All new buildings in Santa Barbara will have to take a step back from the city’s creeks if a new Creek Buffer Ordinance clears the regulatory hurdles.
Creek buffers are natural areas between creeks and development, meant to reduce public safety risks related to erosion and flooding while enhancing water quality and creek habitats, according to the city.
“Creek buffers give creeks more room to move and be dynamic,” said Erin Markey, Clean Water Manager for the city’s creeks division.
The ordinance would provide clear, objective standards for buffers near new developments. Right now, those requirements are determined on a case-by-case basis, resulting in delays, costly analyses, and inconsistent outcomes, the city said.
A buffer requirement has been in the City’s General Plan since 2013 and was reiterated in its new housing element, said city planner Allison De Busk at a community open house last Wednesday, which was packed with people curious about the ordinance.
Based on the type of creek (e.g., major or minor), all buffers would need to be 15, 35, or 50 feet from the top of the bank, and it would apply to all portions of the city. Existing structures would not need to be moved.
Despite the intense rains in recent years, that is not the reason they are pursuing the ordinance now. They proposed a similar ordinance back in the ’90s, Debusk said, but it didn’t move forward because of public outcry.
“Although, at that time, we were proposing 100 feet,” she added. “We’re hoping people are receptive to it, but understandably, there are private property rights and they may have concerns, so that’s what we want to talk through.”
The city is accepting public comments on the ordinance until March 10. Learn more here.
