Santa Barbara staff present draft creek-buffer ordinance; public comment highlights housing, fire and property concerns

City staff presented a draft creek-buffer ordinance during the Santa Barbara City Sustainability Committee meeting on Feb. 6, 2025, describing a proposal that would set minimum setbacks from creeks across most of the city and create an objective, ministerial process for many routine permits.

The ordinance would apply citywide except for the airport area, staff said, and would replace the existing Mission Creek ordinance. "We're here to talk about a draft Creek buffer ordinance that we have put out for public review," said Melissa Hetra, a senior program director in the city's creeks division. The public review period is open through March 10, staff said.

The nut graf: Staff told the committee the draft aims to reduce erosion and flooding risk, improve water quality and protect riparian habitats by establishing clear, numeric buffers and a modification process for constrained lots. The changes would extend into inland areas policies already used in the Coastal Land Use Plan, and staff emphasized the intent to make criteria objective so many approvals could be handled ministerially.

Staff described three primary buffer distances modeled on the Coastal Land Use Plan: 50 feet from the top of bank for major creeks, 35 feet for public flood-control reaches, and a smaller buffer for minor creeks that meet the state definition of a creek. Staff said the ordinance would allow certain activities without prior approval — debris and vegetation removal for flood control, fuel modification for fire safety, minor native-planting and maintenance of existing roads, trails and utilities — and would allow habitat restoration, public…