Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Every honeybee feels sweet jealousy when they see you're out with me. I don't blame goodness knows, honeysuckle rose. When you're passing by, flowers droop inside and I know the reason why you're much sweeter. Goodness knows, honeysuckle rose. Good evening, everyone.

Welcome to the meeting of the City of Goleta Planning Commission for April 27, 2026. Please stand with me with a Pledge of Allegiance, please. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice Could we please get a roll call vote on the Planning Commission members?

Yes, thank you, Chair. Commissioner Fullerton?

Here.

Commissioner Maynard?

Present.

Commissioner Penniman? Here. Vice Chair Sorotkin?

Here.

And Chair Miller?

Here. At this time, we will do the public forum. And this is the time that the public shall have the opportunity to comment on any non-agenda item relevant to the jurisdiction of the city that's not on the agenda. Reasonable time limits are imposed on each topic and each speaker. Do we have any public forum speakers?

Chair Miller, I have no speaker slips for public forum. Those of you on the Zoom webinar who wish to speak to a non-agenda item, please use the raised hand icon and I will call on you. I'm seeing none, Chair.

OK, thank you. Director Imhoff, do we have any amendments or adjustments to the agenda?

Madam Chair, we have no amendments or adjustments.

We will now move to the first item. Could you please read item A1 into the record?

Yes, thank you, Chair. That is item A1, approval of the Planning Commission meeting minutes of March 9, 2026.

Okay. Do we have any comments, discussions from the Commission members? Yes.

Just one correction. I think item B on the vote, it says vice chair Penniman, and I believe that should be changed to vice chair Sirotkin.

Okay. Thank you for that.

This was from the March 9 meeting minutes. So I think this happened before the vice chair was selected. But I will triple check that and make that correction.

Okay. Yeah. I don't think I was there for vice chair.

It's easy then, doesn't it? Okay.

So any other questions? Discussion points. Okay. Can I get a motion, please? Chair, I'll ask for a public comment on this item. Oh, yes, of course. Does anybody have any public comment on the minutes?

And for those of you on the Zoom webinar, please use the raised hand icon if you would like to speak to this item. I'm seeing none. Thank you, Chair.

Okay. Very good. Can I get a motion, please, to approve the minutes? I'll make a motion.

Do I need to read it all? Yes.

I'll make the motion.

Okay. Do we have a second? I'll second.

Okay. Can we do a roll call vote, please? Yes. Thank you, Chair. Commissioner members, please lock in your votes. Commissioner Fullerton? Yes. Commissioner Maynard? Yes. Commissioner Penniman? Yes. Vice Chair Sirotkin?

Yes.

Chair Miller?

Yes. At this time, I have a potential conflict of interest under the Political Reform Act relating to the Sandpiper Golf Course project and given the proximity of my home to the site. Therefore, I will recuse myself from discussion of and action on any actions related to this site, including the items that are part of the present public hearing. I will turn the chair position over to our vice chair. Rita Sorotkin.

Thank you. And now we'll move to item B1. And if you, the clerk, would please read the item.

Yes, thank you, Vice Chair. That's item B1, Sandpiper Golf Course Renovation and New Clubhouse Project with Heightened Setback Adjustments and Final EIR located at 7925 Hollister Avenue, APN 079-210-059. Case numbers 22-0001-ZDPH in concept, 22-0009-DP-CUP, and 22-0032-DRB.

Thank you. Do any of the commissioners have any disclosures, ex parte disclosures that they want to make? OK, moving on then.

So usually, could the staff call us off so we could do ex parte communications?

Oh, OK, we can. And do any of the staff? Have any ex parte communications to report?

Sorry, just the staff. We'll call our names so we can say each of our ex parte communications on the commission.

Okay. I see what you mean. I'm new at this, so please forgive me. I found out just today. Okay. So that would be... Jennifer Fullerton? Commissioner Fullerton?

I have no ex parte. I did go to the site this last week for lunch, so I saw the story polls.

Commissioner Maynard?

I've been by the site to see the area and the story polls, but otherwise do not have any ex parte communications to disclose.

Okay. And Commissioner Penniman?

No ex parte communications.

Okay, and as Vice Chair Rita Sorotkin, I drove by, you know, but I did not have coffee or anything else. So just in all honesty, I did drive by to look at everything. Okay, so now we'll move on to staff presentation. Does the staff have a presentation? Are you ready to go?

Yes, we are. Good evening, Vice Chair Sarotin and Planning Commissioners. I'll start us off. I'm sorry to not be in person tonight with you all. My name is Mary Chang. I'm the city's project planner for this project for the Sandpiper Golf Course Clubhouse and renovation project. And I'm pleased to bring this project forward to you. I'm just going to introduce the project team. So actually next to you on the dais is Steve Rodriguez, our contract planner, who's been instrumental in the review process, the processing of the process, and getting us here tonight, alongside with Lisa Proce, our planning manager, who's also been very involved. Our legal team involves Winnie Cai, our assistant city attorney, and also our CEQA guidance, Alicia Winterstrike from BBK. Speaking of CEQA, our CEQA team consists of Rincon Consulting team of Nick Carter, Megan Jones, and Chris Julian. So we are all, the names I just mentioned that are not in person are on Zoom to be able to be pulled in and for any questions and answers. Last but not least, we have our public works staff, Mark Schleich and Teresa Lopes. So with that, I think I'll just turn it over to Mr. Rodriguez to give the staff presentation. Thank you. Thank you, Mary.

Yeah.

