Representatives of agriculture and other organizations said they generally support Santa Barbara County’s proposed Agricultural Enterprise Ordinance, but told the Planning Commission there are aspects they don’t like and other provisions they would like added.
Concerns ranged from the terminology used in the proposed ordinance to tier thresholds for various permit levels, with several requesting more projects be exempt from permits and limits on activities be relaxed.
Their comments came Wednesday as the commission conducted the first of three planned meetings on the ordinance staff has been working on since 2021 to provide agricultural operations with additional revenue streams that will keep farming and ranching viable.
Commissioners are scheduled to hear more public comments and additional information from the Planning and Development Department staff at the next meeting Wednesday, Dec. 13.
Commission Chairman John Parke said a third as-yet unscheduled meeting will be held to discuss revisions to the staff’s draft ordinance before voting on a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
Parke said he was pleased with letters the commission has received that include specific suggestions, and he urged others with concerns to also put them in writing along with their suggestions and provide them prior to the Dec. 13 meeting.
An overview of the proposed ordinance and its development was provided by staff, and a consultant gave a summary of the programmatic environmental impact report before Parke turned the meeting over to hearing public comment.
Campgrounds, special events and ranchland guided tours were among the topics most frequently addressed, with two speakers critical of the ordinance for its one-size-fits-all approach.
“It’s better to do it right than to have something that doesn’t work in perpetuity,” said Andy Caldwell, executive director of the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business. “What works for ranching is a disaster for row crops.”
He said the county could adopt a Planning and Development ordinance to help agriculture that would become infeasible for businesses to implement if other departments like County Fire and Public Health impose requirements making simple projects too expensive.
Claire Wineman, executive director of the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, agreed with Caldwell’s assertion about row crops, noting that trails especially pose the potential problem of people and unleashed dogs coming in contact with produce.
Speaking on behalf of the county’s Agricultural Advisory Committee, Wineman said the minimum parcel size for campgrounds should be increased, different event permit processes should be provided for established wineries and farm stays’ duration should be limited, with an owner or operator required to be on site.
“The concept, I think, is wonderful and will be a boon to all agricultural operations if applied correctly,” said land use attorney Susan Petrovich, who called for more exempt uses because farmers and ranchers have neither the time nor money to go through the permit processes.
Under the proposal, certain small-scale, low-intensity activities would be exempt from permits, but as the size, intensity and potential impacts rise, so would the required approvals, first to zoning clearance and then to land-use permit, minor conditional use permit and conditional use permit.
Petrovich said the ordinance should also allow ranchland tours on all-terrain vehicles and electric bikes, shared farm stands, small-scale slaughter operations, equestrian facilities and branding events.
However, Kathy Rosenthal, co-president of WE Watch in Santa Ynez, said the organization is concerned about neighborhood compatibility and that small special events should not be exempt but should require a zoning clearance or land use permit.
She said events should be required to halt music at 8 p.m. and end at 9 p.m., and traffic should be mitigated by requiring the use of shuttle buses.
Mary Heyden, owner of the 8,000-acre Ted Chamberlin Ranch, said projects should be accessible and economically viable with no excessive startup costs, like the requirement for sewer or septic systems and potable water for remote campsites.
She questioned why farm stays had to be in the owner’s principal dwelling rather than an existing guest house.
Heyden also said educational opportunities should be increased from the maximum of 15 students to 60 students and more participants and multiple days should be allowed for special events.
Alison Laslett, chief executive officer of the Santa Barbara Vintners, focused on the issues of setbacks, incidental food service and traffic.
