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Public and GPUC press to protect Carpinteria Bluffs; staff will analyze stronger protections in EIR and consider cultural recognition
Summary
Public commenters and GPUC members urged stronger protections for the Carpinteria Bluffs' habitat, wildlife and cultural resources; staff said those protections and night-lighting measures can be evaluated as reduced alternatives in the program EIR and through implementation actions.
Open-space and conservation topics drew consistent public concern focused on the Carpinteria Bluffs and adjacent habitat. Several commenters and organizations urged the city to strengthen policies that protect bluff habitat, harbor seals and sensitive species and to add cultural-resource recognition and indigenous access at important sites.
Staff said technical corrections would be made and recommended that stronger resource protections be analyzed as reduced alternatives in the program EIR. Staff also acknowledged the county's comments about coordination and suggested adding an implementation action for a night-lighting ordinance (staff recommended using county and nearby examples). Committee members and commenters requested clearer maps, photographic views, and explicit statements about public views (for example identifying ridgelines and prominent panoramic viewpoints) to make policies less subjective.
Several commenters also raised concerns about contamination at the Chevron site and asked who would be responsible for remediation; staff noted that contamination and hazardous-material issues are appropriate subjects for detailed environmental review in the EIR. Commenters urged that the city's open-space policies not preclude study of habitat, cultural resources and public access and asked for improved coordination with state and county agencies.
Ending: Staff will correct technical language, add or expand policies for cultural-resource recognition and public-access signage where appropriate, and include stronger protective alternatives for shoreline and bluff habitats as options in the program EIR for public review.
