Daily Archives: March 6, 2020

City of Goleta Continues to Monitor Coronavirus Situation

We know the Coronavirus disease is on the forefront of many of our minds.  We want you to know that the City of Goleta is working closely with the Santa Barbara County Health Department, the lead local agency for the coronavirus, and our trusted partners to be prepared in the event there is a case in our County.

At this time, there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County.  However, the situation is constantly evolving and the City of Goleta remains vigilant.  On March 4, the Governor of California declared a State of Emergency to help the State prepare for a broader spread of COVID-19.  Learn more about the state’s response here.

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “Goleta is committed to keeping the community apprised of updates and impacts to our City as the Coronavirus situation evolves. Please understand it is up to all of us to help prevent the spread of respiratory illness. We ask the community help protect your families, neighbors, and the entire community by following Public Health guidelines.”

The best thing you can do at this time is to follow the prevention and treatment guidelines from the Center for Disease Control:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
    • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for more information on the Coronavirus.

You can also view the latest information and  Frequently asked questions about the Coronavirus on the Santa Barbara County Health Department website. 

For the latest information on Travel Restrictions, click here.

The County of Santa Barbara is close to launching a new website dedicated to public information on COVID-19.  We will pass along the link to that new website as soon as it is available.

Interested Community Members Learned about the Monarch Butterfly at a Free Forum

The decline of the Monarch Butterfly population remains a concern for many. On February 29, close to 60 community members attended the free Monarch Butterfly Forum hosted by the City of Goleta and California Coastal Conservancy. Attendees learned about the monarch butterfly and local efforts to restore the population. Butterfly expert Dan Meade, Ph.D., spoke for over an hour and shared information about the crisis and how residents can help the Xerces Society’s “Western Monarch Call to Action”. His presentation is available here. Learn how you can help researchers discover where monarchs go in the spring by participating in the Western Monarch Mystery Challenge by clicking here.

In addition, George Thomson, the City of Goleta’s new Parks and Open Space Manager, provided an update on the Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan. View his presentation here.

Along the coast of California, spectators experience a remarkable annual migration of the western monarch butterfly, including an October to February stop at Goleta’s Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Open Space. As recently as 2011, visitors to the Preserve’s eucalyptus groves were amazed as more than 50,000 butterflies clustered in the trees to roost during the overwintering season.  However, the monarch butterfly population is now in crisis with recent monarch butterfly population estimates reaching their lowest levels in recorded history. This year fewer than 300 monarch butterflies were counted at Ellwood Mesa during the peak of migration.

Additional resources on the monarch butterfly will be added to our website in the coming weeks at www.GoletaButterflyGrove.com. Please check back later. For more information, please contact JoAnne Plummer, Parks and Recreation Manager, at (805) 562-5505.

Join us for Goleta Train Depot Community Workshops

On March 3, the Goleta City Council received an update on the future Goleta Train Depot Project located at 27 S. La Patera Lane. City staff and the design team provided a presentation on conceptual designs, site layouts, and existing and proposed roadway configurations and improvements along South La Patera Lane. It was the City Council’s first opportunity to see three distinct architectural themes for the Goleta Train Depot building as well as the roadway improvements recommended for the project. View the staff report here.

Next, the City and its design team would like to invite the community to provide its feedback on the three conceptual designs and the proposed roadway configurations. The Goleta Train Depot will be one of the biggest landmarks in the City. We really want your input! 

Note: Due to guidance from the Governor’s Office on Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and out of an abundance of caution, City staff is POSTPONING the workshops until further notice. Thank you for your understanding.

For more information please visit: https://tinyurl.com/goletatraindepot.

CANCELLED: Tiny Library Artist Talk at Goleta Valley Library

The March 22 Tiny Library Artist Talk with Douglas Lochner at they Goleta Valley Library has been cancelled.

Lochner’s bright yellow hashtag tiny library is on the front lawn of the library through April 30, 2020. This is one of six punctuation marks he created that have been placed throughout Santa Barbara County after spending time on State Street in Santa Barbara.

The Goleta Valley Library partnered with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture to bring the tiny library to Goleta. Library staff have been stocking the hashtag with books for all ages. These books are free to the public, and individuals are also encouraged to leave books to donate to other readers. Please be sure to come check it out before it’s gone!

Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries Offer New Free Streaming Service

The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries are excited to debut Kanopy, a new streaming movie service FREE for its patrons. Kanopy is an ad-free experience and offers more than 30,000 films for children and adults, including documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos. The films may be viewed on your TV, mobile phone, tablet, or online. Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Library cardholders are able to watch up to 10 movies per month. Patrons will receive 10 play credits beginning on the 1st day of each month. Each video uses one play credit, and once you use a play credit, you have three days to watch the video without using another play credit.

Kanopy Kids is a collection of movies and shows for kids available only in public libraries. While at the library, your child can enjoy an enriching, educational, and entertaining film or TV series without using any of your credits.

