NEWLY ADDED:
Who's
in Charge? An Op-Ed by Margaret Connell
and Ed Easton, published in the Santa Barbara News-Press,
September 21, 2008. Click here for
the complete article.
NOOZHAWK interview, October 15, 2008 (or, if unavailable on the Noozhawk site, click here.)
Agricultural concerns | Bishop Ranch | Ellwood Marine Terminal | Goleta growth management ordinance | Goleta's Gen. P. Amendment process | Housing | Jovalon | Measures "D" and "A" | Planning and Environmental concerns | rental housing | "shalls" and "shoulds" | slant drilling | transportation issues | UCSB LRDB | Venoco | water
A statement from Margaret Connell,
explaining why she is running for the
Goleta City Council
(Please see also Margaret's
Santa Barbara Independent articles;
click
here for a collection.)
PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
I am dismayed at the direction of the new council majority. Over 70 General Plan amendments have been initiated, including rezoning of agricultural land for development, allowing more traffic-inducing, big-box shopping centers and erosion of environmental protections. They support flexible building standards, reduced sets backs from sensitive habitats, and redefinition of wetlands.
Many "shalls" were changed to "shoulds" and building standards such as heights and floor area ratios (FARs), which determine bulk and scale and neighborhood compatibility, are now “recommended”, not mandatory.
This takes away certainty from the planning process both for applicants and for planning staff. The ensuing negotiations will only lengthen the process, a constant complaint of applicants. It can also result in erosion of environmental protections if flexibility is applied to reduce set backs from creeks and wetlands and other ESHAs.
I support a range of standards, within which staff has discretion to adapt an individual project. But it should not be open ended with no clear parameters. As a councilmember, I will strongly support responsible stewardship of the environment, protection of open space and parks, and the character of Goleta neighborhoods.
HOUSING ISSUES
We need housing affordable to the diversity of the local workforce and families. We cannot build our way out of the housing problem, but the demand for new housing is correlated with the creation of new jobs, the exception being for retirees, both local and from out of town. The existing Goleta growth management ordinance ties new commercial and industrial square footage to the number of new residences that have been built. Unfortunately, this ordinance is proposed for deletion from the General Plan.
I believe that there should be a housing fee for new commercial/industrial development and in addition we should seek incentives for employers to assist their employees with housing. Any city subsidies or policy changes should focus on rental housing which, by necessity, has to remain affordable for average working folk to be able to pay their monthly rent. We do not need more market rate housing, but some may be necessary to subsidize needed affordable housing. To achieve housing affordable by design for middle-income workers, we should be encouraging developers to build smaller housing units.
TRANSPORTATION
The cost of gas is leading many commuters to seek alternatives to driving alone. While the proposed addition of a lane between Santa Barbara and the Rincon is necessary, adding more and more lanes to the freeway is not the answer to traffic congestion. Santa Barbara County Area Government (SBCAG) is sponsoring many alternatives to driving alone, including a website: trafficsolutions.info, which helps people find others in their neighborhoods that want to car pool.
Commuter buses from North County and Ventura take many cars off the road and ridership is increasing. If a commuter train schedule can be arranged, that would take care of even more commuters from the south. Flextime and telecommuting are all part of the solution along with employer-sponsored vans.
I support all these initiatives. They are mostly funded through SBCAG through Measure D, the half-cent sales tax. I support Measure A, on the November ballot, to continue these programs. Additionally, new housing built close to work sites, shopping and transportation corridors, as proposed along the Hollister corridor, will enable more people to get out of their cars and walk, bike, or take the bus.
Keeping roads and intersections pedestrian and bicycle friendly is an important goal. We need to resist pressure to keep widening intersections. The General Plan includes two overpasses without freeway connections that would greatly alleviate traffic at some of the more impacted intersections on Goleta. There is $7 million included in Measure A for this purpose, but it is not sufficient. Further funding will have to be found from other sources - state or federal funds or perhaps a local bond issue.
LOCAL AGRICULTURE
Goleta has grown over the last 50 years from a rural farming area to the suburban community it is today. We are now learning to value local produce, both for its quality and freshness and as a resource that does not depend on long distance trucking to get here. This reduces pollution from greenhouse gases and provides a safe food supply in case of an emergency that closes down the highway. We also learned recently that orchards can provide a barrier of protection from wild fires in the foothills behind the city. The popularity of Farmers’ Markets throughout the South Coast speaks to the value that people place on this resource.
I support continuation of local farming whether on agriculturally zoned land or on other parcels currently farmed within the city.
VENOCO OIL OPERATIONS AT ELLWOOD
Venoco’s oil operations at Ellwood include Platform Holly offshore, the Ellwood Onshore (EOF) processing facility, a pipeline that carries oil from the EOF to the Ellwood Marine Terminal (EMT) on the UCSB Mesa, and a pipeline and moorings for the oil barge Jovalon.
Venoco has three main applications before the State Lands Commission.
The Ellwood Marine Terminal (EMT) loads oil by pipeline about every 10 days onto the single-hulled Jovalon off Coal Oil Point, which is then towed on a 1,000 ft rope to either San Francisco or Long Beach. People living in the area say that they smell odors during the loading of the barge. This is an accident waiting to happen and must cease as soon as possible. Venoco has an application with the State Lands Commission for a renewal of the lease for the offshore pipeline to the barge. The preferred solution would be for Venoco to build an onshore pipeline to the consolidated facility in Los Flores Canyon. The current price of oil should make this economically feasible.
Venoco’s full field development project proposes to slant drill 40 new wells from Platform Holly, extending the lease boundary to the east. The oil would be shipped by pipeline to the Ellwood Onshore Facility (EOF) for processing and then by onshore pipeline to the Los Flores Canyon consolidated facility. Venoco does not want to build the pipeline if they are not permitted to slant drill though they would have to shut down the EMT in a few years anyway when the lease for the site with UCSB runs out in 2016.
This project would require major upgrades of the EOF, beyond what is permitted for this non-conforming use on a recreational zoned site. The Draft Environmental Impact Report states that the preferred alternative would be an offshore pipeline to come onshore below Los Flores Canyon, taking the oil for processing to the consolidated facility. This would allow the EMT and EOF to be decommissioned and barging to cease. The site could then be restored for recreation. While this sounds an attractive solution, the project will almost certainly extend the life of Platform Holly and oil operations in the area, with attendant risks of spills and toxic gas emissions.
Lastly, Venoco is seeking to re-commission Piers 421 and 422, the last remaining shoreline platforms in the state. This is a marginal source of oil, which should be shut down, with only what pumping is necessary for safe decommissioning.
My overall goal is to remove industrial oil operations from the Ellwood area.
(For
more statements on these and other issues of concern to Goleta,
please
see Margaret's Santa
Barbara Independent articles:
click
here for a collection.)
vegetables flourishing at Fairview Gardens