Gaviota

For those of you unfamiliar with Naples, it is a 485-acre parcel of rural land located approximately two miles west of Goleta’s western urban limit line, occupying both sides of Highway 101. The current owner of the majority of the Naples property — Orange County-based developer Vintage Communities —proposes to build as many as seventy-two 8,000- to 13,000-square-foot homes on land that has historically been used for grazing, row crops, and orchards. This is the land that was once the site of two large Chumash villages, which were located near the mouth of Dos Pueblos Creek.

The County Planning Commission will hold a hearing on a program for transferring this development from the Naples property to appropriate urban areas in the county. If approved, several cities may participate. The rationale for this Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program follows the county’s Local Coastal Policy 2-13 — enacted in 1982 — which states that the county shall discourage residential development specifically at Naples, and shall facilitate moving proposed development there to urban areas in the county which are suitable for development.

The idea is to build where it is appropriate — not in agricultural or environmentally sensitive areas. Our agricultural land is a scarce and valuable resource. Building houses at Naples would fragment and degrade the agricultural potential of the property. The rural Gaviota Coast is special because it is the largest remnant of pristine coastline in Southern California. Importing Orange County-style urban sprawl to the Gaviota Coast would turn the extraordinary into the ordinary. Furthermore, the environmental heritage of the Gaviota Coast is irreplaceable, so building a subdivision there — where many imperiled and threatened species live and thrive — is the road to habitat destruction.

Designing an effective TDR program for Naples is a complicated undertaking, but the underlying concept is fairly direct. Say a developer in an urban area wants to build “X-plus” units on a property, but zoning regulations only allow the construction of “X” units. If the jurisdiction is participating in the Naples TDR program and agrees to increase the density — allowing the “-plus” units to be built — then the developer pays into the Naples TDR bank for the privilege of building at a higher density than current zoning allows. The TDR bank uses the revenues from increasing the density (up-zoning) to buy and extinguish development rights at Naples, as well as funding community improvements in the receiving neighborhood.

Communities grow as population expands. This growth implies new development. As the general plan and zoning of the community changes to accommodate this growth, a portion of the windfall benefit gained by urban developers from up-zoning can be captured by communities participating voluntarily in the TDR program. Then it can be utilized by the TDR bank to buy development rights at Naples, therefore preserving precious open space forever.

This process does not increase the cost of development; instead, it captures a significant portion of the economic benefit of up-zoning for the community’s use, rather than the developer’s profit. Additionally, the Naples TDR program is a voluntary process where transactions occur at market rates, respecting the economic interest of property owners.

The design and implementation of an effective Naples TDR program will take time and broad-based community support. Increases in density within urban boundaries might be met by people protesting with a loud “Not in My Back Yard!” However, the approach should be: Naples Is My Back Yard. We all benefit when we save the Gaviota Coast for future generations. Fourth District Supervisor Joni Gray understood this when she said her constituents consider the Gaviota Coast to be “their beach.” Third District Supervisor Brooks Firestone — who represents residents of the Santa Ynez Valley and Gaviota Coast — was very vocal about making the preservation of the Gaviota Coast his central concern. Fifth District Supervisor Joe Centeno from Santa Maria was born on the Naples property, making him a real local.

A TDR program at Naples can be fair, effective, and achievable. It is not the only tool we will need to preserve Naples, but it is first on the political table and deserves the active support of all of our County Planning commissioners and supervisors. The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will hold a second hearing on the Naples TDR program on Wednesday, November 7, at 9:30 a.m. at the Commission Hearing Room on the first floor of the County Administration Building, located on the corner of Anacapa and Anapamu streets.

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