February 6, 2021
To: SB County Planning Commission
Re: The Neighborhoods at Willow Creek and Hidden Canyon.
For more than sixty years, CPA has promoted sound planning practices. CPA strongly encouraged the County to develop the Community Planning process and to use these documents in decision-making.
Our board is very concerned that the Orcutt Community Plan is being changed for this developer. Violations of the existing community plan include:
· 2 new access roads and associated grading in a mapped wetland
· No development buffers from wetland
· Direct impacts to and development in CRLF habitat
· Direct impacts to CTS upland habitat
· Direct impacts to and development in mapped native grasslands
· Construction of a 60-foot tall safety fence adjacent to HWY 1, a scenic corridor.
· Leap frog development in a high fire hazard area
· Lack of a Key Site Specific Plan that would have identified developable areas, buffers from on-site resources, resulting in fewer and reduced environmental impacts.
CPA urges the Commission not to change County policy by removing the requirement for a specific plan to be prepared for an entire key site prior to approval of a project within that site. This change would set a bad precedent that would allow individual projects to be considered outside of the context of the surrounding area. CPA urges the Planning Commission to respect the Orcutt Community Plan and deny this current proposal.
Mary Ellen Brooks
President
Citizens Planning Association