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City could make 759 lots eligible for second units
Royal rollers
By Dale Myers
In 2015, the city will consider a change to zoning code that could pave the way for hundreds of new granny flats within city limits. The city council was presented with this possibility, as well as a draft 2015-2023 Housing Element Update, at its Oct. 29 meeting. Carpinteria’s Housing Element, a portion of the General Plan, analyzes the current and future housing needs and describes the city’s strategies to address said needs. The last update to the plan was adopted in 2011. “Our goal is to fine-tune housing strategies and obtain state Housing and Community Development (HCD) certification,” said Housing Element consultant John Douglas of J.H. Douglas and Associates. “Major changes include revised regulations for special needs housing and a review of second-unit regulations.” In July 2014, the Planning Commission supported revising the city’s second-unit standards regarding minimum lot size to encourage the construction of second units. Currently, the minimum lot size requirement for second units is 8,000 square feet, but by changing that requirement to 7,000 square feet “we can create 800 lots for second units,” said Jackie Campbell, community development director for the City of Carpinteria. These changes can also reduce some permitting constraints to the development of second units, given that none have been constructed in the city in the past five years. This discussion will occur as part of the zoning code update and will be considered by the planning commission, city council and ultimately the coastal commission during the public review process of the zoning update next year. At its next meeting, the council has the option to either approve the draft Housing Element for submittal to HCD for certification as recommended by the Planning Commission, direct staff to make changes to it or send the matter back to the Planning Commission. “We are not in danger of missing any deadline,” said Campbell. “We have until February 15, 2015.” The council initially expected to vote on the Housing Element Update at its Oct. 27 meeting, but amendments to the General Plan require citywide noticing, which had not taken place.
Council updated on emergency services
The council also received an informational report on the city’s Emergency Services Management Program, which was formulated to increase the community’s ability to respond in the case of a disaster. The threepronged approach includes mitigation, to limit or eliminate a hazard’s presence; response, including actions taken in the immediate aftermath of an incident; and recovery, i.e. efforts for rebuilding and revitalization. “We take an all-hazards and entire-community
COUNCIL continued on page 5
BIll AnD ROSAnA SWInG
Freshly minted homecoming queen aylin sanchez meets her match in Mr. Warrior Jonathan Cleek. They took a spin around the Carpinteria Valley Memorial stadium track together to cap off the ceremony at the homecoming football game against Nordhoff High school on Oct. 24. The Warrior football team fell, but memories of the event will stand tall in the young lady’s memories. For more photos of homecoming, see page 14.
Schools receive $41K from Carp-a-Cabana
Christmas just came early for local schools. At the Oct. 28 school board meeting, Carpinteria Education Foundation distributed a grand total of $41,527 among the seven Carpinteria Unified School District campuses. The funds raised at this year’s Carp-aCabana were divided among the schools, where most of the grant monies will be applied toward technology purchases, such as new laptops, projectors and iPads. During the presentation, CEF noted how BOyD far it had come as a contributor to the local education landscape. Ten years ago, the same big check from the group’s fall fundraiser amounted to just $8,800.