Friday more than a year after developers launched a $32 million lawsuit against the city of Goleta the parties will have their day in court. The legal showdown, before Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge William McLafferty, is expected to focus on the meaning of an obscure state code describing rights and rules affect newly incorporated cities, which lies at the center of the dispute.
At issue is whether the new Goleta City Council acted improperly on Dec. 16, 2002 when it rejected the Sandpiper development with a 4-1 vote, despite its approval by the county Board of Supervisors a year earlier.
Goleta’s denial sent a message to developers: Densely clustered housing on narrow streets would no longer be welcome in the city of more than 28,000 residents, unless developers provide outdoor parking in amounts similar to that of the traditional suburban tracts that dominate Goleta.