As you can see on the screen, this will be a very short presentation describing the Sandpiper Golf Course and renovation, the new clubhouse project. Next slide, please. I assume most everybody here is at least a little familiar with the project site. It's located at the western end of the city of Goleta, adjacent to Hollister Avenue. You can see it on the screen. The golf course was built in 1972 when the area was still unincorporated or in the county of Santa Barbara. The site is a former part of the Elwood oil field and there are still actually several old oil wells on the project site. There are, as you can see on the slide, there are residential uses adjacent to the site to the north and the east. Pacific Ocean to the south. On the western end of the site, the very west, is an open space area known as Bell Canyon. And next to that, the little light-colored triangular area, is the old Venico oil processing facility. If you've driven by the site, these buildings would look familiar to you. The buildings on the left-hand side are the existing clubhouse building, and on the right is the historic Barnsdale gas station, which is on the eastern portion of the project site adjacent to Hollister Avenue. Other buildings on the project site are some maintenance buildings. They're along the eastern edge of the property. The proposed project proposes to do a variety of renovations and new things out at the project site, starting off with removing the existing clubhouse and a small building referred to as a comfort station and replacing those buildings. Going to redesign the golf course, making minor changes to the topography of the site, the layout of the greens and T areas, removing golf cart paths, things like that. As I mentioned, the maintenance buildings are going to be replaced. There will be new parking areas provided and a reconfiguration of existing parking areas. One of the exciting parts of the project is the restoration of the old Rio Grande gas station building to incorporate that into a new coffee shop facility. And then, again, located adjacent to Hollister. Along Hollister Avenue, modifications to the roadway are proposed, improvements such as left turn lanes, medians in the center of the roadway, pedestrian crosswalks, relocation of existing bus stops and new transit facilities, new landscaping adjacent to Hollister Avenue, and undergrounding of existing overhead utility lines that are located between Hollister and the golf course property. This is the project site plan. You can see visually the extent of the changes that are proposed. The light green areas will be the modified fairways and green areas. The darker green is the existing golf course that would remain the same. The bright yellow area on the left-hand side, that's part of Bell Canyon that would be dedicated as an open space area. There's no improvements being proposed for that area. It would just have an open space easement placed on it. And then along the southern edge of the project site, an access easement is proposed along the sandy beach. So a permanent way for coastal access above the mean high tide line. have some pictures of the project site and some before and after simulations. So in this slide, you can see the existing golf course clubhouse buildings. And then at the bottom of the slide, it's a representation of what the proposed clubhouse buildings would look like. You can see it's a unique design. It has sloping walls. They're covered with turf. So the bulk of this These new improvements are concentrated in this area where the existing structural development, or most of the existing structural development, is located on the golf course. This is looking to the south across Hollister Avenue at the existing gas station site. And then that's the top slide. The bottom slide is showing how it would appear after it's restored to as close to its original condition as possible. And a small coffee shop building to the left of the gas station building and a small trellis area And both of those new buildings would be used primarily for food service and outdoor seating areas. This set of pictures shows an existing view looking west down Hollister Avenue. The feature or highlight for this is in the top picture, you can see the existing overhead power lines. And then in the bottom, what the coastal views would be like after the removal of the lines or the undergrounding of the lines. The installation of a new path adjacent to Hollister and new fencing and landscaping. So the project has a variety of objectives proposing to accomplish He wanted us to maintain and improve the golf course and its playability. And that would result primarily from adjustments of fairways and tee locations, minor grading, things like that. In terms of landscaping, approximately half of the existing turf would be removed from the project site and replaced with either native vegetation or drought-tolerant vegetation that's adapted to coastal environments. The next objective is related to the new clubhouse building, expanding the dining facilities and the recreation facilities that are provided on site. Similarly, new maintenance facilities, about the same building area for maintenance operations, but updated buildings. The next one we've talked about is the rehabilitation of the historic Barnsdall gas station and incorporating that into a new coffee shop facility. Several of the buildings on the project site The clubhouse and what's known as the comfort station are served using septic systems. Those septic systems would be removed, and those buildings would be connected to existing wastewater lines in Hollister Avenue. Again, undergrounding the overhead utility lines and improving views across the project site is an objective. And there was one more. To improve coastal access by providing a path along Hollister Avenue and the beach access. So the project does require a number of discretionary permits, both from the city and from the California Coastal Commission. The project site is located in an open space slash active recreation zone. And outdoor recreation facilities are required to obtain a conditional use permit in that zone. The other permit from the city is a development plan. That would be the review of the location and design and size of the proposed structures and the buildings on the project site. The city is also processing a coastal development plan in concept, meaning that the ultimate decision regarding the coastal development plan is with the California Coastal Commission. As I mentioned, Permits required for the project are discretionary permits. That means this project is subject to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. An environmental impact report was prepared for this project. It identified environmental impacts that would result from the project and mitigation measures that would reduce the effect of those impacts. Up on the screen here is a little graphic describing the EIR preparation process. It started off in late 2024 with public participation about what should be evaluated by the environmental impact report. A draft EIR was prepared. That was circulated for public review and comment. All of those comments have been reviewed and responded to. And those responses and all the comments are contained in a proposed final EIR. The final EIR will have to be certified before the city can take an action regarding the project. So the environmental impact report reviewed a wide range of environmental issue areas. There were no significant unavoidable impacts that were identified, meaning that either the project itself would not result in an impact to any of the specific environmental issue areas, or that those impacts could be reduced to a less than significant level with the mitigation measures that were identified. And so environmental issue areas that do require the implementation of mitigation measures are listed up on the screen. Biology, cultural resources, geology, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology. Land use and planning is related to consistency with policy requirements, primarily the city's general plan, coastal land use plan. And then utilities and service systems, another issue area. A variety of issue areas were evaluated by the EIR, and it was determined that there would be no significant environmental impacts associated with these issue areas. And as required by CEQA, the EIR reviewed a reasonable range of alternatives to the proposed project. Alternative one is the mandatory no project alternative. The project is not implemented. Conditions at the project site remain the way they are. Alternative two would be to only construct the clubhouse. This would be or could be called a reduced project size alternative. Alternative three was a revised site plan where the gas The cafe facility would be moved further away from Hollister Avenue. And the intent of that alternative would be to reduce a possible impact of construction vibrations affecting the historic and old gas station building. Lastly, alternative four is to provide an extended bicycle path as proposed by the project. A new path would be located on the project site adjacent to Hollister. Under alternative four, the bike path would be extended about a third of a mile to the east to connect with an existing class one bicycle path, which would provide increased alternative access to the project site. So alternative four, the extended bike path alternative, was identified by the EIR as the environmentally superior alternative that also meets the objectives of the project. So the only change to the project is the extension of the bike path. All of the buildings and changes to existing structures, all of those components of the project would remain as they are currently proposed. This slide just gives a high altitude view of the location of the proposed bicycle path and then where the alternative four extension to the east would be located. So the red line adjacent to the golf course, that's the location of the path that has been proposed. And then sort of in the bottom middle of the slide, you can see a bright yellow line. That's the property line for the golf course. And then you can see the about third of a mile extension south of Hollister that would join with an existing class one bicycle path. So alternative four, the extended bicycle path, was identified as an environmentally superior alternative for a number of reasons. One of them is that the proposed path would be composed of decomposed granite, which is basically a compacted dirt surface. The concern with that is that over time and where erosion occurs, and with rainfall and wet weather, additional erosion can occur. It creates a maintenance issue for the city to keep the path in a safe and usable condition. By extending the path to connect with the existing regional pathway system, it promotes the use of alternative transportation. It can be used by the public in general and perhaps employees commuting to the project site. When advantages like that occur, there's a reduction in vehicle traffic, which reduces air emissions and greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. By connecting The proposed path and the existing path, that enhances access to existing open space areas in the vicinity of the project site, the Elwood Mesa Open Preserve and the Sperling Preserve. And then there's increased access to the vertical access points, ways to get down to the sandy beach. So there are... multiple layers of benefits in terms of public access by expanding the bike path. The bike path expansion also provides consistency with several of the general plan coastal land use plan policies included that have been adopted by the city related to alternative modes of transportation, diversion of automobile trips, and the development of new pedestrian facilities. And then lastly, Another document that is closely associated with the general plan is called the bicycle and pedestrian master plan that has been adopted by the city. And the master plan envisions a class one bicycle path that would extend from the Well, that western end of the city extending along Hollister would actually eventually become like a loop around the entire city. So, again, alternative for better implementation of alternative access policies identified by the general plan and the master plan.

I think the last minutes. So I'll finish it. And before we go over what our recommendation is, I do want to point out that we put in a RATA sheet before you on the dais this evening. And I made 20 copies that were out in the lobby. So hopefully people were able to get a copy of it. We identified some really minor changes that we noticed today in some of our documents. So I just want to run through those. First one is in, it's going to get really complicated, Exhibit A to Attachment 1 on page 11, which was a 200 and some odd page document. So I thought that was the easiest way to identify it. In that finding 4 document, about light, it just referenced the wrong hours of construction for this particular project. What was originally published, it said 7 AM to 4 PM are hours. Because this site is located within 1,600 feet of residential, the construction hours are 8 to 5. All the other places in the document, it had the right 8 to 5. This was just the one place that somehow It didn't. So we're showing that correction. The other correction, and this happens in like three places, that the recommendation and alternative attachment to have the words in deny the original project. We want to strike that. All we're recommending for you to do is approve alternative four, which incorporates the original project. And then we have two wording changes to the conditions of approval, and that is one is condition 23C of Exhibit D of Attachment 2, and then condition 69 of Exhibit D of Attachment 2. And those changes are shown in underlined strikeout. So with that, staff is recommending that you adopt the resolution provided as attachment one, which recommends to the council to adopt the findings, the environmental findings based on what's in CEQA, certify the final EIR, adopt the mitigation, monitoring, and reporting program, and approve alternative four as amended. And then the second recommendation is to adopt the resolution that approves Alternative 4, which would approve both the development plan and the CUP as amended. So with that, that concludes staff presentation. And I believe now we're going to move, if I can switch this, onto the applicant's presentation. So bear with me.

Yes, so the next is the application presentation, and is someone available?

Vice Chair, is your mic on? Oh, it's on. Oh, good. Sorry. Thank you.

Is someone available, and are you ready to make a presentation?

Okay.

There is one condition. Let me just read it to you. You have a total of 15 minutes to give a presentation and rebut or clarify anything after public comment. Please reserve time for the latter if you intend to respond to public comment. The Planning Commission may have questions for you, but your time answering our questions does not count towards your 15 minutes.

