Daily Archives: February 28, 2019

Why Drive to Work When You Can Take the Train?

Last spring the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner began its new early-morning train service to Goleta and Santa Barbara to better accommodate commuters in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The new schedule allows northbound riders to arrive into Santa Barbara at 6:47 a.m. and Goleta by 7:16 a.m. In the afternoon, the southbound train departs Goleta at 4:25 p.m. and Santa Barbara at 4:40 p.m.

Once at the train station, you can take one of the MTD train shuttles to your place of work for free. The shuttles run from the Goleta and Santa Barbara train stations to locations in Santa Barbara, Cottage Hospital and along Hollister Avenue. They are available to take people back to the train stations in the afternoon as well. For those who prefer to bike to work from the train station, bike lockers are available to rent. In an effort to increase ridership on the early morning trains, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments is offering a free trial pass. There are also unlimited monthly passes and ten-ride passes available. More information is available at www.trafficsolutions.org/Train.

Bicycle Safety Tips

Each year in California, more than 100 bicyclists are killed and over 10,000 are injured in collisions, commonly caused by bicyclists’ and/or motorists’ behavior, lack of skill, or attention.  Here are four basic bicycling safety tips to help everyone stay safe on our roads:

  1. Maintain Control of Your Bicycle:
  • Ensure your bicycle is the right size and properly adjusted to fit you.
  • Ensure your bicycle is in good working order by inspecting it regularly.
  1. Protect Yourself:
  • Properly fitted helmets provide protection from a potentially life-threatening head injury. By law, riders under 18 years old must wear a bicycle helmet while riding on a public road
  1. Be Visible and Alert:
  • Be prepared to stop for vehicles waiting at stop signs, driveways, etc. or to take evasive action relating to vehicles that may not see you.
  • Use hand signals before making turns or changing lanes to warn traffic around you.
  • Using lights and reflectors at night is the law. During darkness, bicyclists should also avoid wearing dark clothing. 
  1. Ride in a Safe Lane Position:
  • Ride in the same direction as traffic so you are more visible to drivers.
  • Keep your eyes on the road ahead to avoid hazards in the roadway.
  • Watch out for opening doors on parked cars.
  • When available, use a bicycle lane, but watch out for cars merging into these lanes to make a right turn.

Together, we can share our roads and make them a safer place for bicyclist and motorists!

This information was taken, in part, from the Department of Motor Vehicles “Sharing the Road” brochure.  For the entire brochure, click here.

Join the First Regional Energy Workshop to Explore Renewable Goals

Do you have an interest in community resiliency, renewable energy, and/or energy storage?  Join the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and the County of Santa Barbara on Thursday, March 14 for the Strategic Energy Plan Stakeholder Symposium! The symposium will be held from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm in the Faulkner Gallery of the Santa Barbara Central Library (40 E Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara).

In this workshop, local governments and public stakeholders will be exploring strategies to maximize the local environmental, economic, and community benefits of clean energy development. From 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, the City of Santa Barbara will be presenting key findings from their strategic energy plan and hosting roundtable discussions. From 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, the cities of Goleta, Carpinteria and the County of Santa Barbara will be hosting lunch and providing updates on their coordinated strategic energy planning process and highlighting additional upcoming workshops.

The energy planning process and workshop will help Goleta to develop more local renewable energy, reduce its carbon emissions, and explore the best ways to provide clean, reliable, and resilient energy to the community. We need your valuable input to help identify the best strategies to ensure equitable community access to clean energy and its benefits.

This free workshop is open to the public and will include lunch. We encourage all public members with an interest in community resiliency and energy to attend. Space is limited, so please RSVP here.

CERT Class Training this Spring

The City is hosting its next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training on Mondays this spring (March 25 – May 13). CERT classes are free and train and prepare you to help in a disaster when first responders may not be able to respond quickly. Basic disaster response skills covered include fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. After completing the class, CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

Goleta CERT Training Class:
Mondays March 25 – May 13, 2019
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Goleta Valley Community Center
5679 Hollister Avenue
*Participants must attend all eight classes.

To register, complete an application by March 15 and email it to Anthony Rodriguez. For more information, view the flyer here. For questions, contact Anthony Rodriguez at arodriguez@cityofgoleta.org or 805-961-7571.

Information on CERT is available at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaCERT.

Old Town’s Newest Public Art

Have you seen the mural on the wall outside the Goleta Valley Community Center? More than a dozen students participated in this public art project with artist Barbara Eberhart. Barbara and the volunteers worked hard from October 2018 through February 2019 to bring this beautiful mural to life. Join the Goleta Valley Community Center Board and the City for a ribbon cutting and celebration on Thursday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). This event will take place right before the Community State of the City, we hope you will mark your calendars to attend both.

