Planned into a Corner

Ryan P. Cruz’s article on Housing Element issues was quite illuminating, but it fails to recognize that the trouble the county is in, now, is largely of their own making. While the state’s cookie-cutter requirements provide fertile ground for out-of-town developers of grossly inappropriate projects, one of which is slated to be built around the corner from us, no one seems to have noticed how badly county leadership — particularly Das Williams and those who defer to his every angry, vindictive outburst — has handled its own responsibilities, particularly in how they treat lawful, modest projects to provide infill development, which the City of Carpinteria, for example, has embraced.

The county seems not to have noticed that they cannot backdate their tardy compliance with state Housing Element law. I was granted a building permit almost two years ago for an accessory dwelling unit for a caregiver, which I proposed because I hope to continue to age in place in my home of 50 years. I applied for an SB 9 lot split, which would enable me to keep my fire insurance, and finance construction separately. The application should have been approved in three months. It has been over a year. I made the mistake of trying to placate county staff, even though the demands they’ve made on me have been illegal. Maybe my case will help others to navigate this thoroughly incompetent system.