ISLA VISTA RESIDENTIAL PARKING PROGRAM

BEACH ACCESS IN ISLA VISTA IS THREATENED

The County has formulated an Isla Vista Master Plan that contains a Residential Parking Program which will affect your beach access on Del Playa and Camino Majorca at the end of Del Playa.

The Isla Vista parking permit plan, which was approved by the County Board of Supervisors amid vocal student and resident opposition, aims to free up spaces throughout the town by requiring paid permits for residents.  The parking restrictions would thereby prevent UCSB commuters from parking in I.V. and then walking to campus.

By implementing such a plan the County indirectly restricted beach access for Goleta and Santa Barbara residents to popular surf breaks at Coal Oil Point and Sands Beach.

The Santa Barbara Chapter appealed the decision to Coastal Commission, which found significant impacts to coastal access.  Since then we’ve been working with County  and Coastal Commission staff to come up with alternatives to the proposed program to reduce impacts. 

The new plan will have designated coastal access spaces to 65 near Camino Majorca at the end of Del Playa as well as 45 spaces near or along Del Playa Drive.  In addition parking will be limited to 4-hours, and overnight parking will be prohibited at these locations.

Unfortunately the likelihood that coastal access spaces will be taken up by students seems unavoidable under any proposed plan since these will be the only free spaces to park in Isla Vista. To alleviate this concern SB Surfrider proposes unrestricted parking during summer months and weekends due to the fact students do not park in Isla Vista during these times in which coastal access is most desired.

UPDATE
From John McInnes [mailto:JMcInne@co.santa-barbara.ca.us, County planner
Board of Supervisors approved a coastal permit for the project that we spent many months vetting through the community.  SB Surfrider appealed this permit and the California Coastal Commission (CCC) conducted a hearing on April 13, 2005 and voted to continue the item.  Specifically, the CCC directed their staff to develop a revised project description, in conjunction with County staff, and return to the CCC for further consideration.  County and CCC staff met last October to discuss CCC concerns raised at the April 13, 2005 hearing and consider alternative project designs.  Based on that discussion, and at the request of CCC staff, County staff developed a revised draft project description that addresses the Commission's previous comments and concerns.  Please be clear that the revised draft project description is not the County's preferred or recommended project but rather a reflection of an alternative that the CCC may find acceptable.  Should the CCC issue a permit for this or some other project description that differs from that which our Board approved last year, I will report the conclusions to the Board and all interested members of the community.

Surfrider Foundation and its attorneys will pressure the Coastal Commission staff to uphold the Commission’s precedent of opposing exclusivity to coastal access, and ensure the continuation of daytime parking for people wishing to use the beach in IV.  The appeal will go before the Coastal Commission at their meeting in Huntington Beach, which will be from the 14th to the 17th of November.  (The tentative date for the IV parking issue is Wednesday Nov 15th, item 13a.) "

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