The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider denying the Mosby Sports and Outdoor Recreation Facility project near Lompoc.
Approving the project would place recreational land use in the middle of an area zoned for agriculture, but some are arguing that it provides recreational activities for local residents.
To provide those activities, owner Jim Mosby is seeking a conditional use permit to operate the athletic fields, remote-controlled car track and paintball field that are currently on his land and were open for public use from 2006 through 2011, when Mosby received a zoning violation complaint from the county. The land is specifically zoned for agriculture.
The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission denied the project Dec. 4 because of its close proximity to productive farm fields.
Commissioners were concerned that the recreational activities could increase the area’s land use conflicts and that its lack of a permanent border could threaten long-term farming production. Commissioners also noted that approving the Mosby project would allow urban land use east of the Santa Ynez River, which is meant to be a natural boundary between Lompoc and the agricultural sector.
The Board of Supervisors also will consider the Orcutt Union School District project on Tuesday.
The school district purchased a collection of vacant lots in 2001, when officials foresaw an increase in school enrollment. The district’s plan was to construct a school to serve students in kindergarten through third grade and a soccer field. But when the district’s enrollment declined, officials looked for another use for the land.
Now, Oasis Associates Inc. is proposing to lease four parcels of the land from the district and construct a 100-percent senior housing project.
The project would require that these parcels in the southwest area of Orcutt be rezoned to allow for a maximum of 20 living units per acre. The site is currently zoned residential, allowing for eight living units per acre.
To finalize the rezone, the board must approve altering the Orcutt Community Plan. This alteration would allow developers to construct up to 191 senior residential units on the site; however, if a 35-percent density bonus is applied, as many as 257 units could be constructed.