To: Campus Community

From: Highway 217 Review Committee

Re: 4th Update

After the release of its traffic consultant's report, Committee members Nelson, Kuntz, and Cooper met with Supervisor Marshall's staff to brief them on the report's contents and also gave a presentation on the report to the Associated Students' Legislative Council. As a result of the meeting with Supervisor Marshall's staff, the County's staff and consultants have been instructed to work with the University's faculty, staff, and consultants on the design of Highway 217. Committee members will also brief the Graduate Students Association, Faculty Association, and the four major staff organizations about the Committee's deliberations and the findings of its consultants. On Friday, February 21, Barton Myers, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA, gave a presentation to the Committee discussing the University's connections to local communities and the impacts of the proposed Highway 217 changes on those connections. A report of Mr. Myers' presentation is presented below.

Report of Mr. Barton Myers' presentation.

Relationships between universities and their local communities:

Mr. Myers emphasized the importance of developing the University so that it is a vital place for the community to visit and use as a resource. The University can be a regional center for cultural resources, for fostering the development of high tech industry, and for providing expertise on such community issues as low-income housing and equal opportunities for economic development. The South Coast, like California in general, is on the verge of a population explosion, and the University should contribute to the planning required to accommodate this rapid growth. Looking at the map of the Goleta and Santa Barbara areas, one can see that UCSB is centrally located and should be maintaining and developing strong ties with both communities. The University could make important contributions to the revitalization of Goleta, and there is considerable latitude for partnerships between UCSB and Goleta businesses. UCSB should be sensitive to, and an active participant in, local governmental issues, such as proposals for Goleta Cityhood, the annexation of Goleta by the City of Santa Barbara, etc.

UCSB is well-placed to develop a School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture which would complement existing programs in Art History, Art Studio, Engineering, Environmental Studies and Environmental Science and Management (e.g., the Bren School), and allow UCSB to attain a leadership role in regional, local, and urban planning issues.

The impacts of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan on UCSB

Regarding the proposed Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan, the University would be best served by having Highway 217 remain as a limited access highway without stop lights, thereby preserving UCSB's easy, rapid, and strong connections to the City of Santa Barbara. Efficient connections are extremely important because of the large number of people who work and study at the University, many of whom live in Santa Barbara. Also, if UCSB is to provide new regional resources, such as a major Performing Arts Center, as well as to continue providing many cultural and sports events for the community, it will need to have an easy and fast connection with Santa Barbara. The ease of connection and degree of accessibility to UCSB are a matter of both travel time and psychological attitudes, both of which are best served by a freeway. The University, however, should develop further its connections with Goleta, while preserving its connections to Santa Barbara.

Regarding the details of the proposed design for Highway 217, the first planned intersection south of 101 is dangerous, because of its close proximity and downward slope relative to the Hollister overpass and its proximity to the Hollister-Highway 217 southbound on ramp.

Although the County has argued that the first (Ekwill) intersection is necessary to serve anchor developments in southern areas of Goleta Old Town, Mr. Myers believes that these areas can be served with other roadway designs. Mr. Myers recommends a single diamond interchange between Ekwill and Fowler, and the development of strong frontage roads paralleling both sides of 217. He believes that a single interchange will provide ample access to proposed developments in the area based on comparisons with standard capacities and spacing of interchanges. With a single interchange, he believes that the planned Page hotel can thrive provided there is good visibility and appropriate signs. He suggested that it would be possible to develop an attractive commercial district along the frontage roads on either side of 217. In addition, a strong supergrid plan can create good access to the Old Town Redevelopment area if Fairview Avenue is also strengthened and a cross-town road from Fairview to the frontage road for 217 south of Ekwill is provided. With these improvements, sufficient traffic may be drawn off Hollister to allow Hollister to be narrowed to two lanes, creating a street more friendly to pedestrians and even making it possible to close it for special events such as market days. The University, County, and Goleta leaders should work together to strengthen Los Carneros and Storke Roads to serve developing areas of Goleta and to provide better westerly access to UCSB. The County and UCSB also should investigate improvements to Fairview Avenue, insuring that it is an important conduit to southern Goleta Old Town, the Airport, and UCSB.