Library Director Allison Gray said, “We are very excited to add Kanopy to the list of free services the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries have available to our patrons. The free streaming service has a marvelous collection of films to choose from – there’s something for everyone!”

Kanopy is available now. Learn more and begin watching films at https://cityofgoleta.kanopy.com.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – In That Order!

Did you know that the average American throws out 4.51 pounds of trash each day, totaling a national average of 254 million tons annually? You can do your part to divert waste from the landfill by following the 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! All three components are vital to waste reduction and environmentally responsible behavior, but their order is very important. Reducing and reusing are the most effective ways to preserve natural resources, lessen pollution and save energy. Here are some tips on how to practice these principles and keep waste out of our local landfills:

Reduce: Be a conscious consumer! Go straight to the source by rethinking the things you actually need, considering what you already have, and cutting back on unnecessary purchases.

  • Refuse single-use plastics when they’re offered to you.
  • Purchase things that will last a long time.
  • Eat what you have in the fridge to minimize food waste.
  • Look for products that use less packaging
  • Use towels and cloth napkins to clean up messes, rather than paper towels and napkins.

Reuse: Use your things to their fullest extent and give them a second life when you can.

  • Purchase and remember to bring reusable cups, bottles, utensils, straws, and bags with you.
  • Repurpose old shirts as wash rags or glass jars as storage/leftover containers.
  • Buy used by shopping at thrift stores and looking on repurposing websites before buying new.
  • Maintain and repair your products, rather than tossing and replacing them.

Recycle: Recycling is a more energy intensive process than reducing or reusing, but is still a much better alternative to landfilling.

  • Donate to your local thrift store and hand down clothing, toys, and furniture to future generations.
  • Dispose of metal, plastics, etc… by cleaning them and putting them in the recycling bin.
  • You can see Santa Barbara County’s latest recycling guidelines in their Waste Reduction Guide here.

Bonus – FREE Compost Bin:  Through a partnership between the City of Goleta and MarBorg industries, Goleta residents are eligible to receive two free Earth Machine compost bins per household. To order your compost bin call MarBorg at 805-963-1852.

For more information on waste reduction in Santa Barbara County visit lessismore.org.

Parking Restrictions in Effect for Deltopia

Isla Vista’s Deltopia event is expected to take place on Saturday, April 4, 2020. The City will continue its temporary parking restrictions program as it has done in the past for both Deltopia and Halloween. In an effort to minimize the impacts of Deltopia on Goleta residents, the City implements parking restrictions in the areas most affected: Hollister Avenue to the southern City limit (Whittier Drive), from Cannon Green Drive (including the cul-de-sac streets on the west side of Cannon Green Drive) to Storke Road. Those who live in the affected areas will receive two parking permits in the mail by mid-March. Residents are encouraged to park in their garages or driveways as well, where no permit is needed.

Residents with valid permits will be able to park on the streets in this area from:

  • 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 3rd to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 4th
  • 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 4th to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 5th.

Should Deltopia move to the following weekend, the restrictions will be in place from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 10th to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 11th and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 11th to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 12th.

Vehicles without permits will be cited and towed at the owner’s expense.

A map and FAQs can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/goletatempparking.

Goleta’s Homelessness Strategic Plan Moving Forward

City of Goleta staff held an interactive and engaging Community Update Meeting for Goleta’s Homelessness Strategic Plan on February 19, 2020, at the Goleta Community Center. More than 50 community members and representatives from a variety of organizations attended and learned more about the steps being taken to craft the City’s Homelessness Strategic Plan. Attendees were asked to provide input on the prioritization of suggestions to be included in the draft plan, which would then be brought to Council.

On March 3, the results of the Community Open House, Community Survey, as well as all other input and research was presented holistically to City Council in order to discuss draft recommendations for the Homelessness Strategic Plan’s goals. Short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals and objectives were included for review. View the staff report here. Looking forward, staff will now create the draft Homelessness Strategic Plan to present before Council in late April or early May. This will be immediately followed by a review period for the community. Staff hope to hear from the community regarding the draft plan prior to finalizing for adoption with Council this summer.

City staff previously held a Community Open House in December 2019, as well as stakeholder meetings, and released a community survey (which has received more than 430 responses). This public engagement is part of a larger effort to address homelessness, including best practice discussions with communities nationwide and enhanced partnerships on regional homelessness efforts.

Community input is an essential part of the City of Goleta’s effort to develop the City’s first comprehensive Homelessness Strategic Plan. We appreciate the community’s involvement and input in this process thus far and look forward to continued engagement during this important effort.

For more information, please contact Dominique Samario, Management Analyst for the City of Goleta, at dsamario@cityofgoleta.org or 805-690-5126. Learn more about Goleta’s Homelessness Strategic Plan at tinyurl.com/GoletaHomelessnessPlan.

