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Carpinteria council delays rezoning of S & S Seeds site after public concern; directs consider in later housing phase
Summary
City council voted to decline initiating a standalone rezoning for the two-parcel S & S Seeds site east of Viola Fields, instead leaving the property to be considered in the next phase of the city's housing-element rezones; council members and residents cited habitat sensitivity, parking and process concerns.
Carpinteria City Council on July 14 declined to adopt a resolution that would have launched a local coastal program amendment and rezoning process for two S & S Seeds parcels east of Viola Fields.
The move stops short of immediate rezoning. Council members said they want a fuller public process and more environmental review before changing the site's longstanding industrial/research park zoning. The motion also leaves the parcels available for consideration as part of the next phase of housing-element rezonings bundled with the forthcoming general-plan update.
Why it matters: Property owner Victor Schaff and a landowner team presented a conceptual housing plan that would have allowed roughly 178 rental units, including a proposal to set aside 36 units as low-income deed-restricted housing and to partner with an affordable housing developer. Supporters including People's Self-Help Housing and local employers argued the infill location would serve the local workforce. Opponents — including residents, Carpinteria Bluffs advocates and members of the planning commission who previously reviewed the site — warned about impacts to environmentally sensitive habitat area (ESHA), loss of open space views, parking spillover and setting a precedent for future Beach/Bluffs rezonings.
What the council did: After public comment running nearly an hour and a half, the council voted to decline the initiation motion and instead leave the site to be considered in phase 2 of the housing-element rezone process. The developer team may still pursue a discrete application under existing rules; initiation tonight would merely have directed staff resources to process a city-led rezoning now.
Public comment: Speakers included nearby residents and preservation advocates who urged caution; local employers and affordable housing developers who urged a rezoning that would supply workforce housing; and the property owner, Victor Schaff, who said he supported housing over additional office/r&D space. Several commenters asked that any future process include broader community notice and return to the planning commission and architectural review board.
Next steps: Because the council declined to initiate the rezone now, any formal rezoning would either be owner-initiated under existing zoning rules or included in the city's later housing-element rezoning and general-plan amendment cycle.
Votes at a glance: The council voted to decline to adopt resolution 6413 (motion carried; roll-call recorded as unanimous yes).
