Carpinteria committee reviews Coastal Commission comments on draft general plan

City planning staff presented the California Coastal Commission’s written comments on the draft City of Carpinteria General Plan and sought committee direction on specific wording and how to reflect the changes in the environmental review.

Staff said the Coastal Commission recommended many glossary edits (including replacing the draft’s inconsistent uses of “public view” and “public view shed” with a single term) and suggested definitions for visual resources and light pollution. Staff described the revision to the public‑view language as a negotiated middle ground with Coastal Commission staff and said they plan to apply the new term throughout the draft.

On land use, staff said the Coastal Commission asked that a takings policy be included early in the land use element. Staff said the city already has an extensive takings policy in its creek preservation program and they will work with the city attorney to produce a version suitable for the land use element. Staff said the Coastal Commission cited sea level rise, slope instability and seismic hazards among reasons jurisdictions consider takings policies for constrained properties.

Committee members and staff discussed the bluffs and community design language. Coastal staff recommended using action words for bluff design and tightening lighting policies; it also removed one commercial‑lighting provision that had called for lighting to “complement the building.” Staff said most lighting guidance remains through a broader low‑intensity standard and that design review (ARB) guidelines would continue to apply for aesthetics.

On circulation, staff reported Coastal Commission guidance that would expand trip‑reduction or…