Environmentalists are rallying against a plan for 20 homes in the Santa Barbara foothills, even though 86 percent of the land would be left undeveloped.
The 377 acres just east of Highway 154 and north of Foothill Road has been the focus of several controversial development proposals over the past two decades. The latest application was submitted to the county nearly three years ago by local developer Jeff Bermant and Santa Barbara Foothills LLC. The Preserve at San Marcos project has been under environmental review most of the time since.
A hearing Tuesday before the County Planning staff of a draft environmental study is likely to draw opponents with wide-ranging concerns, from traffic and sewage disposal to increased risks of wildfire and potential habitat damage for rare species such as the burrowing owl and grasshopper swallow.
Decision makers will have to weigh those concerns against benefits, such as permanent preservation of more than 200 acres for public use and the inclusion of five low-priced condominiums at a time when Santa Barbara County is under increasing pressure from the state to create more affordable housing.
For more on this story please read Foothill Development Stirs Controversy Again
Posted by gandlwoods at June 21, 2004 10:12 AM