Air quality, noise, safety subject of discussion on Buellton’s 2050 document
The Buellton Planning Commission and the Buellton City Council had a rare joint meeting on Thursday, discussing the city’s General Plan 2050 update.
The council members and commissioners, minus Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis, who was absent, met with consultants Jean E. Ward and Adam Pisarkiewicz of Civic Solutions, as well as Aaron Pfannenstiel from Atlas Planning Solutions. Each consultant discussed a separate subject with the combined panel.
Ward described the General Plan as “a roadmap or a blueprint for future growth and development in the city.”
She went on to explain the plan needed an update becuase some of its elements were done as long as 20 years ago, and needs to update to keep up with changing needs and conditions of the city. She also said it must address state requirements.
Required elements or topics to be discussed on the document include: Safety, Housing, Conservation, Land Use, Open Space, Mobility, Noise. Subjects discussed on Oct. 30 included Resources and Conservation (led by Pisarkiewicz) and Noise and Safety (led by Pfannenstiel).The meeting followed a format of the consultant introducing the subject, with the Planning Commission, and then City Council asking questions about the topic.
Pisarkiewicz began his presentation in resource conservation by bringing up two topics he considered as very important in the Santa Ynez Valley. Air and water quality were brought up first as he pointed out wildfire smoke was the biggest threat to the area. That could greatly affect the air quality as well as water. He asked the Buellton officials what they could focus on.
Planning Vice Chair Marcilo Sarquilla asked if the city was looking at moving some water through town like he pointed out San Luis Obispo does, and Plan- ning Director Andrea Keefer said that staff was work- ing on it. Planning Chair Shannon Reese followed up on that by asking about the paths along the rivers.
“At our prior meeting, we talked about scenic and biological resources; pedestrian connections and trials,” she said. “I’d like to explore some standards how trails should look by waterways.”Keefer answered by saying staff had talked to SBCAG about getting some preliminary designs looked at.
Reese then pointed out the wildfire smoke was a problem in many communities and asked how those cities were able to combat it. Pisarkiewicz said there were some filtration systems that were utilized, but said policies in the safety topic would entertwine with that and help them figure out how to combat.
After Pfannenstiel elaborated on wildfire smoke and how it must be dealt with, City Councilmembers John Sanchez seemed to push back on the idea that wildfire smoke required radical action.
“As far as the concern about wildfire smoke; it’s something that will happen,” he said. “ We have the requirement to have smoke monitors. I don’t understand making us put in a new system. I don’t see the point.” Buellton City Manager Scott Wolfe answered by saying the future policy would mean encouraging new developers to put in filtration systems, rather than replace exisiting homes’ systems.
Mayor David Silva believed protecting your home from fire was the way to go.
“Requiring defensible space is appropriate for a plan,” he said.
“The more we acknowledge wildfire, we can look into landscaping with plants that help with fire mitigation.”
The discussion then went to noise and safety, with Pfaffenstiel leading the dicussion; first he asked the panel what the biggest source of excessive noise was in Buellton.
Sarquilla said the big one was Highway 246, with cars going too fast and making noise while they were moving. “The only benefit is it helps the air flow.”
Commissioner Daniel Contreras pointed to noise standards on construction that aren’t being followed, while fellow Commis- sioner Brian Campbell cited the increased launches from nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base as a problem. On the City Council side, Councilmember Carla Mead said complaints in her District 4 included tractor-trailer trucks driving by apartment complexes on McMurray Road. Silva said landscapers and trash trucks that come by at 7 a.m.
Councilmember Hudson Hornick said that there were instances of noise, but creative ways to combat the noise, like his proposal to add a number of trees in the city to block the noise, and working with Caltrans to narrow 246. “Careful planning is necessary for 246,” he said.
At the end of the meeting, Ward said they would take the info collected and add it to the input they gave in the last meeting. Even- tually, she said, they would have a draft plan sometime next year.