All right, good evening, Vice Chair Schrodkin and members of the commission. My name is Kyle Oliver. I'm the general manager at Sandpiper Golf Course. And we are pleased to be before you tonight and appreciate the opportunity to present our plans. As you know, it has taken a considerable amount of time, collaboration, and effort for many people to reach this point. And we are very excited to share with everyone where we are today. Over the past four years, as we've engaged with local organizations, community members, and neighbors, we've consistently heard that this project is viewed not just as a renovation, but as a meaningful environmental improvement and community amenity. The positive support that everyone has shown us has really kept our team going. While this plan does enhance the golf course, it also includes a broad range of environmental and public benefits. from the rehabilitation of Barnsdale to new public trails, the undergrounding of utility lines, and a new state of the art clubhouse. These elements are designed with long term community value and environmental stewardship in mind. We have a good majority of our project team joining me tonight, as you can see back here. I'm not going to introduce all of them, because I only have a couple minutes. But they include Steve Welton, who is our lead planner, right here, with SEP's land use, and then also Barry Winnick with Winnick Architects, right here. So we are all here to answer any questions that you may have after the presentation. So on behalf of our owner and visionary, Mr. Ty Warner, and our entire team at Sandpiper Golf Course, we look forward to your feedback and respectfully request your approval this evening. Thank you.

OK.

Thank you, Kyle. Steve Welton with Steps Landage Consulting. We are the agent for the owners. I'm so grateful to be a part of this project. It's going to create a new Western gateway for the city of Gilead, in my opinion. Hopefully this will work. Good. So the structural components the staff just went through are pretty simple, starting with a comfort station to support a revitalized golf course, an historic renovation and adaptive reuse of the Barnisdale gas station. We're very excited about that. We'll get into that. A new modern clubhouse, which we'll touch on, including a new entry aligned with Cathedral Oaks, and an update to our maintenance facilities. I think there's something for everyone to like about this project personally. We've been blown away, as Kyle said, by our support from the neighbors and the community. We still have future stops at City Council and Coastal Commission as well. For today, we've highlighted four things that we want to talk about, sort of perspectives perhaps. Those who are interested in the legacy of Barnsdale, those who are interested in the environment, our golfers, and of course, the community. So let's start with a historic landmark. So Barnsdale gas station shown here is a city landmark. Proposals to restore it and repurpose it as a new cafe. In a nod to the past, the project is going to have antique gas pumps that look like gas pumps, but are actually electric bike chargers. And as noted by staff, we're going to have a lot of people walking by there, biking past there. So it would be a nice place to stop and get a drink or a bite to eat. It's located here. I could see the bluffs to the east and the hideaways up there to the north, the neighboring residences. Here's a photo showing Barnsdale and its heyday. You'll notice a cafe and an inn in the foreground here. And so our concept of the cafe has roots in the past. You'll also notice here the power lines that Steve was showing earlier. This is a photo of the station from close up, with the intention being to restore this building and capture the grandeur of its past. If you have any questions about this, Barry or online historian Tim Hazeltine can talk to you about it. Here it is today. Needs a little love, but I'm told the bones are in good shape by Barry. You can see the power lines are still here in the foreground. This site plan is just going to show you a little bit about the restoration component. As you can see, you can access it from the golf course off the first fairway. The restaurant will include interpretive signage that will have information about the past of the project, including World War II and all the way back to the Chumash. We'll also have a new cafe, as mentioned, a trellis with outdoor seating, new parking, Come on, little guy. There he goes. A crosswalk, a lighted crosswalk for our neighbors to the north to come here and also perhaps to the beach. Bicycle charging, as mentioned. Coastal trail map. And of course, we'll have a monument that says that this is a historic landmark. So now we'll turn, oh, one more important part, very important. We presented this project to your historic preservation committee and received really warm feedback from the members and folks in the public. Here's a few examples on the screen. I think we felt pretty good coming out of that meeting, and thanks to a lot of people from the public that commented as well. So I'll conclude that part, and we'll move on to the environmental improvements. If you're a nature lover, this project includes what we think are some truly consequential improvements of the environment around Sandpiper that should excite you. Starting with the irrigation and landscaping, we are going to remove 50% of the irrigated area and replace it with native plants. That's 60 acres that doesn't need agrochemicals, 60 acres that doesn't need pesticides. That's going to be a massive improvement both in water use and the improvements in water quality. We're also removing over an acre of concrete from concrete golf cart paths. And only the teas and greens will now have them. An example of that is the recent restoration of the Montecito Club. Take a look at that. Wanted to see what that might look like. The Glita General Plan encourages applicants to find opportunities where we can to improve ESHA where possible. And we're doing that. Here's one example. So in 1972, when they put the course in, they pretty much just denuded the whole thing, put the fairway right over Devereux Creek and a couple of areas, including this location, a concrete path going across the creek with a pipe in it. our proposal is to improve that and Span it instead with a bridge allow the creek to flow naturally and then restore it Butterfly is obviously a big part of glee. That's your It's your logo. We want to encourage their success We borrowed the plant palette from the city parks at Elwood preserve as inspiration for our landscaping plan on the eastern boundary of Sandpiper and Note that when we say foraging here, we are being careful not to include certain species like milkweed that might encourage the butterflies to stay too long and not continue on their journey. So we got that advice from biologists. We want clean water in the oceans. We all do. This project is doing its best using the best management practices as part of our project, including bioretention, but also utilizing sand capping, which is a few inches of sand underneath the greens and the fairways that will filter and clean the water before it leaves the property.

Another big water quality improvement.

The irrigation system was installed over 50 years ago. It's aging. It needs an overhaul. Modern irrigation systems provide for golf courses with the right amount of water based upon real-time data for soil conditions and weather. I've been in the control room at the new Montecito Club, and they have control over the flow and direction of every single sprinkler head. It's phenomenal, actually. It's like NASA. I think everyone can agree that private septic systems on the bluff aren't ideal. And so the applicants have a memorandum of agreement, as Steve mentioned, with LAFCO and the Glia West Sanitary District to expand the district's sphere of influence, allow us to connect those buildings to the sewer district. I just want to turn back to the turf area for a second. Here's a before and after. This is the current irrigation, 125 acres or so, roughly. And then afterwards, it'll be about 65 acres, so a pretty big reduction in area. And really, one of the fantastic things about the project is we're going to be able to remove 10 acres of irrigated sod and turf from the golf course and replace that. Those are areas with an Esha buffer right now. We replace it with a native pallet. I can go on and on about the environment, but we don't have that much time. I still have about five minutes or so. Simply put, the environmental improvements will be transformational for this project. Go on to the golf experience. Of course, this is a golf course, and so a central goal for the project is to revitalize the course, bring it to a truly world-class level. If you like golf, we think you're going to love the results. Tom hired Tom Doak, one of the top designers in the world, because of his vast experience with coastal golf courses and also his proclivity to work with the existing terrain rather than excessive terraforming. And as a result, we're able to balance the majority of the grading on site, all of it actually, and reduce the areas of cut and fill to relatively small areas of the property. And I just have a couple of little articles about Tom that we've snipped out that show how well regarded he is around the world. including courses in Ireland, Scotland, and Oregon. Many people ask about this. I want to touch on it really quickly. The club will maintain its policy of providing a locals rate, as well as maintaining its current partnerships with local schools and junior groups to provide low-cost access for our young people. I just wanted to flip through these slides really quickly. These are some potential viewpoints from the golf course. The sixth hole, the 14th hole after we finish the restoration, 17th hole, left top view of the course, and overall. So. We'll go to the community benefits. What if you aren't a golfer? Well, I want to talk about some of the improvements I think are going to interest you. One of them is the visual improvements as the project will underground power utility lines along the entire frontage of Hollister Frontage. A significant expense for our owner, but it will be a community benefit that everyone that bikes, rides, or walks past is going to enjoy. That's the current view right now that you see out there. You can see the power poles. Steve went through this, so I'll go quickly. We did do views from important view sheds in Goleta. This was Cathedral Oaks and Hollister. I'm just going to show you the before and after after we put in the driveway. Before and after. And then we also have the one that you saw from the hideaways looking back. We added a little path there as well, as you can see. Before and after. So if you enjoy walking or biking, you'll appreciate this project includes an extension of the De Anza Trail, something envisioned in the general plan.

Here it is in blue within the Elwood Preserve.

