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Council zones for infill development
Tickled pink
By PETER DugRé
The city’s recently purchased property at the railroad tracks and Linden Avenue will now officially get the recreational designation, rather than commercial.
the Carpinteria City Council finalized the exercise of ensuring that city planning maps actually match what properties are used for at its Sept. 8 meeting. many of the updates to zoning and land use codes were aimed at ensuring consistency, and a few demonstrated the city’s appetite for infilling downtown with higher density residential development while setting aside recreational space. in all, 39 parcels had their zones or land uses changed. of them, 16 of the parcels shifted to recreational from designations that would have allowed development. the city’s recently purchased property at the railroad tracks and Linden Avenue will now officially get the recreational designation, rather than commercial. And in a more perfunctory example of zoning change, the Carpinteria bluffs nature preserve, which had been zoned commercial, was changed to recreational zoning, even though it was set aside as a land preserve years ago. in the case of residential parcels on olive Street, which runs perpendicular between 8th and 6th streets near palm Avenue, city planners had recommended upzoning to allow up to 20 residential units per acre. neighbors protested to the planning Commission in July and August, resulting in compromise. on two parcels north of 6th Street, the council voted to allow only single family residential on olive. below 6th Street, two lots can be developed as densely as 10 units per acre. “It’s a great opportunity to provide some infill development near the city’s downtown,” city planner nick bobroff said. “it’s also an opportunity to provide some more affordable housing than single family housing.” the olive Street lots, which are adjacent to Carpinteria Sanitary District Offices and Carpinteria State Park housing, had been designated industrial commercial. if the city had zoned them 20 units per acre, up to 29 units could have been developed there. neighbors and the planning commission agreed that it was too intensive for the neighborhood. the other block where the city moved to allow denser residential development was at the intersection of Aragon drive and dahlia Court. planning maps had
CITY COUNCIL continued on page 20
Annette SAmArin
The renewed enthusiasm at the finish line of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer belies the 39.3 miles that walkers trekked en route. Event participants awoke on the morning of Sept. 7 at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, and compelled their sore feet, already road weary from traversing 26.2 miles of Santa Barbara streets the day before, to tackle another 13.1 miles of Carpinteria pavement. Funds raised over the two-day event contribute to research into breast cancer cures and treatment for those suffering with the disease.
Councilmen attend League of Cities Conference
Wade nomura and Fred Shaw represented the Carpinteria City Council at the League of California Cities Annual Conference on Sept. 2 to 5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. nomura was the voting delegate for Carpinteria, and Shaw was the alternate as well as the Vice president for the League’s Coastal Cities division. the conference included breakout sessions on issues facing many cities and updates on state and federal decisions that affect cities. “networking with other city council members and sharing successes and problems really helps to see where we are and what possible solutions may work for us,” said Shaw. “the drought, sustainable energy, city pride and our aging infrastructure were the most dominant issues facing all of our cities. Seeing how each city and the state is addressing these issues brings light to what we can do and should consider” said nomura.
Submitted photo
From left, Carpinteria City Councilmen Wade Nomura and Fred Shaw register for the 2014 League of California Cities Annual Conference.