County of Santa Barbara releases Calle Real Campus Master Plan Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Santa Barbara County is inviting the public to comment on the Calle Real Campus Master Plan Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). The report is officially being released on October 18, 2024 and public comment will be open through December 6, 2024.
The environmental process commenced following the Board of Supervisors approval of the Calle Real Campus Master Plan in September of 2022. The purpose of the Calle Real Campus Master Plan is to develop a long-range vision for the future of the campus. Spanning approximately 323 acres from Hollister Avenue, south of US 101, to an area just north of Cathedral Oaks, the Campus has approximately 782,000 gross square feet of County facilities existing. Many buildings are underutilized and past useful site life. There are also eight different non-County entities located on campus. Goals of the Master Plan include, eliminate buildings beyond their useful lives, recognize departmental synergies to streamline services, maximize current vacant space and identify workforce and affordable housing opportunities to help meet the state mandate.
The County, as lead agency, has partnered with UltraSystems Environmental, an environmental consultant, to navigate this process. In accordance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements, the DEIR is available for review by the public, affiliated stakeholders, trustee agencies and other required governmental agencies for a minimum of 45-days. The DEIR is an informational document that provides details about the potential environmental effects of the proposed Calle Real Master Plan program and specified projects. The purpose of the DEIR is to identify any significant environmental impacts of the proposed program or projects, and to suggest mitigation measures to limit the impacts.
A public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. to tell the public about the findings presented within the DEIR and accept comments from the general public and interested parties. The public hearing meeting will be available in-person or virtual via Microsoft Teams.
In-person meeting location: The County’s Employee University on the Calle Real Campus. It is located at 267 Camino Del Remedio, Santa Barbara, 93110. (Room capacity 40 people)
Virtual Meeting Registration Link (registration required to join the meeting virtually): https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/1b72044a-0ed6-4b1e-9f21-3dd00eaa6292@e64b3773-9890-4a2f-87cd-23725df35ace
Public comment will begin on October 16, 2024 and remain active through December 6, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Public comments shall be accepted via email, mail or hand delivered to the Clerk of the Board by following the information below:
Email: aellis@countyofsb.org with the subject line, “Public Comment: Calle Real Campus Master Plan Program EIR – Submitted XX/XX/2024”. A response stating, “received”, will be issued.
Mail: Ashton Ellis, Project Manager County of Santa Barbara
260 N. San Antonio Road
Santa Barbara, Ca 93110
Hand Delivered to the Clerk of the Board, 105 E. Anapamu 4th Floor, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. The clerk shall time stamp the comment and provide a copy back to the filer. The comments shall be legible or typed.
The DEIR, public hearing meeting information and other documents associated with the Calle Real Master Plan Program Environmental Impact Report process can be found on the Santa Barbara County Website at the following address: https://www.countyofsb.org/3885/23382/Calle-Real-Campus-Master-Plan.
This is the second opportunity for public input during the Program EIR Process.