The De Anza Trail will be a pedestrian and bike path proposed along Hollister Avenue, and it has sweeping views of the ocean. Took this picture off the National Parks website. You can go there to look up information about the De Anza Trail. It actually starts in Mexico, goes to Arizona, all the way up to San Francisco. It's celebrating its 250th year this year, just like our country. Here's a view of what we had in mind. It was going to be a narrower trail. Staff, as mentioned, has developed and supports alternative four, and we've agreed to incorporate that to the project in front of our property. It also allowed to agree us to meander a little bit, some flexibility there, which we appreciate and will help us maintain a less urban feel. In addition to the sandpiper frontage, The city has asked the applicant to extend the path another third mile to the east. Rather than constructing it, the owner is offering to gift the city with an appropriate amount to be confirmed with city council. Continuing on the trails theme, we are going to include some trails along the western portion, existing trails in Bell Canyon. And that will go along with an offer from the owner to dedicate five acres of the property in Bell Creek as a permanent conservation easement, preserving an important part of the biosphere in perpetuity. And to support this, for additional access for hikers, we're also going to stripe 12 public parking spaces within the existing right-of-way. Go back there. One more. Our proposal also includes an offer to dedicate a horizontal easement along the property, as Steve mentioned. And so we'll have a perimeter access, complete access around the perimeter. So finally, the architectural jewel of the property is the clubhouse designed by Winnick Architects. Barry and Gustavo are here. I'm rushed, but we only have one item tonight, so I hope you give me an extra minute or so. Some of the features of the new clubhouse include a new entry that's aligned with Cathedral Oaks, enhanced parking, a pro shop, an event lawn to host the existing events, the impressive clubhouse itself, the public bar and restaurant, which will have fantastic views. and the Sunset Terrace, and nearly done. We presented the project to DRB, and we received, I would say, glowing reviews. I'll just read one of them from the chair of the DRB. I've been on this board a lot of years, and this might be the most, excuse me, exemplary project I've ever seen. That was from the DRB chair, I believe. Here's one last rendering from that Sunset Terrace. I hope you join me there. And I'll just wrap it up now. I want to express my deep appreciation for staff to the Daryl Mimic, Mary Chang, Lisa Prassey, Mark Schleich, Steve Rodriguez, Jaime Valdez, many others. They've all spent a lot of time on this project, sometimes extra hours. Lisa, I know, on vacation sometimes. We really appreciate them moving this project along so we have a chance to see it to come to fruition. We have our whole team here to answer any questions. Thank you.

Thank you. Do any of the commissioners have any questions for the staff or the applicant at this point? Commissioner Fullerton?

Yeah, I have a few questions for the applicant. My first question was about the alternative four. Do you guys support alternative four?

Yes, in short. We agree that we will do the bikeway in front of Sandpiper. I think where we disagree is how we fund the extension of the 1 third of a mile beyond our property boundaries. And so that's where we're asking to provide a set number, a figure, which staff at this point is recommending that we instead have the applicant take on the burden of building that. And so that's, I think, the only difference we have.

Okay. And then for staff, in terms of making a recommendation, do we have to decide that? Or is that something for City Council?

Vice Chair and Commissioners, that is something for City Council. Our staff's recommendation is as stated in the staff report.

Okay. Thank you. And just to confirm that having the bike path, the concrete bike path, that does not affect the De Anza Trail that you showed?

uh is that a separate pathway through the chair no that that is the that's staff's alternative for us we proposed the the anza trail which was going to be a dg trail you know we thought about maybe making it paved as an alternative but staff and said instead it asked for us to build the 14-foot bikeway which will have a pedestrian path alongside of it so you'll be able to okay so it's not just a bikeway it is still a pedestrian path yes okay and then um just a couple more questions is the sunset terrace that you showed is that something that's open to the public Yes. Absolutely. It's just outside the bar.

And then you had mentioned the discount for locals. I know I saw a couple of public comments with people concerned about the cost and about it being too expensive for locals. Can you explain about that a little more?

I'll probably bring Kyle up for that. But in general, we don't know what the rates are going to be yet. But we're committing to be competitive rates and have a more affordable rate for residents and certainly, like I said, for our partners in the schools and junior groups. But we don't know the cost of the project yet, that kind of thing. But certainly, we'll commit to that.

OK. That's all my questions for now. Thanks.

Commissioner Maynor? Sure. Thank you. Actually, you asked a lot of the questions I had, so I just have a few. One question for city staff. With the abandonment of the right-of-way or the row, who will be responsible for the bike path maintenance in the long run? Or what are some of the implications of abandoning the right-of-way?

Commissioner Maynard, the bike path will be in the public right-of-way. The area that's proposed to be abandoned is more or requested to be vacated is adjacent to the parking lot area in front of the clubhouse, and the applicant would like to put some of their parking spaces and some of their landscaping in that area. So what's proposed to be vacated is not where the bike path would be. Okay.

And that doesn't create any concern for our public works staff in terms of maintenance of the roads over time?

The portion that's the right of way we're vacating is actually not road. It's their grass in front of their property at the moment. The bike path would probably will be maintained by public works. The conditions are written that the landscaping that's in our right of way will be maintained by the applicant.

And then for the applicant, I appreciate so much of the efforts that you've done to improve the environmental impact of the property as a whole. One thing that I know we've had recent conversations with Coastal Commission about is the importance of lateral access along the bluff top. Can you talk a little bit about why you didn't include public lateral access at the bluff top?

Sure. Thank you, Commissioner, for that question through the chair. Yeah, we've had a lot of conversation about that. We've also met multiple times with Coastal Commission staff to discuss this point. For us, it's really a showstopper for a number of reasons. You saw that bluff top picture. That's a 60-foot drop right there. So right off the bat, we have concerns about safety. There's also, as you might have looked through the documents, there's escha on that bluff, sage scrub escha. So we're looking at having a setback from that. We're concerned about erosion over time, moving that path as well with the setbacks from the escha, moving that path into the golf course, starting to encroach upon the ability to play safely. And then to mitigate the safety concerns, maybe from golf balls, You can't just say, look out. You have to have something there. So it would have to be a fence or something like that. And that would detract, in our opinion, from the aesthetics. So there's many reasons why. And our owner, honestly, that's a red line for us to do that.

That's very helpful. Thank you. And I guess just one more nuance to this. So with the new bike path, would that connect to the De Anza Trail on the east side and to the Bell Canyon on the left side? Would that be a cohesive connection? Do we know?

So with the revision, alternative four terminates the trail at Cathedral Oaks. We will have a sidewalk beyond that to our western service entry. Beyond that, at this point, you'd be on the road until you get to pass Venico, and then you'd be able to access the volcano from there.

What's that distance between Bell Canyon and where you would get off the... A couple hundred feet, probably. Not far. Okay, thank you. That's all my questions for right now.

Okay, Commissioner Penniman.

Thank you. It's a beautiful looking project. Do you have a couple questions? The 12 public parking spaces that you mentioned, can you explain that? Is that on the, as part of the project, is that on the property?

It looked like it was not. Sure. Commissioner Penniman through the chair. Yeah, the right-of-way here is kind of interesting because the old configuration of Hollister in this area was changed with the hotel project. And so there's a lot of excess right-of-way. And so it will be within the existing right-of-way in front of Fenico. There's quite a bit of extra right-of-way there. So we've identified a spot that we felt we could fit. And Jeremy drew it up that we could get about 12 parking spaces in there. OK. And that's part of the project is to stripe those? Yeah.

Oh, great. That's fantastic. Also, so I've heard rumors that the main beams in the current pro shop are from like the oil piers. Is there any substantiation to that? And if so, is there any plans in the demolition to repurpose those?

I'll let Barry answer that. I think he has a canned answer for you probably. Yeah.

Truthfully, we haven't done the research, but multiple times I've heard that the timbers are from the piers. We do plan on preserving the timbers for reuse, probably for the golf cart paths, the bridge that you saw, that one that was demonstrating how we're getting rid of the culvert. That would be a perfect use for it.

Fantastic.

Sure.

Thank you. And then lastly, I was wondering if we could bring up the slide where you're showing the – The before and after for Cathedral Oaks view.

Is that possible to bring up there? That's in both presentations. Okay. So maybe Lisa can do that.

Is there a question around that?

No worries. Yeah, exactly. Oh, do you remember what page it is? She's on our presentation. Okay, now she's on Steve's. I think go forward.

Yeah, I didn't see it in this one.

He wants to see it. Go back to you. I'm sorry. That's the one.

No, the Cathedral Oaks looking out towards the ocean.

Oh, then I guess maybe it's only in our.

Yeah, the driveway.

Do you know which number?

Yeah, it's page 62 in the presentation packet. Okay. No, not that one.

Yes.

Yeah, it was in the applicant's presentation.

And you just said page 62, somebody? Yeah. Okay. So literally the one coming off of the overpass.

