Bishop Ranch Pulls Project

Mere days before the matter was to go before the Goleta City Council, Bishop Ranch 2000, LLC withdrew its application to initiate study of its project proposal for the Bishop Ranch development. City staff had submitted a report for the July 15 council meeting recommending that the project not be initiated, and community support was mixed. The 240-acre parcel-located north of Highway 101 and bounded by Glen Annie, Cathedral Oaks, and Los Carneros roads-was zoned for housing in the 1950s, and rezoned by the County Board of Supervisors in the ’80s for agriculture. Considered second-tier land for farming, the Bishop property’s potential as a site for urban agriculture has nevertheless become a point of contention as most farmland along the Hollister corridor has been developed. Many area residents had voiced concern about traffic impacts along Glen Annie and Cathedral Oaks roads. The project proposed by applicant Michael Keston included a rezone to mixed-use residential, incorporating 1,195 residential units as well as commercial space and 80 acres of open space. (/bishoppulled)