SHIRLEY KIMBERLIN Everything I list turns to SOLD! 805-886-0228 skimberlin@aol.com
This week’s listings on the back page
Interchange project inches toward spring start
Pool boys
BY LEA BOYD
The California Coastal The interchange Commission’s stamp of project will approval on Oct. 6 toppled yet another obstacle dramatically on the path to permitting alter the flow of the Linden/Casitas Intraffic through terchange Project, which is scheduled to break Carpinteria. ground in 2016. The comLinden Avenue mission approved, with a few small changes, Car- and Casitas Pass pinteria’s Local Coastal Road highway Program Amendment overpasses will designed to accommodate the large scale transbe widened and portation project while Via Real will be ensuring agriculture and extended over wetland preservation and increasing public ac- Carpinteria Creek cess to coastal resources to Casitas Pass and recreation. The City Council votRoad. ed unanimously on Oct. 12 to accept the commission’s minor modifications. Among these, is a requirement that two bike and pedestrian trail projects be completed before Caltrans finishes its work in those areas. The trail that connects the eastern end of Carpinteria Avenue with Rincon County Park must be completed prior to the completion of the interchange project. Also, Santa Claus Lane’s new trail into Carpinteria must be finished before the highway widening is completed. The interchange project will dramatically alter the flow of traffic through Carpinteria. Linden Avenue and Casitas Pass Road highway overpasses will be widened and Via Real will be extended over Carpinteria Creek to Casitas Pass Road. Other major components include a roundabout at Ogan Road near Linden Avenue, new stoplights, and reconfigured highway exits and entrances. That project is set to begin in late spring 2016 and continue into 2020. Carpinteria’s next round of highway widening, which will add a carpool lane between Bailard Avenue and Salinas Street in Santa Barbara, is planned to begin in 2018. Approved by the council and the planning commission last summer, the city’s Local Coastal Program Amendment creates a transportation corridor for Via Real’s new extension, zoning overlay districts and some zoning text amendments. The council’s vote this week accepted and adopted the Coastal Commmission’s changes. A second reading of the ordinance will take place at the Oct. 26 council meeting.
CITY COUNCIL continued on page 3
BILL SWING
Carpinteria High School hosted Cate School water polo in a Tri-Valley League cross town showdown, and the Warriors protected the home pool for a 12-6 victory. The intense action, depicted in this frenzied shot of, from left, Cate’s Duffy Montgomery, CHS’s Forrest Van Stein and Cate’s Malachi Schrager, kept water polo fans captivated for one of the more hotly contested rivalries between the two local high schools. See Sports on page 15 for further details.
Trader Joe’s says not interested
Haggen’s short-lived residency in Carpinteria and what’s next for the Linden Avenue space got the city council’s attention at this week’s meeting on Oct. 12. “The primary suitor for the lease for the store is Smart & Final,” said City Manager Dave Durflinger. Many residents have pressured Trader Joe’s to consider the location, Durflinger said, and “We (the city) pester Trader Joe’s quite a bit.” The chain, however, has confirmed with the city that it is not interested in the Haggen site or any of the other Haggen locations that will be sold. The city has played a significant role in the make up of markets in Carpinteria since 2008 when Vons took steps toward securing the lease on the Albertsons space in Casitas Plaza. In response, the city passed an ordinance restricting the size of retailers in an effort to keep two local stores and maintain price competition and local shopping opportunities. Durflinger said that a Smart & Final, with its emphasis on bulk buying and its limited merchandise, has
Carpinteria is on a list of 28 Haggen stores that Smart & Final has bid on to acquire for $58 million. raised some concerns. However, the chain has another brand of store called Smart & Final Extra! that may provide Carpinteria with a more traditional second grocery store. “We really do have to wait for the dust to settle on the bankruptcy process (for Haggen),” Durflinger said. “We’re keeping an eye on it.” ––Lea Boyd