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

Yeah. Sorry about that. Well, while she's looking, maybe I can anticipate a question. Long ago, in front of DRB, when we made a preliminary presentation, it was recommended that we only drive in on that path coming off, so we'd never have headlights facing out. So that was something that we incorporated in the design of the project, which we thought was a good suggestion from DRB. You're getting there.

Did you want to add something?

I have a question while we're waiting about access.

There was a public comment, at least one, having the public have access to walk the golf course? Has there been any discussion? Would the public be allowed to walk in the golf course?

I think that's dangerous during play hours. So I think that's the whole reason for having the path along Hollister.

But even not during play hours, like before? I know some people like to go out and walk really early, sunrise or late.

I don't think that's come up in discussion.

Almost there.

Almost there, yeah.

There it is. There it is. So that's the current view today. Correct. And this is, like, talking to citizens in Goleta, like, this is the crown jewel view of, you know, going over that overpass and seeing sandpaper and seeing the ocean and the Channel Islands behind it. And so yeah, it's a great view and so if you go to the next slide it shows the underground utilities and What is the entrance road as I understand right it goes to the right and then you can to the right you can see like the eastern end of the clubhouse?

Correct, and that's the golf shop that you're seeing, that little bit.

And that, I mean, that is definitely an improvement to what's there today. I mean, this is a world-class view. It's fantastic. My question has to do with the planting plan on, what is it, sheet L-110. I think it's the... Page 19 of the project plans part two doc.

And Sam Mathis has just stepped up to help answer this question about planting, our landscape designer.

It's possible to bring up that slide. That's where my question is. So looking at this plan. I can see up in the upper right, there's the intersection. That's Cathedral Oaks coming into Hollister.

Correct.

And then there's the entrance road that comes in and then curves towards the east end of the clubhouse.

That's the one-way entrance?

Yeah, the one-way entrance. And what I'm seeing here, if I'm reading this right, is there's actually a tree even overhanging that entrance road. In fact, drawing a straight line from the northwest corner of that intersection where the sidewalk is to the east end of that clubhouse, there are 12 trees on the visual side of that line.

I can speak to that.

So yeah, if we go back to that slide that we were seeing, I don't. It just doesn't seem like that is representative of the view that we're going to get with this planting plan.

Well, this planning plan is kind of a complexity of dealing with the requirements for a parking lot that is to be used by all the members of the club and any public members. And there are certain requirements for sun and shade over pavement. There are certain requirements for plantings in islands that are dividing the parking stalls. So some of that tree planting that you astutely found or is on that plan is necessary for city code. So we'd happily take some of those away if we're allowed by the city code for this parking structure and for the city's use. But that's the reason that those trees are part of this incorporated landscape plan.

And so that rendering of that view is not really, that does not incorporate the planting plan.

I don't know if those trees are represented exactly on that rendering correctly. All right.

But it represents a fair amount.

But it represents.

Is it possible to go back to that slide? Just one more time. Sorry. And that's the last one, I promise.

I think, as you recall, it's quite open on that right side. You're right. It's very open.

And this basically showed, this planting plan showing trees overhanging that entrance road and a dozen more between that and the parking lot.

Yeah, but they're not overhanging the entrance road.

Well, that's depicted in this plan, the planting plan. So I think that's good enough. I think that answers my question. I don't think it's depicted. And I do think that that's going to be a significant visual impact that the city is kind of a city conflicting with two of its different view shed protection and parking ordinances. So thank you.

I have a couple of questions. One is actually kind of related to that one. I drive that road and take that intersection every single day. And it is already one you've got to be really careful. Because when you approach it going to the west, some people are making a right turn. Some people are going straight. Now you're, I assume, are you going to have a left turning lane if that's the entrance? And the same thing when people are coming off the expressway. and then they want to make a left. They have to watch out for the two lanes of traffic coming eastbound, who are trying to make, you know, one lane is making a left turn to go to the expressway, and the other one's going to go straight. Now you're adding another element of people entering the golf course there. I'm concerned... I'm going to get a reputation because for another project, I also was worried about traffic. But I am concerned with all those turns and limited visibility is not great. And I noticed that the parking lot does have another, the existing. That's why I said I drove by it earlier today. That appears to be both the ingress and the egress. And why we're adding another driveway cut or road cut is a question that I have. And it does look like the parking lot has expanded beyond what you're showing in these views. It looks like it's right up by that entryway. So I'm a little bit concerned about that.

Let me take this to start.

And then we also have Scott Shell from traffic to be able to describe it.

So first off, just to answer the last piece, the parking is in the same location as it is today. We haven't expanded it further to the east. We have expanded the parking to the farther to the west. You'll see there's an overflow parking that we've created past the entrance that you're mentioning that's there today. We're keeping that entrance as well. So that will be both for coming in and going out. The answer for the reason why the traffic flow is coming off of Cathedral Oaks and coming into the site is one we were trying to streamline that and also create a drop-off sequence so people can drive in, drop people off in front of the clubhouse, and then continue on to park their cars. So that was the pragmatic reason for it. I'll have Scott Schell from ATV maybe answer the questions about traffic impacts.

Because one of the things I think, and I should have asked about this, are you anticipating a need for another traffic light there?

No.

Because if people are making multiple turns and, you know, now it's a four-way intersection, whether just the four-way stop signs will do it or, you know.

I'm going to defer to Scott, but we have not talked about a traffic light. Thank you.

Good evening.

Good evening. Commissioners, my name is Scott Schell with Associated Transportation Engineers, and we worked on the traffic study for the project and also assist a little bit with the EIR and some of the responses. So the intersection is going to go through a couple of changes. As you all know, we have fire station, I think it's 10 that's going in and out there. And so they have... We had to first meet with Fire Station 10 in the city to say, how are you guys going to do your corner? So they're expanding that part of the approach coming in. If you're going westbound, I think that's what you were just alluding to. So they're going to put in an extra turn lane to turn right and another lane to go through or left. So there isn't going to be a left turn lane, but there's going to be two separate lanes coming up that approach. It's a combined effort between the fire station and this project. As far as a four-way, it really isn't. It's still a three-way because nobody's coming out of the driveway. So we're not adding another complex movement of a left or a right or a through competing with the gaps at the intersection. When you think about it, basically, if you're going to the golf course now, you go through the intersection down to the driveway and come into the parking lot. In this case, you have two options. You can take the first left and come into the drop off. Or if you're smart like me, you know where to park, you go to the second one. And so there's going to be some improvements at that location as well. Put a new left turn lane in on Hollister to the west so that you can get into the secondary entrance. We did do traffic counts. We worked with Mark Schleich. Public Works on the striping plan, again coordinating with the fire station to make sure that site distance were good. There's going to be enhanced pedestrian facilities. It's kind of a, it's a little bit, I'm not going to say a no man's land out right there, but right now the sidewalks and the pedestrian connections aren't good. And so this project is actually going to improve a lot of that as well. So it's going to be, I think it's going to actually be better organized than what we're seeing today.

And the other thing, and this might be just a correction, Something that was said in your proposal or the presentation that the original restaurant was to the east where you're putting the new coffee bar. But if you look at the picture, it's on the west side. It's not just a minor, you know.

It's not like...

You're absolutely correct. I didn't say that. You're absolutely correct.

OK, it wasn't just me having a mental blip.

No, no, you're absolutely correct. But it still makes sense for us to put the new one to the east. Madam Chair, may I just go back to one question that was asked before just to further elaborate? Sure. Thank you. Going back to Commissioner Penniman's questions about the landscape at the entrance, I just, for my own reference, went and got a copy of that same plan that was up on the screen. Just to note two things. I'm seeing the one tree that you were talking about that is probably about halfway up the driveway that you were describing as overhanging the road. And I agree. That one certainly could be moved. I think it could be placed somewhere else in the parking lot and still get our coverage that Sam Mathis was speaking about in terms of meeting city requirements. So just part of the process, we will be going back to the design review board, even though we had a unanimous discussion decision in favor of the project, that was for preliminary design approval. And we did tell them that we'd be back in front of them after we've made it through the full process, including Coastal Commission. So those kinds of nuances of refining things like that will certainly happen while we're speaking with them. And that would be one thing I would take of notice. The other thing, which our civil engineer just reminded me, there's a huge grade drop as you come into the property. You probably aren't aware of it, but from outside of Cathedral Oaks at the intersection, it's about eight feet higher than the driveway point where we're talking about where that tree is, and it's actually ten feet higher than where the clubhouse starts. So one of the things that will be working in everybody's favor as they drive through there is the fact that they're at a higher point than the actual site and the landscape is happening at. Hope that clarifies it for you.

