Environmental Scoping Meeting
updated: Sep 19, 2012, 4:26 PM

Source: Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County announced today that the Planning and Development Department, Long Range Planning Division has released a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Goleta Valley Community Plan (GVCP) Update for the Eastern Goleta Valley.

The NOP and accompanying Scoping Study outline the environmental topic areas to be addressed in the EIR. The release begins a 30-day public and agency comment period on the issues to be addressed by the EIR.

The Planning and Development Department will hold an environmental scoping meeting in the multi-purpose room at the Vieja Valley School on October 3, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to involve the public in the project and receive comments on the scope and content of the environmental issues to be addressed in the EIR. The Vieja Valley School is located at 434 Nogal Drive in the Eastern Goleta Valley.

The County of Santa Barbara is the lead agency preparing the EIR with the purpose of informing decision-makers and the public regarding the potential environmental effects related to the GVCP Update for the Eastern Goleta Valley in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code §21000 et seq.). The EIR will consider the potential effects of the project on the environmental areas identified during initiation of the project and the scoping period.

County of Santa Barbara Second District Supervisor Janet Wolf stated yesterday, "I strongly encourage residents of the Eastern Goleta Valley to provide input during this comment period on issues that will be addressed in the Environmental Impact Report, either by attending the Scoping meeting or providing written comments during this thirty day period."

The scoping meeting marks the beginning of the environmental review phase of a multi- year effort by the Eastern Goleta Valley community and the County to update the portions of the 1993 Goleta Community Plan that regulate land uses in the Eastern Goleta Valley planning area. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved initiation of the environmental review phase of the project on February 21, 2012.

The GVCP Update for the Eastern Goleta Valley includes proposed amendments to the Santa Barbara County Comprehensive Plan, the Santa Barbara County Land Use and Development Code, the Coastal Zoning Ordinance, and the County land use and zoning maps.

The GVCP Update for the Eastern Goleta Valley and EIR will be considered by the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission for a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors after the environmental review is completed.

The GVCP Update for the Eastern Goleta Valley and information about the Eastern Goleta Valley plan area is available on the project webpage:

http://longrange.sbcountyplanning.org/planareas/goleta/gcp.php.

Comments on the scope and content of the EIR may be submitted until the end of the scoping period on October 19, 2012 to Bret McNulty, the project planner, at (805) 884- 8060 or bmcnulty@countyofsb.org

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