Program Description
The initial public comment period on the Draft Creek Buffer Ordinance began January 15, 2025 and ends March 24, 2025. For any stakeholders with remaining questions on the current Draft Ordinance, the City of Santa Barbara is hosting a question-and-answer video conference on Friday, March 21 from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. City staff will be available via Zoom to discuss the Draft Ordinance.
An additional session has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Additionally, we continue to offer individual appointments to meet with City staff. Community members are also welcome to contact Melissa Hetrick, Resilience Program Supervisor, at MHetrick@SantaBarbaraCA.gov or (805) 991-2447 with any questions or concerns.
To review the Draft Ordinance, Frequently Asked Questions, screening maps, and more, please visit SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CreekBuffers. Staff have held over 100 meetings with community stakeholders, which have been extremely useful in assessing how the Draft Ordinance may impact different situations, and to help the City assess edits to consider moving forward. Please feel free to reach out to staff to continue the conversation.
Following this initial comment period, City staff will be making edits to the Draft Ordinance and will release a revised Ordinance for review in late summer. At that point, there will be several public meetings and opportunities to touch base with stakeholders about changes made before a final Draft Ordinance is forwarded to Planning Commission and City Council for review in late fall.