In all, about 115 people attended one, some or all of the workshops and results have been posted on the city website.Key priorities were traffic impacts, bringing revenues to the city coffers and maintaining Santa Paula’s small town character.New development centered on Adams Canyon with participants suggesting growth of zero to 1,800 homes, Fagan Canyon with 450 to 1,800 homes and Limoneira’s East Area 1 property, zero to 1,500 homes.Infill and redevelopment centered on the Downtown and major corridors and city gateways, the latter “Not necessarily a housing issue but a great priority to enhance those and create scenes of pride” upon arrival in the city, said Harden.Those who have taken part in the workshops were not as ethnically “diverse as we would have liked,” she noted.A “look at what is important to community at large” was accomplished by the city’s Visioning Process, which was used as a “backdrop” to the Plan Santa Paula workshops.The Visioning Process also emphasized retaining Santa Paula’s unique character, stressed educational excellence and celebrating the community’s art heritage, among other issues.“...we need to remember those as we talk about any issue,” noted Harden.
Plan Santa Paula workshops end: Fourth session focuses on results
November 01, 2006
Santa Paula News
The series of Plan Santa Paula workshops ended with one participant likening the four sessions addressing the city’s future growth as “It seems like we tried to cover so much ground, like a rock skimming across the surface.”
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe series of Plan Santa Paula workshops ended with one participant likening the four sessions addressing the city’s future growth as “It seems like we tried to cover so much ground, like a rock skimming across the surface.”Facilitator Susan Harden told Chuck Spink, who also noted that he had taken part in the extensive, years long Fagan Canyon planning process, that although ambitious, the intent of Plan Santa Paula “Was never to develop a plan. The idea was to cover some areas of common ground to start the dialogue,” on land-use issues such as infill and new development.“We don’t have precise answers on everything but community conservation that occurred...and we’ll be better equipped to have conversations like this in the future. It was not a solution,” Harden added.City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz welcomed participants to the fourth and final Plan Santa Paula workshop, a series of meetings suggestion by Mayor Rick Cook that was supported by the Council after two recent failed ballot measures targeting development.The meetings were launched in July and covered diverse issues such as infill, city gateways, community priorities for growth and specific areas where development could occur, among others.“Community means more than just a city,” but also the idea of working together noted Harden. “Those losing sense of community are not able to come together and discuss the issues...”There have been rocky times: one meeting that featured consultants erupted into an argument over campaign signs that noted that the proposed 2,147 home development in Fagan Canyon - defeated by voters in June - would bring 26,000 cars to city streets.Consensus has been found on several issues including the need for development without serious impacts to traffic or city infrastructure, building more high-end housing, defining income levels for affordable housing, the need to provide post-secondary educational opportunities, attracting light industry and sprucing up city gateways, among others.
