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Residents urge action on Highway 246 safety, local development and oppose pipeline restart
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the Buellton meeting pressed the council to enforce the city’s general plan on new development, asked for traffic safety improvements on Highway 246, and asked the city to oppose the restart of the Sable Oil pipeline under the city.
Several residents used public comment at the Jan. 9 Buellton City Council meeting to press the city on traffic safety, proposed development near Highway 246 and the potential restart of a nearby oil pipeline.
AJ (commenter) told the council there has been “a total lack of progress on West Highway 246,” cited near‑miss incidents reported to him and urged the council to enforce the city’s general plan when reviewing new development. He expressed concern about sewer infrastructure and said residents may be asked to pay for wastewater improvements tied to new development. He also urged the council to appoint David King to the council.
Larry Bishop addressed the council about the Sable Oil pipeline (a limited liability company he said was created by Exxon and others). Bishop said the pipeline, which runs under parts of the city, had a leak in 2015 and that state authorities had granted waivers related to corrosion protection. He asked the council to contact county and state officials and consider sending a letter opposing the pipeline restart pending more extensive analysis.
Council members responded that Caltrans and other agencies hold primary authority over State Route 246 but said the city is actively communicating with outside agencies on safety matters. Vice Mayor Lewis and others encouraged residents to file service requests with Caltrans and noted the city has been pursuing traffic‑safety discussions for years.
No formal council action on the pipeline or development policy occurred that evening; council members suggested staff could agendize deeper presentations or coordination with the city’s Green Team and county agencies.
