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The August 18 Virtual City Council Meeting includes Noteworthy Items such as Title 17 (Zoning) Ordinance Amendments

 Join us Wednesday, August 19 as well for an informative virtual Public Engagement Commission meeting

  We hope you will join us for Tuesday’s August 18 virtual Goleta City Council meeting. Open session begins at 5:30 p.m. and can be accessed via webinar. Instructions on how to participate can be found below. There are several important items that City Council will be considering, including:

  • City Council will consider amendments to Title 17 of the Goleta Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the New Zoning Ordinance (NZO). The NZO was adopted by City Council on March 3, 2020, and replaced the City’s previous zoning regulations in their entirety. The NZO provides rules and regulations for land use and development on private property. The purpose of zoning is to implement the City’s General Plan / Coastal Land Use Plan, and to protect and promote the public health, safety, peace, comfort, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare.

The proposed amendments to Title 17 include several “clean-up” amendments to the recently adopted NZO to address changes to state law, remedy issues identified during early implementation, and provide clarity to the regulations adopted. In addition, during the NZO adoption hearings with the City Council, several topic areas were flagged by Councilmembers as requiring further research and analysis by planning staff. Three other topics were discussed with the Planning Commission and will be presented to Council. Read the complete staff report at: https://tinyurl.com/yyyfkvjp.

  • The City Council will make a Proclamation Proclaiming the Week of August 17, 2020 a Week of Mourning and Solidarity so that we may: reflect on the immense loss of life and subsequent tragedy and emotions of despair and pain that we all have felt at some moment during this crisis [COVID-19] or others [recent natural disasters]; mourn collectively over the sadness and grief that this devastation has meant to each of us and recommit to standing together in solidarity, strength, and unity.

 Council will receive a presentation providing a construction update on the Old Town Sidewalk Improvement Project. The project is proceeding along successfully and is expected to be substantially completed in late September pending completion of utility work. The Old Town Sidewalk Improvement project includes constructing sidewalk on at least one side of each street north of Hollister Avenue between South Fairview Avenue and Mallard Avenue as well as on Pine Avenue south of Hollister Avenue. The new sidewalks connect to existing sidewalk providing a continuous path of travel. There are also drainage improvements, roadway reconstruction and repaving, and the construction of 39 back-in angled parking spots on Magnolia Avenue (for a net increase of approximately 17 new parking spots). Watch this video to learn more about the project. View the staff report and presentation here: https://tinyurl.com/y5ages34. For more information on the project, please visit the City website at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaOTSW.

Council will hear an update on the findings of Optony, Inc.’s Solar and Energy Storage Feasibility Assessment Report regarding opportunities for solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage at City Hall. Council will also consider approval of additional analysis related to battery energy storage to support resilience and next steps needed to proceed with procurement and installation of a clean energy project. Encouraging renewable energy generation and use through installation at City-owned facilities is identified in the City’s budget, Strategic Plan, and Resolution 17-52, which identifies Council’s 100% Renewable Energy Goal for the City by 2030. The staff report is available at https://tinyurl.com/y5nh573k.

  • Council will consider a resolution amending the Emergency Expanded Restaurant Dining and Other Uses Program to allow hair salons, barbershops and personal care services to operate outdoors. The inclusion of other uses such as, hair salons, barbershops, and personal care services in the Program allows for those businesses to safely re-open by moving their operations outdoors, under the scope of the Program, and allows for those businesses to contribute to the City’s economic growth and recovery as well as their own after months of closure due to the impacts caused by COVID-19. Read the full staff report at https://tinyurl.com/y6qlk2qb.

For the complete August 18 City Council agenda, please go to https://tinyurl.com/yyrbbdyg.

The Public Engagement Commission (PEC) will meet virtually on Wednesday, August 19 at 6:00 p.m. This seven-member body makes recommendations to City Council related to opportunities and ways to increase public engagement in City government. Items on the agenda for the upcoming meeting include:

  • A discussion on the draft City of Goleta Project Noticing Plan. This Plan will apply to larger land use and development projects where the Zoning Code allows for an alternative to mailed notices, and to other large projects with a high potential for significant interest at a citywide level. The Public Engagement Commission previously provided advice on methods to supplement required newspaper notices for these projects in a cost-effective way over cross-section of outreach platforms. This diverse noticing is consistent with the different ways that people are getting their information in these times.
  • A presentation on the City’s Make Goleta Count Census 2020 outreach efforts. The Commission will hear the multiple ways the City is encouraging residents to complete the Census while staying safe during COVID-19, including a Council Resolution, Census Caravan, and videos. With six weeks to go before the September 30th deadline, the PEC Commission will discuss how to best reach the remaining 27% of households who have not yet responded.
  • An overview of the Community Relations Department’s annual outreach for Fiscal Year 2019/2020. The Community Relations Manager will present the multiple modes of communication the City used to reach the public this past fiscal year. There has been a large increase in outreach over previous years and we are excited to present the numbers.

Read more about these items in the Public Engagement Commission agenda at https://tinyurl.com/y4xyzv5l.

 

How to Participate in the City of Goleta’s Virtual Meetings

Watch the Meetings Live
We encourage you to watch the City Council meeting and Public Engagement Commission meeting live on Channel 19 or on our website at www.CityofGoleta.org/GoletaMeetings. Meetings are also available to watch at any time on the City website.  Sign up to receive meeting agendas sent to you via email or text here: https://tinyurl.com/goletasubscriptions.

 

The public can submit comments prior to meetings and request to have them read into the record. The public can also join meetings via webinar. For specific information on public comment deadline and webinar logon information, please view the agenda for each meeting (below):

 

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