Neighbors of proposed development projects in Santa Barbara frequently bring to City Hall hearings one grievance in particular: That they were not well informed of the new developments headed for their backyards.
While it’s mandatory that certain parties be notified when local government is to take action related to land-use planning laws, it’s not required that all tenants close to a project be directly told what’s going down.
“I want to make sure that that group, that large majority of stakeholders in the city, have notice of what’s going on around them…so they can pitch in and talk about what they may want, what they don’t want, and protect their rights and interests,” said City Councilman Jason Dominquez, who revived the long-simmering issue at this week’s City Council meeting.
According to the city’s Community Development Department, noticing is required for the owner of a property subject to city action, as well as the project’s applicant, local agencies that provide services to the property, and property owners within 300 feet of the site in question.
Notices have to be delivered at least 10 days before the city’s hearing on a project. Mailed notices also have to be accompanied by something in a local newspaper.
Residents, however, receive notification if they live within 100 feet of a project site within the Coastal Zone — the strip of land within 1,000 yards of the ocean subject to extra regulation and protection.
Furthermore, the Community Development Department can send notices to tenants of the 10 to 20 closest lots to a project site.
Department administrative supervisor Mia Martinez told the council Tuesday that about 60 percent of Santa Barbarans are renters, and that there is no convenient system for tracking tenants within the 300-foot radius of a proposed development.
Project applicants will typically walk the neighborhood to obtain addresses for noticing, she said.
However, new software the department is beginning to use allows the city to keep track of rental units.
“Within the last week or so, our IT division has come into a database that has all the addresses of tenants, all the units that are either in mixed-use or multi-family developments,” said Community Development Director George Buell.
He added that utilizing the software and database for noticing could begin as soon as the start of the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Buell estimated roughly four to five times as many notices would go out under the new system. The greater costs associated with more postage and increased staff time could be offset by increases in applicant fees, he said.
Projects that have fueled the most discontent in this arena include tall and large-scale housing and mixed-use projects, many more of which have been proposed under the city’s Average Unit-Size Density Incentive Program.
Controversial businesses such as medical marijuana dispensaries also have drawn noticing-related frustration among residents.
While each council member voiced support for the new protocols, Councilman Randy Rowse argued that the city’s current noticing efforts haven’t been inadequate given the local news coverage development projects also receive, as well as the number of meetings and hearings they undergo at City Hall.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.