As the owner of the Kenwood Village property in Goleta, I’ve been working on a housing project for local employees for over 15 years to alleviate our housing crisis. I’m writing to correct multiple false statements made about my project in a letter from my neighbor, Ms. April Reid.
Zoning on the majority of the parcel was residential with a strip of commercial along Calle Real since the 1950s. The property has been intended for housing for many decades, long before most of the surrounding homes were built. In 2020, the strip along Calle Real was rezoned to Agriculture, although this area is not suitable for farming.
The property is a perfect infill property; it is surrounded on three sides by homes and by Calle Real to the south and is located near retail (Camino Real Marketplace) and schools.
The joke regarding the Kenwood (aka “Ken Would”) name was about me being crazy enough to add another project to my growing list of obligations, this one being real estate (I’m an electrical engineer) and had nothing to do with the viability of the development itself.
The letter states that I “have no regard for the neighbors.” I have great regard for my neighbors as the 60-unit project pending before the city (which may soon be deemed insufficient density) takes into thorough consideration the densities of surrounding homes and ensures that the lowest density matches the existing density surrounding the site while the higher density occurs along Calle Real where there is no housing. The entire project is designed to meld well into the existing neighborhood. It also incorporates walking trails and dedications back to the City of Goleta to allow access through the project. I live and work in Goleta.
The letter’s comments regarding “immobile seniors” stems from a letter I wrote to the city that states, “the mobility of the residents is much lower than those who would reside upon the remainder of the Kenwood site.” My statement was made regarding traffic in the area. By providing housing for seniors (62+), the traffic impact would be less since seniors are less mobile, meaning they drive less. This was not a reference to ambulatory capacity. Many seniors are retired and do not have to be at work at 8 a.m. and do not have children who need to be driven to school and activities.
The letter also claims there are endangered species on the parcel, but, as I have pointed out in the past, the extensive environmental impact report (EIR) conducted for my project states, “The field surveys conducted over the site by SII and others resulted in no observations of any rare, threatened, or endangered plant species within the project site. Further, the current annual mowing practices, past agricultural practices, and observable and identifiable plants, habitats, and soils suggest the site does not support habitat for special-status plants.” (EIR, p. 5.3-8.)
The letter states that “the property owner already caused two brush fires on the property because he would not mow the property.” On Wednesday I was given reports from the fire department showing a 15’x20′ fire in 2016 that was caused by “equipment” and a second fire (less than 3/4 of an acre) over 10 years ago that was due to “smoking materials left at scene alongside a walking trail from Puerto. A potato cored for use to smoke marijuana found.” Neither fire was caused by “the property owner.”
The letter states that the Fire Marshal issued a violation for failing to mow the property. Deputy Fire Marshall Fred Tan told me on Wednesday that he received a complaint from Ms. Reid in December 2019 regarding tall grass, so he came out and inspected the property and did not find anything hazardous. Tan informed me that no violations were issued because the required maintenance had been performed. He stated that the fire department does not have any records of violations, and he noted over the years that even though a 20′ mowed perimeter is required, Kenwood has been mowed closer to 80′. The Captain of Vegetation Management, Dustin McKibben, indicated that Ms. Reid filed yet another complaint last month, and he stated, “I inspected the parcel on October 23rd and spent about 30 mins talking with complainant that afternoon in person to address her concerns. No violations, and I went above and beyond.”
The letter stated that the fire department had to contact me this year “to get him to mow the property.” Deputy Fire Marshall Fred Tan stated that they have called to remind me to mow and that I have always cleared the field if they called. He said that any phone calls I have received are part of a program of regular calls to everyone in the county with large parcels and that these are just reminder calls, but that Kenwood is usually mowed without needing a reminder call.
The letter states that there is “no fire house in the area”. This is incorrect. Station 11, which serves this property, is located at 6901 Frey Way with two crews (one for each side of the freeway) and is only 1.3 miles from Kenwood Village.
Once houses have been built on the parcel, the threat of fire and trespassers will be significantly reduced. Goleta is desperately in need of additional housing and I’m looking forward to being part of the solution. I invite the community to reach out to me with any questions about the project.