Yes Y, No Y

Voters should do Mark Lee a huge favor and vote no on Measure Y. He has a golden opportunity to build the world’s most exclusive community, and he wants to build a road to it. Accessible only by helicopter and boat during the rainy season, there’d be no need for even a gate.

Only the voters can save Mark Lee from himself, vote no on measure Y. – Ken Volok, Goleta

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Last week a bipartisan group with a long history of community service and environmental activism, along with neighbors of Veronica Meadows, came together to urge a yes vote on Measure Y.

This diverse group wouldn’t have assembled for a lesser project, but we all see its incredible value to the community and gathered to demonstrate our support for Measure Y.

Passage of Measure Y is a unique opportunity to provide a much-preferred clear span access bridge to a 25-home neighborhood that’s already approved by the City Council and Coastal Commission. In exchange, the community gains the restoration of a 1,800-foot stretch of degraded creek corridor (about the length of six football fields) and the adjacent six-acres of City parkland.

This portion of Arroyo Burro Creek and City parkland has received very little care over the years and at times has been an illegal campground. The restoration of the creek corridor will be accomplished in accordance with a stringent creek restoration plan using ‘state-of-the-art’ methods. Restoration of the adjacent City parkland and subsequent public access will add to our community’s long legacy of community members stepping up to provide parklands that benefit neighborhoods and the community’s overall quality of life.

Measure Y asks voters to approve the use of a very small portion (less than 1%) of the six-acre adjacent City parkland for a proposed clear span bridge and roadway.

This use not only provides better access (from a transportation, circulation and emergency response perspective) to the residents in the Veronica Meadows neighborhood, it would also provide a pedestrian and bicycle path across the creek, through the new neighborhood, connecting with Alan Road and leading to and from Arroyo Burro Beach Park and the Douglas Family Preserve. This would be a significantly safer route for walkers, joggers and bikers who are now limited to the existing (and dangerous) route along Las Positas Road.

Every person at last week’s gathering praised the environmental opportunity available to refurbish a neglected stretch of Arroyo Burro Creek, which is part of the drainage corridor for many publicly owned lands including the Municipal Golf Course, Adams Elementary School, Earl Warren Showgrounds, the School District’s 12.5 acre vacant land in Hidden Valley, and Elings Park, along with many other privately owned and developed residential and commercial areas.

In addition to the restoration of a major portion of the Arroyo Burro Creek corridor and City parkland, the Veronica Meadows neighborhood also provides for the dedication of more than 44 acres of permanent open space. This represents a significant addition to the existing open space within the Las Positas Valley.

What’s most remarkable about Measure Y is that all of the costs for expensive restoration work to the Creek corridor and City parkland, plus the bridge and pedestrian/bicycle pathway, will be paid for by the current property owner of Veronica Meadows. In addition, the future owners of the 25 homes will pay all of the costs for the on-going maintenance of these improvements.

No taxpayer money gets spent here and our community gains significant public and environmental benefits. Join us and a broad coalition of community leaders and environmentalists in voting YES on Y. – Dan Secord and Don Olson

Dan Secord is a former Santa Barbara City Councilmember and Planning Commissioner; Don Olson is a former Santa Barbara City Planner