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Plan SP: 1st community workshop on future development Monday

July 26, 2006
Santa Paula News

Determining the future of residential development will be kicked off Monday when the first of four community workshops - known as Plan Santa Paula - is held, an effort to determine if residents can all get along and agree on a housing plan.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesDetermining the future of residential development will be kicked off Monday when the first of four community workshops - known as Plan Santa Paula - is held, an effort to determine if residents can all get along and agree on a housing plan.The final plan would be recommended to the City Council - which approved the workshops suggested by Mayor Rick Cook - for next steps, which could include a ballot initiative that Santa Paulans would be asked to decide.There is already a ballot initiative slated for the November ballot that will ask voters if they want to restrict residential/commercial development to 80-contiguous acres within any five-year period. Any larger development would have to garner voter approval according to the measure, which would sunset in 20 years.The measure does not apply to Adams Canyon or Limoneira Co. property east of Santa Paula, both of which are governed separately by SOAR mandates that require a public vote.Recommendations from these workshops will be presented to the City Council at a special meeting in October. The workshops will be broadcast live - and simultaneously translated into Spanish - on Adelphia Cable Channel 10.The four workshops will be held from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. at the Community Center on July 31, August 8, September 20 and October 9.Susan J. Harden, who facilitated the Santa Paula Visioning Plan, a principal planner for RBF Consulting/Urban Design Studio, will lead the sessions.
Monday’s workshop will be “Creating Different Housing Plans for Evaluation” and focus on future housing opportunities in Adams and Fagan Canyons as well as Limoneira’s East Area 1.Community members will team up and using maps and other tools, plan how much, what type, and what distribution of housing they would prefer in the planning areas, development timing, affordability levels, design, and neighborhood character among other factors. At the conclusion of the workshop each team will present its plan.The August 8 workshop, “Understanding & Identifying In-Fill Housing Opportunities” will examine in-fill development, another housing option. Vacant parcels within city limits will be identified and analyzed that provide such opportunities for in-fill housing and underused properties and/or corridors with potential for redevelopment with mixed-use, live-work, and other formats will be explored. Teams will be asked to develop Santa Paula in-fill strategies to augment the initial housing plans from the first workshop.The third workshop, “Evaluating the Proposed Housing Plans” will be held September 20 and participants will be asked to evaluate and analyze the various housing plans developed at the previous workshops. The workshop will tackle issues such as potential impacts on water resources, traffic, economics and the environment among others.Participants will be encouraged to discuss and review the findings in more detail and the analysis is intended to help form the recommendations made to the Council.The fourth and final workshop is “Developing Recommendations for City Council” and at the October 9 session participants will develop specific recommendations for Council consideration, which may include several alternatives for review and guiding principles crafted though the community process.For further information, contact Assistant Planner Jennifer Santos at 933-4854 or e-mail PlanSP@ci.santa-paula.ca.us