But those are predicted to be 44-foot trees, right?

That I'm not sure.

That's what the plans say.

Well, they're certainly not going to start that way. Wow.

40-foot trees? Well, if that's a cypress, a lot of the trees are oaks and cypress. We're trying to stay in the very native coastal realm of plant micro zones. And so that particular tree, to the owner's preference, was to try to make as many cypress and large trees in this parking lot as possible. That one particular is large enough for the root zones of that So that's why it was placed to kind of meet a couple of the criteria that we mentioned before about the city's sunshade and certain aspects of square footage of the pavement that's covered. But that particular tree can be shifted in any number of areas to keep that visual sightline view as open as possible. That would be amazing. They are great trees, too. Yeah. Thank you.

Thank you. I have a couple of short questions, I hope. One of them is about the bike path. Now, I understand the model, what you're going to hook up to, is the one that goes from Elwood School to Pacific Oaks. What I don't understand is, now that's a shared pedestrian and bike path.

Correct.

But there's also, if you've been that way, driven that way recently, There are green painted bike paths on the road as well. Are they going to be maintained? So are there going to be the roadside one and then the sidewalk? One of my concerns is with a lot of kids now on electric bikes, they're not always the safest. And you're going to have pedestrian, it's 14 feet wide, I understand. And I wondered about that. But You're putting bikes and pedestrians on the same path. And having been a runner for many years, that doesn't always work. And so I am a little bit concerned that we're providing a duplication of effort with the bike path, since we already have these now green-painted lanes. Do we need that wide of a sidewalk? No. if we already have a bike path? So that's one question. I'll give you all three, and then you can.

Sure.

And then just what the anticipated time and duration of the construction is, and is it being done in phases or all at once? And then EV parking you mentioned was for bicycles. Is there any car EV parking in charging stations?

Okay, I'll take the easy ones first. Thank you. To meet the city requirements, there will need to be EV parking. Just like we just have solar panels also on parts of the facilities, we have to meet the green code. So there is EV parking. We just happen to highlight the bicycle parking because it's at Barnsdale and it's a special feature. So there will be that. Going back, I mean... If you ask me as a designer, I'll share my aesthetic preference regarding bike paths. But I think Goleta has their community plan. So we were trying to be basically good citizens and meet the requests that have been made to us. Me personally, if I were to make a recommendation of what I would do for this project, I would keep the bicycles themselves in the street, and I would have that very nice De Anza trail that we showed in our original design. However, with one change, I understand the problem of maintaining DG, which is what we originally proposed as the paving. So instead, we could do an aggregate concrete that could be colored so that it looks more or less like the naturalistic path, but is actually a hard surface that would be easier to maintain. That, as a designer, is what I prefer and I think fits more the pastoral and agrarian nature of being in front of a golf course and open space like that looking out towards the ocean.

I happen to agree with you. But my question was really, do we need 14 feet of new concrete if you've got a bike path already in the street right next to it.

So maybe Mark Schleich can probably weigh in here. But if you've been on Modoc, there is a bike path. And then there's a bike path. So you have the one that's off the road. And then all the professional bikers, Barry, probably, they're right in the street. And so I think what's going to happen likely here is you'll have many of the bikers that are more interested in speed staying on the road. And the ones that are having a more enjoyable experience will be on the path.

And if I could just add, if you've driven Las Positas between Cliff Drive and Modoc, there's now a detached bike path, but also a bike path, as Steve said, on the road. That bike path now goes from the intersection of Las Positas to Modoc all the way to the La Cumbra undercrossing. And under construction now is another class one bike path, multimodal, that goes from that intersection all the way to the next bike path that goes along Atascadero Creek. So in essence, we're trying to achieve the same outcome for this section. One thing I didn't know when we started is there's a fair amount of kids that need to catch a bus that would use that path from the north side of 101 over to that bus stop in Elwood School on their way to the junior high perhaps. So it wasn't readily apparent how important this link is until we started to hear those types of conversations.

And for the 10 to 14 wide, that also includes some of the divider between the bike path and the main road. Can you talk a little bit? Because I think when we think of 10 to 14 feet, it seems like a lot, but it actually gets eaten up fairly quickly when you start thinking about the dividers and the things that might be there.

Yeah, I believe there's a couple feet of landscaped area between there. We also realize that we're trying to balance what's there now and not affecting it. And so that's where we came up with the variable with like, oh, there's a tree. If we make it a little narrower here, we can avoid it type of thing. So 14 foot's the max, could be as little as 10 in some areas. I think we're going back to the meandering approach if we can to make it kind of fit the design of the area.

And then this will connect to the green painted section with that extension. Is that correct? So can you just talk about how it connects to the rest of the bike path when it goes beyond the scope of this project?

So there's various classes of bike lanes. Three is the lowest class. That means you and the car are fighting for the same space. Two means you're on the road, but you have kind of your own lane. So that's what you're seeing further down on Hollister. That's where... Avid bicyclists that are doing 20, 30, 40-mile rides are in that lane because they want to go fast and they want to get their miles in. The multipurpose, where it's in this location, is more meandering, more pedestrian-friendly, more family-focused, and the continuation of that helps this project or helps the city with their goals of multi-use paths. Vehicle I'm gonna go into the end of the e-bikes so if you pedal an e-bike and You go less than 20 miles an hour. You are not violating the vehicle code to be on that path If you're riding an electric bike that you don't pedal pedal assist and you go faster than 20 You're what you shouldn't be there, and you should be cited now who's enforcing that that's like another question, but When I bought my e-bike, I did that research so I could go on the bike pass.

Thank you. I think at this point, if any members of the public would like to make a comment, we at this point, I think, probably have three minutes each. So if you would like, the clerk can check and see if there's anyone online that wants to speak.

Yes, thank you, Vice Chair. I do have one speaker slip. Those of you on the Zoom webinar, please use the raised hand icon, and I will call on you. Oh, please. And yes, please, if you want to speak in person, please bring a speaker slip to me. They're on the table out here.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome.

Our first speaker is Robert Miller.

Good evening, Chair Sorotkin and planning commissioners. and colleagues who I haven't seen in a while. My name is Robert Miller. My wife and I live at the hideaway across from the Sandpiper Golf Course. We're not golfers, but I will submit these comments in enthusiastic support of the project. We are excited about the real, measurable, and beneficial impacts it will make to our community and the environment. Most of these you've already heard about, but I'll still repeat them because I think they're important. They're going to restore habitat and improve coastal access of views, including a 50% reduction of grass that will significantly reduce water use. The restoration of the historically significant Barnsdale gas station cannot be overstated. It's something important to the entire city. They're adding a small cafe next to the restored gas station. It will be the only commercial service in the 1 and 1 half miles between Cathedral Oaks and the plaza shops next to the Camino Royale. They will add new hiking trails and improvements to existing trails bordering the golf course. They're going to vary utility lines, which is a fantastic feature. Of special interest to our neighborhood that I don't think has been mentioned tonight is the proposed and badly needed crosswalk on Hollister and Las Armas that people in our neighborhood cross frequently at their own peril. During the past... 12 years, we have seen proposals for four different projects on the five-acre site to the east of us. They have been strongly opposed by residents in Western Goleta as incompatible and detrimental to the existing neighborhoods, the Elwood Preserve, the Elwood School, and the Westmont Senior Citizen Home. In stark contrast, We strongly support and applaud the Sandpiper project. Since I have 43 minutes, I'll just add my 43 seconds. I will add my comment about the bike path. I wish that they were going to be able to keep the path as designed, but I understand the compromises that are being made and their willingness to work with the city on that. I, too, think that the bike path is redundant with the bike path in the street. When I was on the planning commission, I actually raised objections when they were building the path along Hollister between Pacific Oaks and Pebble Beach that I thought somewhat redundant. Although I will confess I have seen since then that that path is heavily used safely by both pedestrians and bicycles, so I think it is possible, particularly since it's going to be a winding type. If it's going to be a winding type path, I think that will help. Thank you very much.

Our next in-person speaker is Carolyn Grenier. Grenier. Grenier, thank you.

No worries.