Photo: Homelessness Strategic Plan Community Update Meeting on February 19, 2020

City of Goleta Celebrates Adoption of New Zoning Ordinance

February 18, 2020, was a historic night for the City of Goleta. The City Council voted to adopt on first reading the New Zoning Ordinance (NZO). Council, staff, and community members celebrated this milestone during a break in the City Council meeting with cupcakes and sparkling cider served in celebratory champagne flutes. This momentous decision came after hundreds of hours of planning work, more than 20 public meetings and open houses in 2019 alone, and direction from the Planning Commission and City Council.

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “Thanks to the unprecedented high level of public involvement and input, the Goleta Zoning Ordinance tailors the code inherited from Santa Barbara County to Goleta’s needs. Goleta residents, staff, and people who work and play here will gain great benefits from the new Ordinance’s greater predictability, consistency, and clarity.”

City Manager Michelle Greene added, “Completion of the New Zoning Ordinance is a significant milestone for the City. It represents the culmination of many years of effort and countless hours of hard work from our City Council, Planning Commission, City staff and many dedicated residents. It is an exciting achievement for our young city, which establishes a strong framework for the future which reflects the values of the Goleta community.”

Peter Imhof, Director of Planning and Environmental Review, said, “Years of work have paid off and Goleta’s New Zoning Ordinance is finally here. We are tremendously grateful for all who participated in this process. The final product is the result of a true collaboration over a long period by many people.”

Anne Wells, Advance Planning Manager, said “The City Council, Planning Commission, community members, and staff worked long hours over the course of 5 years and 75 public meetings to develop and refine Goleta’s first, independent zoning ordinance. We are on the brink of General Plan-consistent land use regulations that reflect the desire and needs of our community. Once adopted, the regulations, Title 17 of the Goleta Municipal Code, will be available to the public in an online platform and is a welcome step into the 21st Century – a milestone initiative that will affect every land use and development decision the city makes. This is an exciting time for Goleta!”

The New Zoning Ordinance will replace the City’s existing zoning regulations in their entirety. The NZO provides rules and regulations for land use and development on private property. The purpose of the New Zoning Ordinance is to implement the General Plan, and to protect and promote the public health, safety, peace, comfort, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare.

Background:
Goleta’s current Zoning Ordinance was inherited from Santa Barbara County upon incorporation in 2002. As a result, it does not reflect the City’s land use vision as described in the General Plan which was adopted on October 6, 2006.  In 2013, the City Council authorized staff to prepare new zoning regulations and a zoning map that would be consistent with the General Plan.  A Public Review Draft was released on November 19, 2015.  Over the course of eight public workshops starting in January of 2016, several open houses, and line-by-line input based on public input received during the 2015-2016 outreach process, a Revised Draft NZO was released to the public in January 2019.  During the spring of this year, the City hosted an additional nine planning commission workshops, six open houses and one joint City Council/Planning meeting, before conducting three Planning Commission hearings earlier this fall to consider the revised draft.

Information on the New Zoning Ordinance is available at www.goletazoning.com.

Fire Station 10 Reaches Important Milestone

The City of Goleta is excited to report on an important milestone in the development of Fire Station 10 in Western Goleta. The California Coastal Commission (CCC) deemed the City’s Coastal Development Permit (CDP) application complete and will hold a hearing on the project in the next six months. It has long been documented that fire service in Western Goleta does not meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines for emergency response time and population to firefighter ratio. A new fire station is needed in Western Goleta to provide adequate fire protection services.

The Fire Station 10 project consists of the design and construction of a new three-bay, single-story fire station, approximately 11,600 square feet in size, with associated landscaping and appurtenant facilities on a City-owned parcel located at 7952 Hollister Avenue, across from the Sandpiper Golf Course.

The Goleta City Council approved the project in December 2018. However, because the subject site is in the Coastal Zone, a Coastal Development Permit issued by the California Coastal Commission is required. The City submitted a CDP application in January 2019, and after completing additional studies requested by CCC staff, the City recently learned that the CDP application has been deemed complete. Based on State law, once a CDP application is deemed complete, the CCC is required to hold a hearing on the project within six months.

Upon learning the news, Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said, “We are thrilled to reach another milestone in the development of Fire Station 10 which will provide critically needed fire suppression and emergency medical assistance to areas of Western Goleta and beyond.”

Goleta’s Director of Neighborhood Services & Public Safety, Vyto Adomaitis added, “Fire Station 10 is an important public safety facility that will greatly benefit the residents of Goleta. Its need was identified as early as 1967 so the City is proud to be bringing this project to fruition. We look forward to working collaboratively with Coastal Commission staff to reach approval of the City’s CDP application.”

CCC hearings are conducted in various locations statewide. At this point, the City has not yet been informed when and where the hearing for Fire Station 10 will be held. Following CDP approval, construction documents for Fire Station 10 will be completed.

“Our goal is to go out to bid and have a construction contract awarded by the end of the year, provided we obtain a CDP hearing sooner rather than later,” said Mr. Adomaitis.

Click here for more information on the Fire Station 10 Project.

Photo: Fire Station 10 preliminary design from Aug. 2018