City Receives Grant for San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path

The City of Goleta received a $14 million Cycle 4 Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant for the San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path. This path will remove barriers and gaps in the regional network extending from the County’s new multipurpose path and bridge in the north, under US 101, Union Pacific Railroad, through Old Town Goleta, across San Jose Creek, and under SR 217 connecting to Goleta Beach and the Coast Route Trail in the south. This north-south connection is an important local and regional community project that will improve safety and access to the schools, shopping, services, and Goleta Neighborhood Clinic north of US 101 and the Class 1 bike path to the south providing access to UCSB and the employment in the County and City of Santa Barbara to the east.  Watch the video we sent in with our application to learn more.

The ATP Cycle 4 process was very competitive with 554 projects submitted requesting over $2.2 billion in ATP funding and only $445.6 million available. The City will continue to work on the conceptual design and environmental phases of the Project. This grant funding will cover the final design, right-of-way, and construction phases.

The City of Goleta will take the lead on the funding, design, and construction of the project with the County’s support and assistance for the areas within the County.  The entire project cost is expected to be approximately $20 million.  The City hopes to construct the path in 2019/2020.

Give Input on the City’s New Zoning Ordinance

Zoning is important to a City. It controls where and how development occurs through regulations such as building setbacks, height, and lot size. It helps define how properties are used, what new buildings look like, and how much development can occur in our community. It protects recreational areas and allows for more open spaces in the neighborhood. The City has released a draft of its New Zoning Ordinance (NZO) and wants feedback from the community. Attend a Planning Commission workshop at City Hall (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B) to learn more, and view the NZO at www.goletazoning.com.

Workshop Dates:

  • Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Review Authorities and Permit Procedures Part 1
  • Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Permit Procedures Part II
  • Thursday, March 21, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Open Space, Height, Floor Area, Fences and Hedges, Outdoor Storage, and ESHA
  • Monday, April 8, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: RV Parking, Parking Reductions, Signs, and Lighting
  • Thursday, April 11, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Housing, Community Assembly, Mobile Vendors, Accessory Uses, and Energy
  • Thursday, April 18, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Remaining Issues and General Feedback
  • Joint City Council / Planning Commission Workshop: Tuesday, May 7, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: NZO Finalization and Adoption Process

For the latest updates on the New Zoning Ordinance, sign up here.

Know Where NOT to Park for Deltopia

Isla Vista’s Deltopia event is expected to take place on Saturday, April 6, 2019. The City will continue its temporary parking restrictions program as it has done in the past for both Deltopia and Halloween. In an effort to minimize the impacts of Deltopia on Goleta residents, the City implements parking restrictions in the areas most affected: Hollister Avenue to the southern City limit (Whittier Drive), from Cannon Green Drive (including the cul-de-sac streets on the west side of Cannon Green Drive) to Storke Road. Those who live in the affected areas will receive two parking permits in the mail by March 21. Residents are encouraged to park in their garages or driveways as well, where no permit is needed.

Residents with valid permits will be able to park on the streets in this area from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 5th to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 6th and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 6th to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 7th. (Should Deltopia move to the following weekend, the restrictions will be in place from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12th to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 13th and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 13th to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 14th.) Vehicles without permits will be cited and towed at the owner’s expense.

A map and FAQs can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/goletatempparking.

Ellwood Mesa Trails Reopened

The City of Goleta is pleased to announce the reopening of trails on Ellwood Mesa in consultation with the California Coastal Commission. Users are encouraged to use caution on trails and should be aware that many of the trees are drought-stressed and in danger of falling. Users enter at their own risk. A map is available here. The City will be doing maintenance along the trails in March and a few trails may be temporarily closed.

City staff is also working with Coastal Conservancy staff for agreement on the disbursement of the $3.9 million allocated in the 2017-19 State budget for restoration of the Ellwood eucalyptus groves. The City Council is expected to take action on the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan and environmental document at a Council meeting later this spring.

For more information, please visit the City’s project pages on the Ellwood Mesa and the Monarch Habitat Management Plan.

Celebrate with us on March 30!

On Saturday, March 30, the City of Goleta will be having an opening celebration for our newest park – the Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park! We know residents have been waiting a long time for this, so we have a special day planned. Join us from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. for activity demonstrations (see schedule below), food, fun and more. The new four acre-park is located at 170 S. Kellogg Avenue (corner of Hollister and Kellogg Avenues). You can learn more about the park and watch the construction progress here. This is a park for all ages, amenities include a skate plaza, multi-purpose field, basketball court, handball court, concrete ping-pong tables, bocce ball court, pickleball court, Bankshot basketball court (the first of its kind on the west coast!), walking path, picnic areas and fitness nodes. We are excited to share this park with the community and hope to see you on March 30!

Schedule of Events:

  • 10:00 a.m. – Pickleball Demo
  • 10:30 a.m. – Bankshot Demo
  • 11:00 a.m. – Ribbon Cutting
  • 11:30 a.m. – Tour of Park
  • 12:00 p.m. – Fitness Nodes Demo
  • 12:30 p.m. – Skateboard Demo followed by Instructional Support
  • 1:00 p.m. – Bocce Ball Demo
  • 1:30 p.m. – Tennis Court Net Set-Up