Planning Commission recommends zoning and coastal‑plan amendment for Moffett Place parking

The Santa Barbara City Planning Commission on April 16 recommended that City Council approve a local coastal program amendment and zoning map change to enable future long‑term parking at a small airport parcel known in the hearing as Moffett Place. The commission’s motion passed unanimously.

Airport planner Jessica Metzger told commissioners the proposal would change a portion of airport property from an aircraft approach area (AAO) zone to an airport facilities (AF) zone to consolidate parking closer to the terminal. "We do have to make one correction to the staff report … it's 0.78 of an acre," Metzger said, correcting an earlier 1.18‑acre figure.

Staff said the site is largely vacant, with some dilapidated hangars and buried sewer infrastructure. Metzger and supervising engineer Brad Klenzing said consolidating parking near the terminal would reduce shuttle operations and operating costs, and cited Federal Aviation Administration guidance encouraging consolidated airport parking at airports this size.

But the parcel is adjacent to a slough viewing overlook that city staff said was created as mitigation in an earlier runway extension and is part of a California Fish and Wildlife Department ecological reserve established under a 1988 memorandum of understanding. "Changing that MOU would be very difficult," Metzger said, and staff cautioned that using the slough reserve for parking would likely not be accepted by Fish and Wildlife.

Commissioner Barnwell raised concerns about operational use of the reserve and public access to the viewing area, noting visible degradation and a lack of maintenance for interpretive panels. Barnwell also urged consultation with the Chumash about changes near cultural resources, saying the site is historically significant.

Vice Chair Delucchio moved that the Planning Commission recommend the local coastal program and zoning map amendment to City Council; the motion was seconded and approved on a roll‑call vote with all commissioners voting yes.

Next steps outlined by staff include council review of the zoning map amendment and submission to the California Coastal Commission for final certification of any Local Coastal Program changes. Staff also noted that environmental review for the amendment was handled under the exemption cited in the presentation and that future, more detailed parking designs will return to the commission when ready.

The Planning Commission record shows no public speakers for the Moffett Place item, and staff said they received no written correspondence specific to this parcel at the time of the hearing. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for a hearing and decision.