Zoning and Permitting Issues in Santa Barbara City Reviewed

Source: Santa Barbara County Grand Jury

The 2021 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury investigated a citizen complaint regarding a food processing company in the City of Santa Barbara. The complaint alleged the Company had caused nuisances, such as noise, odor, and traffic, which the City of Santa Barbara Community Development Department, the City Attorney, and the City Council failed to address. The Jury found that while several actions were properly taken by the City, there still remained a problem in the eyes of the local residents and that further actions would have been appropriate. 

The Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara City Council: (1) hold public hearings on any zoning, permitting, or Certificate of Occupancy decision, whether involving interior or exterior renovations for any project, that may lead to “obnoxious or offensive” operations; (2) commission a report clarifying the zoning and permitting status of business operations in the C-M zone; (3) commission a report clarifying the status of mitigation measures taken with regard to the food processing operations of the Company; (4) commission a review of the documentation and archiving of zoning and permitting decisions, and the City’s manner of communicating them to the broad public; and (5) promulgate revised City procedures for managing zoning and code enforcement cases, including those for putting complaints about such cases on the Council’s agenda and reporting to residents on the decisions taken by City authorities. 

The complete report with agency responses are posted on the Grand Jury’s website: www.sbcgj.org .  

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