Group Reimbursed for Fighting Ballantyne Mansion

The Gaviota Coast Conservancy (GCC)—in its fight against the proposed Ballantyne mega mansion—was granted an additional $25,000 in compensated attorneys’ fees on 7/27 in Superior Court. The conservancy had originally asked for $78,000. Santa Barbara County supervisors approved the Ballantyne plan for a 13,333-square-foot home on the Gaviota Coast in 2008, prompting the GCC to petition the decision. In April 2009, the court overturned the county’s approval for the mega-home, and in August of that year awarded the GCC nearly $150,000 in attorney fees. Appeals pushed the case to the end of June 2010, and the latest round of recouped fees was approved because of that extension.