UCSB Community Braces for 15,000-Person Increase

How Much Is Too Much?

GROWING CONCERN: Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Lucas (center) said although UCSB has fulfilled its obligation to the community as far as holding public meetings about its planned growth through the year 2025, the school still wants to remain a good neighbor.

In the latest round of public forums-at last week’s Goleta City Council Meeting and at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting this week-UCSB again presented its Long Range Development Plan. University administration clearly stated its goal of increasing current enrollment from 20,000 to 25,000 by 2025. County supervisors said little of the plan, but a host of criticisms has issued forth from community organizations, area residents, and most of the Goleta City Council. County staff, for their part, appears to be at odds with UCSB over the projected costs of increased public services, including transit, public safety, and parks.

While most agreed that UCSB provides the South Coast with valuable cultural and economic resources, critics for years have cited that it also affects the environment, traffic, water supply, and housing availability. At this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Gene Lucas-UCSB’s executive vice-chancellor-said that although the university is no longer legally required to hold public workshops, its higher-ups want to maintain good relations with the surrounding community. He added that the university provides an economic benefit to the Santa Barbara economy that exceeds $1 billion.

The university has indicated that its yearly growth will be roughly one percent-or about 250 students-per year until 2025. At $90.4 million for road improvements, $12.7 million for more Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters, and $33.9 million for parks and other miscellaneous expenses, county staff presented a stiff price for the increased enrollment number, which County Long Range Planning Director Derek Johnson said would account for more than 15,000 people once faculty, staff, and other indirect growth factors were accounted for. Lucas said that the UC campuses at Berkeley and Santa Cruz were required to pay much less for mitigation, but Johnson countered that those numbers were based upon settlement agreements resulting from litigation by those city governments.