Highway 1 between U.S. 101 and Lompoc is used by about 8,000 motorists each day, according to studies by Caltrans. This busy road wends its way through beautiful rural countryside.
We have lived along this highway for decades, and we greatly value the pristine and beautiful nature of this rural route. This stretch of road is one of the two designated Scenic Highways in Santa Barbara County: “Route 1 from Route 101 at Las Cruces to Route 246 near Lompoc” is a designated State Scenic Highway (Scenic Highway Guidelines, Appendix A, Section 263.2).
Imerys, a multi-national, multi-billion-dollar conglomerate that mines diatomaceous earth locally, owns more than 2,000 acres that lie between Highway 1 just south of Lompoc and Miguelito Canyon Road. This company proposes to use about 50 acres right along Scenic Highway 1 to build a huge solar array plus other structures near the turn to Santa Rosa Road. Many residents object to this proposal, and we are sure that many commuters will also object when they become aware of it.
We are not at all opposed to renewable energy. However, the site chosen for the proposed structures is inappropriate, and this must not be permitted by the county.
Consider the fact that Imerys owns 2,317 acres, much of which is beyond the viewshed of Scenic Highway 1. The company can and must find another place to locate these structures.
If you want to see what a huge impact acres of solar panels can have on a once pristine rural landscape, just take a trip out to California Valley at the northern end of the Carrizo Plain.
“Caltrans is authorized by statute to revoke an official scenic highway designation if it determines that the Corridor Protection Program or the scenic quality of the corridor is no longer in compliance. Non-compliance for scenic quality is defined as a route or route segment that has been significantly degraded due to visual intrusions.”
As the Scenic Highway designation can be revoked, we must protect this stretch of roadside from the massive visual intrusion proposed by Imerys.
If you have an opinion on this project, we encourage you to write to Katie Nall, Planner, at Santa Barbara County Planning & Development, nallk@countyofsb.org, to comment on Case 24LUP-00232 regarding the proposed Imerys development site. You can also request maps and ask to be on the email list to receive updates on the progress of this proposal.
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