Goleta and Santa Barbara Zoning Updated

Both the cities of Goleta and Santa Barbara have published draft zoning ordinance updates — rules that can affect the kind of development or activity allowed and the appearance of city areas — and are continuing a series of public workshops as the ordinances evolve. The Goleta update has been ongoing since 2013, and the review draft is available online here, along with numerous documents reflecting the progression the task has taken. The City of Santa Barbara’s website contains much the same information and can be found here.

Santa Barbara’s review seeks to conform city zoning adopted in 1957 with its 2030 General Plan. The review has been in process since 2014 and not only brings certain parts of the code up-to-date but hopes to make them more user-friendly and easier to understand. The next public workshop for the zoning committee — which consists of two councilmembers and three planning commissioners — takes place Monday, December 14, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the Louise Lowry Davis Center, 1232 De la Vina Street. Agendas, minutes of past meetings, and draft documents can be downloaded at the website, and the process is expected to continue through the end of 2016.

As a city that incorporated in 2002, Goleta is looking to update a zoning code it inherited from the county and adopted in 2006. The new review intends to conform the code to Goleta’s General Plan to give a comprehensive underpinning for the city’s future growth. The 484-page draft ordinance can be found at goletazoning.com, where citizens can also sign up to receive notice of workshops in January 2016.