next chapter for Los Alamos

As developer plans 59 homes, residents say they want smart, responsible growth

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Los Alamos, a small town in Santa Barbara County, is considered by many to be a real-life version of the fictional Mayberry of “The Andy Griffith Show” of the 1960s.

While many developers look at the wide open spaces as a perfect place to build, many residents are wary of growth for fear of losing the small town charm that many cherish.

Several residents expressed that they aren’t against growth per se, but they want to see smart growth.

“I, like many in town who have been expressing opinions, don’t mind growth. It’s how it grows,”

Los Alamos resident Seth Steiner told the News-Press. “We want to see smart decisions made. It’s unwise decisions that we would like to see not happen over and over. There are so many ways to develop.”

Another Los Alamos resident, Christine Burke, told the NewsPress that she would like her town to grow responsibly.

“Los Alamos isn’t taken care of well infrastructure-wise,” she said. “The center of town floods, and there are homes with water damage. We don’t even have postal service. Everyone pays for a post office box.

“Post office hours have been cut back for the post office, due to lack of staffing and there have been tons of break-ins to the post office as well as mail stolen,” Ms. Burke said. “Schools are at capacity and are unsafe for children. Highway 154 closes during almost every rain.”

A proposed 59-unit development of single-family homes for Los Alamos is planned for the base of Purisima Hills, which Ms. Burke said is in a FEMA flood zone.

“Before we add new residences, we need to be brought up to speed,” she said as she continued to discuss infrastructure needs. “Sixty new homes means a couple hundred more people. It needs to be done responsibly.”

She emphasized that what the community primarily wanted is a new Environmental Impact Report. The current EIR is 18 years old.

However, Ms. Burke said, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors did not call for a new EIR, which was partially due to procedural errors, The planned single-family home project is called Village Square by Legacy Homes.

The floor plans for the homes range in size from 1,850 to 2,559 square feet.

“Each home will have at a minimum a two-car garage. Many will have a three car garage along with driveways to accommodate parking,” Frances Romero, the senior planner for TW Land Planning & Development, LLC working with Legacy Estates, told the News-Press.

“The public streets in this subdivision will be built to county standards, unlike the majority of public streets in Los Alamos,” Ms. Romero said. “Each street will include two full width travel lanes plus shoulders to accommodate on-street parking that does not