 6:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am disappointed beyond!
I will go to the meetings.
I will try to help! It is only we who care who will save what we have here!
and that is the truth!
Penelope
penelopeb (anonymous profile)
June 8, 2011 at 1:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm a proponent of any type of housing but not at the expense of an oak grove that was required open space 27 years ago! Save the grove!
Ezzyme (anonymous profile)
June 8, 2011 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I live next to Valle Verde and have watched their project progress and these two letters are completely false. A better description would be blatant lies. It is sad to see how low people will sink. I wish Valle Verde good luck on their appeal because good senior housing is needed in Santa Barbara.
Jburk02 (anonymous profile)
June 8, 2011 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jburk hit the nail on the head. If you do not have facts on your side, just lie. This looks like a clear case of NIMBY gone wild. As a long time fan of the Indy I am surprised that they would publish such slanderous attacks with no facts.
jeffhurtz (anonymous profile)
June 8, 2011 at 4:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What is wrong with people? We are in a recession let’s put some people to work. Let’s build some homes for seniors as inevitably we will all be there soon. Let’s stop a few lying loudmouths from ruining it for everyone. How many oaks were removed when they build their McMansions on hill? Their hypocrisy is stifling.
pauldog (anonymous profile)
June 8, 2011 at 4:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is ironic that some people living in Hidden Oaks a gated community of 4000+ sq. ft. homes should brand the proposed 1200 sq. ft. retirement homes of their neighbors as "luxury homes." In addition the construction of the homes in Hidden Oaks required the destruction of an oak grove and were built across a number of wildlife corridors.
In truth 10 acres of oaks and other native trees are being dedicated as a nature preserve as part of the Valle Verde plan and 300 6 to 10 foot oak saplings are being planted in open areas adjacent to the new units.
The official environmental impact report has supported the Valle Verde plan as it impacts trees, wildlife, drainage and air and water quality. In spite of this there are some neighbors who wish that Valle Verde and its elderly citizens would simply disappear.
Donald O'Dowd
janddodowd (anonymous profile)
June 8, 2011 at 4:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is hard to believe that so many mistruths can be spread about a project trying to create homes for seniors. I live at Valle Verde and have watched our campus project change over and over again in an effort to appease 3 neighbors. The opponents disregard the needs the seniors living here today and the fact that more senior homes are needed in Santa Barbara. The proposed homes are modest in size, single-story, and mostly duplexes. Luxury homes are what exists in Hidden Oaks Estates, not Valle Verde. In addition, our plans call for a 9.8 acre oak woodland preserve and the planting of hundreds of oak trees we have been growing for the past few years. To throw out false claims in an effort to rally opposition to a project for non-profit, senior homes is beyond low.
johntoo2 (anonymous profile)
June 9, 2011 at 11:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here is something novel. Compromise. Seniors need homes too. Not just the rich in homes over 2500 sq. ft.
BeachFan (anonymous profile)
June 13, 2011 at 3:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)