Testify on Wednesday, November 9th,
5:30PM in Goleta City Council Chambers!
The City of Goleta has released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Rancho Estates Mobile Home Park Fire Improvements Project. The proposed fire road would be built on top of the bank of Devereux Creek, near the Coronado seep, one of the premiere birding hotspots on the South Coast. Devereux Creek in the Ellwood area of Goleta is an important corridor for migratory and breeding birds and is adjacent to the Coronado Butterfly Preserve. The proposed project would remove trees and violate the creekside buffer zones that are mandated by Goleta’s General Plan.
The birds need your help! If we have a strong turnout at the hearing we can influence the City to select Alternative 2, a more environmentally-friendly alternative (one of our talking points; click here to view).
Attend the hearing on November 9th and give your comments on the adequacy of the DEIR. Goleta City Council Chambers are at 130 Cremona Dr., Suite B, Goleta. Enter on the east side of the building. You don’t need to be a resident of the City of Goleta in order to speak, but to do so please pick up a speaker slip near the entrance, fill it out, and give it to a City official inside the Council Chambers.
Speakers will probably be given three minutes each to give their comments. Our Conservation Committee has compiled talking points (click here to view). You may select two or three about which you feel strongly. Expressing them in your own words is most effective, but not necessary. It’s acceptable to write your remarks in advance and read them aloud at the hearing.
Please note that no decision will be made at this hearing. After the hearing the City will incorporate the public’s comments into the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) where appropriate. This will be followed by hearings on the FEIR before the Goleta Planning Commission and the Goleta City Council. There is also likely to be a hearing before the California Coastal Commission.
If you can’t testify in person or if you would like to augment your verbal remarks, please send written comments via email to Joe Pearson II, Associate Planner, 805-961-7573; email hidden; JavaScript is required, no later than 5:00 PM Monday, November 21st.
SBAS will be providing a letter template in the very near future. Also periodically check our website for updates.