Hello to everybody. I've written all of you a long letter which you already have in your packets so I will not reiterate the many points made by Robert Miller. I live at the Bluffs so I am directly next door and I love seeing so many of our Bluffs members here tonight. We've met directly with Sandpiper and members there because we really applaud this project. We think it is wonderful for Goleta. It is wonderful for the community. The many amenities that are being brought into the area, I think, cannot be underemphasized. So we're very excited about it. There's been quite a lot of letter writing to all of you, I think, by other members of our community as well. And I love seeing them walking their little golf carts up through our community and over to Sandpiper. That said, I do want to talk about the sidewalk. If you notice, and those of you that drive up and down Hollister all the time, the sidewalk is actually very wide and 10 to 12 feet wide from Elwood School down to the marketplace. It is not so in front of the bluffs. We have 62 homes in our community. We have, obviously, hundreds of vehicles entering and exiting our community every day, both from homeowners and from vendors. And if you notice, the sidewalk from the Elwood Mesa parking lot up to the entrance to the maintenance yard is actually about five to six feet. I took a poll tonight. We think it does narrow in some spots and then it gets slightly wider, but it is not the same access, which even though on the map it is showing as being exactly the same as the class one that you have from the parking lot all the way up to the maintenance yard. It is not that. And I will tell you that with the volume of traffic that we have coming in and out of our neighborhood, especially since it is two-way at that point, navigating and making sure that you are being careful. And we do have a right-hand turn lane that is there. One of the things that frustrates us beyond belief is we'll have people, pedestrians, and bicycles, and e-bikes now have exacerbated the problem. We are making a right-hand turn into the parking lot. They are coming at us from both directions. We now have an additional bike path. And we will have people come and actually park in our right-hand lane to get the best cell phone service. And we'll sit there and have a 20-minute conversation literally in that right-hand lane. So I want to tell you that that area of Goleta is not safe for vehicular traffic or for pedestrians and bikes. And I think if you put in 10 to 12 feet of bike path and pedestrian path in that area, it is going to be even more dangerous. And as it is with the extra lanes that we have, we're not going to have enough room on the road to do everything that we need to do without taking out the median that's currently there in front of the hideaway. Thank you.

I have no more speaker slips. Those of you on the Zoom webinar, please use the raised hand icon. Jay Ritterbeck, please unmute yourself and you will have three minutes to speak.

Thank you, Vice Chair, members of the Planning Commission. My name is Jay Ritterbeck. I'm with True North Land Use Consulting, and I am representing Bell Canyon Recreation, who are the owners of the adjacent property, which was formerly operated as the EOF. We wanted to add our support to the project, and we really appreciate all the efforts that the applicant's team has made towards continued improvement and the ongoing use of the site as a commercial golf course. That said, we do want to ensure one important clarification We want to add it into the record for this hearing and also add it into the CUP and the development plan and any subsequent staff reports to the City Council. We just ask that the Sandpiper Golf Course be properly classified as commercial active recreation. Under the municipal code, the zoning code, it falls under outdoor recreation, which is a subcategory of commercial entertainment and recreation. that's why it requires the major cup for open space active recreation that zone district it includes the fee-based golf course operation the clubhouse restaurant the bar the new coffee shop and any of the associated special events we just think it's important for the decision makers to and the public also just to know that that distinction that this is a private, or actually it's open to the public, but it is a commercial operation, not a public municipal course. And we just respectfully request that this distinction be added in. acknowledged in this hearing, but really added in to that staff report, either in the background or the project description, just so subsequent approvals are very clear on that. It's not important so much for the EIR because that's more based in policy, but for the findings of approval for the permits, And for the city council to know that and even continuing on to the Coastal Commission, that distinction we just believe is very important. We are very excited about all the work that's being done and look forward to being fantastic neighbors going back and forth and excited for this area of the coast. Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you.

I have no more speakers, Chair, Vice Chair.

Okay. Do any of the staff want to clarify anything on the record in light of public comment?

Vice Chair Sirotkin, I'd just like to place in the record that the city received a comment letter from Attorney Mitchell Tsai's office. They represent the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters. The letter was submitted at 5.42 p.m. on April 27, 2026 today. It didn't arrive early enough for the Planning Commission to consider the letter, but it will be a part of the record for this case.

Thank you. Does the applicant want to clarify anything on the record in light of public comment?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't think so. I mean, you know, we did propose the trail as you saw, you know, a narrower trail, more, you know, bucolic perhaps trail. That's what our preference was, but we are willing, we understand, you know, the city's goals here, and so we're willing to compromise. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. Do any of the commissioners have any follow-up questions for staff or the applicant? No, no questions. I just have one that I didn't get answered before, and that is, when is it anticipated that there be, you know, that the construction will begin, and how long is it expected to last? Will it be in stages, you know, and people able to play during certain parts of it? How is it going to be done?

Thank you, Madam Chair. So we still have to go to Coastal Commission and City Council. We don't know exactly where we're going. Our goal is to get to the Coastal Commission by the end of this year. That's probably ambitious, but let's just say it is. Following that, we'll return to the City Council. We'll come back to Design Review Board. We'll need to get building permits. We've done a few at risk right now that we're processing. So we could potentially start maybe Opening groundwork in spring 2027 would be the earliest, I would say. And then our timing is about 18 months. I don't believe that the course itself would not be open. That's one of the first things we'd start with.

Thank you. I think that we can close the public comment portion of this hearing at this point. I don't know if there's any formal way I need to do that. And then now we'll have deliberations from the commission. And the first, Commissioner Fullerton.

Yeah, I just only have a few comments. Really, I think it's a really beautiful project. And I think especially the environmental changes Just all the benefits really are outstanding. I think it was really a thoughtful design. And I don't have any issue, any concerns about the EIR. I think all the mitigations are adequate. So I fully support this project.

OK. Commissioner Penniman.

Yeah, I also share. share the same sentiment. This is a fantastic project. Thank you for bringing it before us. I personally also agree DG Path would be more my preference, but I'm not here for my personal preferences for the city and how it aligns with the general plan. And I do believe that that path does align better with the general plan and the plans of the city. My biggest thing, obviously, is one of our policies in our general plan and our coastal policy is VH1, the scenic views, where it says, VH1.1, actually, the city shall support the protection and preservation of the following scenic resources. And the first one on the list is open waters of the Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara Channel, with the Channel Islands visible in the distance. So I would say with that, for the record, I have to say that I really can't make the land use finding 1.8 because of that. So the project's own stated objective is to improve public views from Hollister Avenue. However, the landscape plan sheet L-1.8 appears to place mature canopy trees directly within the most significant existing public coastal view corridor from the southbound Cathedral Oaks Hollister approach. I do not believe the current record adequately supports findings under LU 1.8 land use policy and related Coastal Act visual resource policies. I don't want to delay this project any. I would support a either a continuance or a revised condition requiring preservation of that public view shed before approval. I'm not sure how best to go about it, but I would support it with that extra condition.

And Commissioner Maynard.

Thank you. I'm very impressed with many aspects of this project. We're not taking public comment anymore. I'm very excited about many aspects of this project. I believe in the undergrounding of the lines has really opened up view sheds in a beautiful way for this project. Incredibly creative and beautiful architecture built into the project is really a huge standout for me. The water reductions and expansion of native plant restoration was very thoughtful and done very well with this project. I appreciate the feedback that Commissioner Penniman raised, but in looking at that intersection myself, I felt that trees to the right of that intersection and surrounding the parking area made sense to me. The trees that I saw to the left were mostly trees that didn't have a lot of foliage at the bottom, were very tall and you could see through them. So some of the yukes that are already existing there, they didn't feel that they impacted the ocean view from that space. So I felt that there was a lot of open space that you could still see in that area. I strongly support alternative four. I think the city's made a strong argument about the cohesiveness with our bicycle and pedestrian master plan. I think it also still allows us to connect to the Danza Trail and so we're having that De Anza walking trail feeding in to that separated bike path. I really appreciate using the example of Las Positas because I could really visualize it to imagine what that would look like. I think that would be a beautiful addition to the area. I also will note my most significant concern with the project is the lack of lateral access along the bluffs, which is something we've heard strongly from the Coastal Commission. is very important and something they're really advocating for across the state. I think alternative four does make a big ask of the developer, but it is also giving up that lack of lateral access on the bluff so I think that trade-off makes a lot of sense to me and I hope that we can I hope the City Council can work that out with the the project applicant because we're giving up a lot with that lateral access on the bluff to to get that alternative for so I would personally support the project as proposed by staff with the alternative four and the errata sheet.

