Attorneys argue over Veronica Meadows

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

As the Santa Barbara City Council voted Tuesday to rescind its earlier approval of the Veronica Meadows project, a 23-unit development off Las Positas Road, in order to comply with a court order, attorneys representing the developer and project opponents argued over the best path forward.

A Superior Court judge ruled in December that the city violated environmental guidelines by approving the project — specifically by not addressing alternatives to building a bridge over Arroyo Burro Creek — and said the city needs to revisit the issue before the project can move forward.
Attorneys for the developer, Mark Lee, have indicated they plan to submit an addendum to the project’s existing Environmental Impact Report to address issues raised by the court.
A representative of the Citizens Planning Association and Urban Creeks Council, asked the council to require a supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR), a more extensive process than an addendum.
“An addendum is really only appropriate when there are minor technical changes to an EIR,” attorney Marc Chytilo said. “…To change the conclusion of an EIR is more than a minor technical change.”
In contrast, Steve Amerikaner, speaking on behalf of Lee, said while he agrees that the council has a wide array of options available, including sending the project back to the Planning Commission, he doesn’t feel extensive analysis is necessary.
“What is needed is a new hearing before the City Council and a new decision,” he said. “…We don’t think that you need a vast amount of new process at this point.”
At the crux of the issue is the proposed construction of a bridge over the creek that the applicant argues would take the strain off nearby Alan Road. The current EIR identified Alan Road as an alternative to the “significant and unavoidable” impacts the bridge would have on the creek habitat.
The issue of how to move forward — with an addendum, supplemental EIR, or other process — will be discussed by the council at a later date, likely in early March. Nonetheless, Councilmember Das Williams took the opportunity to weigh in on a project he voiced strong opposition to in the past.
“How many walls do we have to walk into and bang our head against before we realize that this is not a developable project?” he said. “…We do not have to approve anything at Veronica Meadows.”