Okay, thank you. And I'd like to add my appreciation, too. One of the things that, especially now with the golf course up at Stork possibly becoming developed and that the view and the scenery there is just breathtaking when you come off the highway, that it's going to stay for the most part. I think you've been really creative in coming up with so many positives for this program. Again, as I've said, my concern is traffic and the safety of the combined bike and pedestrian paths. With this, I understand at least The other, the part that exists already, is there's no barrier. There's just a line. So, you know, those are my concerns, but I would still support the project. And on that note, I'll close the public hearing at this point. And we're open for a motion. So, you know, if somebody would like to make a motion. Okay. Please. I can put a motion.

And we should make these two motions.

Commissioner Maynard, I think we had a revised recommendation that was on the PowerPoint. So if Ms. Prossy can pull that up, that is the more accurate.

I will wait with abated breath.

While Ms. Prossy is pulling that up, I'd like to provide advice about how to amend the motion, if you want it to, about the landscaping not interfering with the views in compliance with VH1. 1.1. So I would recommend that you move to adopt resolution, read it, as amended by the errata that was submitted by planning staff this afternoon, as well as landscaping to be compliant with BH 1.01 to preserve views.

If we're going to go that direction, I might recommend that Commissioner Penniman make the motion because that wouldn't be my motion.

And the first motion is regarding the EIR. Okay. So where Commissioner Penman's issue, I believe, is with the second, would be more appropriately incorporated into the second resolution.

Okay.

And on the screen it does have as amended at the end.

So I will do the first one and pause there. So my recommendation is to adopt Resolution 26-underscore entitled Resolution of the Planning Commission of the City of Goleta recommending that the City Council of the City of Goleta, California, one, adopt environmental findings pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act. Two, certify the Sandpiper Golf Course renovation and new clubhouse project final environmental impact report, SCH number 2024120923. And three, adopt the mitigation monitoring and reporting program. And four, approve alternative four, extended bicycle path development plan. and conditional use permit for the Sandpiper Golf Course renovation and new clubhouse project at 7925 Hollister Avenue, Goleta, APN 079-210059. Cases numbers 22-0001-CDPH in concept, 22-DP-CUP, and 22-0032-DRB as amended. Do we have a second? I'll second.

Can we, so I was hoping to amend that, or how does that work?

That would be on the second one.

That would be on the second one. Oh, there's one more after that. My bad. All right. Thank you.

Okay. So, Clark, will you take roll call?

Yes, thank you. And because we're missing a commissioner, we're not going to use the voting tablets in front of you. A straight roll call vote. Commissioner Fullerton?

Aye.

Commissioner Maynard?

Aye.

Commissioner Penniman? Aye. Vice Chair Sorokin?

Aye.

And Chair Miller has recused herself from this item. So 4-0-1.

Okay. Now.

All right. All right. Let's see if I can get through this. All right. I motion that we adopt Resolution 26-entitled A Resolution of the Planning Commission of the City of Goleta, California, recommending that the City Council of the City of Goleta California approved the alternative for extended bicycle path development plan the sandpiper golf course renovation and new clubhouse project with height and setback proposals for the sandpiper golf course renovation and new clubhouse project at 7925 Hollister Avenue Goleta APN 079-210-059 case NOS, 22-001-CDPH in concept, 22-DP-CUP, and 22-0032-DRB. As amended with the, what was the wording on that? I'm sorry.

I'll repeat what I said earlier. As amended by the planning staff's errata that was submitted this afternoon, as well as by the requirement that the landscape plan reflect trees that will not block the views in compliance with visual resources.

1.1.

1.1.

OK. Do we have a second?

I'll second. Can we deliberate before we vote? Oh, sure. I guess any time we vote on something, it would be compliant with the general plan and with that land use. So I guess I'm trying to get my head around what adding that language to our recommendation is really asking them to do. One of the things that the applicant talked about when we first raised this was also the number of other rules within the general plan that brought them to the landscaping plan that they worked so hard with the design review board on in terms of ensuring shading of the parking lot, ensuring the amount of tree plantings that we require for city parking lots, a number of other zoning ordinance requirements. So I, I'm struggling a bit with what it is we're really asking the applicant to do at this stage in the process. And are we asking them to ignore some other rules that we have put into our zoning ordinance in order to achieve this? And so for that reason, I have some concerns with supporting the amendment. And I'm curious what other commissioners think as well.

It sounds like from the applicant that this is – they still have to go back to design review board. There's still room to make some tweaks, and they seemed open to make the tweaks to perhaps put a smaller tree or move the tree. So, I mean, I could go either way because we still have leeway before the city council hears it.

Yeah, the main point is to, you know, get it on the record. This is, from what I've heard from the public input that I've received, that there is, I mean, driving across that overpass and seeing that ocean, seeing that view is like it's the best view in the city. And we don't want to see that jeopardized. That is not a concession that I think that we should make. or the city council should make. And so that's why I would like it on the record.

My own feeling is I think that I would agree with Commissioner Fullerton that this is a matter of trimming the tree or However, that particular tree can be pruned. I don't think this is something that at this point I'm not concerned about. Plus, at least for me, anyway, when I come, I'm going to make a left turn, so I'm not looking to the right. So that wouldn't block my view of the tree, because I'm going to be making a left turn. So I'm more concerned about the people outside. at the cars than, you know, at that point. Once they get around the corner, that's another story. So I don't know. Do we need to?

I would just want to say that it would be good to see, like, a rendering with the planting plan so everyone can see, you know, really what we're getting and what we're approving, just kind of overlaying those extra trees on that view so we really understand what we're approving.

The question, though, is do we want to delay at this point?

I don't want to delay it at all. I think this is a great project. I just want to put that caveat on the record for the city council and the DRB to consider.

Susan?

Go ahead.

I guess question first, staff. Does it have to be part of the motion, or can we still make a recommendation that the city council consider the tree?

You can make it a recommendation. All of this is a recommendation to the city council. So I think that we would probably, after this hearing, kind of put together a more thorough condition and work with the applicant to put that together. Everything is in sort of the design stages. So, you know, I think we want to explore with the applicant how they can meet the preservation of views. But having that as part of the motion will go as a recommendation to council.

So do I have a second? Yes, you do. Oh.

The next step will be the second.

Oh, okay. I just wanted to, I didn't hear the second. So, okay. So I guess we're ready to take a roll call.

Commissioners? Commissioner Fullerton?

Aye.

Commissioner Maynard?

I'm going to vote no with a note that I would have said yes as recommended originally by staff.

Commissioner Penniman? Aye. Vice Chair Sorokin?

Aye.

So it passed 3-0-1. Thank you.

OK. And I guess director and all.

Sorry. This is Alicia Wintersweig with BBK. Just to confirm on that vote, it was 3-1-1 as opposed to 3-0-1. Is that right?

Correct. Yes. Thank you very much. 3-3-4-1 again. 3-3-4-1. Yes. Thank you for that correction. Correct. 3-1-1. Three ayes, one no, and one recusal.

One abstain.

Let the record reflect that Chair Miller has recused herself, and she did not vote. And we had a three ayes and one no on the outstanding remaining commissioners.

And Director, do you have anything that you wanted to say?

Thank you. No. Thank you, Vice Chair. That concludes this item with your action. So thank you very much for your work and deliberation on that. And I don't know at this point if... Chair Miller wishes to return for the remainder of the meeting, which is we don't have too much left on the agenda.

Right. Yeah, I think she was, at least I thought she was supposed to come back. Yep. Is she coming? She's coming. Oh, okay. Good. She can have her chair back.

Thank you, everybody. We're going to continue with our meeting now. So thank you. Next on our agenda is our planning director's comments, please.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I actually do not have any comments tonight, so I'll pass it back to you.

OK. Then we have a planning commissioner comments.

Anybody have any other comments they'd like to make for tonight? No, no, no, no, no.

OK. Can we get a motion to adjourn?

So moved.

I'll motion.

I'll second.

Okay. Can we get a roll call vote, please?

Yes, thank you, Chair. Commissioner Fullerton? Yes. Commissioner Maynard?

Yes.

Commissioner Penniman? Yes. Vice Chair Surotkin?

Yes.

And Chair Miller?

Yes. Meeting adjourned.