Overview of UCSB's Relationship to the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan

February 14, 2000

Scott Cooper, Chair, Highway 217 Review Committee, UCSB

Highway 217 was built by the state over 35 years ago to provide safe, adequate access for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to and from UCSB. In addition, this highway provides public access to the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport and Goleta Beach County Park. The highway was constructed as a state project primarily because the County wanted to shift the financial burden for this project to the State. At the County's request, authority for Highway 217 will soon be transferred from the State to the County. As part of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan, the County is proceeding with plans to convert Highway 217 to an expressway with two additional intersections with stop lights, to serve developments in southern areas of Goleta Old Town and to decrease congestion on Hollister Avenue. The Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan, which has been adopted by the County Board of Supervisors, includes improvements to the appearance, and parking and traffic circulation patterns, of Old Town Goleta; expansion of affordable housing stocks and public amenities (parks, bike paths, foot paths) in this area; and large developments, including a large hotel and industrial parks in southern Goleta Old Town, which will provide the economic anchors for redevelopment improvements. Although many studies have examined the effects of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan, and associated modifications to Highway 217, on Goleta Old Town, no studies have examined the impacts of this plan on UCSB. UCSB's Highway 217 Review Committee was set up to rectify this situation and will continue to keep the campus community informed of, and ask for campus input on, its analyses of the impacts of the Goleta Old Town Plan on UCSB and possible alternative solutions to perceived problems with the proposed stop lights on Highway 217.

The Highway 217 Review Committee has reviewed public documents dealing with the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan and the proposed intersections on Highway 217, has examined the University's historical stance on this project, and has met nine times to discuss the effects of the Goleta Old Town Plan on UCSB, including meeting with Supervisor Marshall and her staff and with community leaders serving on planning committees for Goleta Old Town. The Committee has hired an independent consultant to examine the costs of the proposed intersections and possible alternatives (e.g., interchange(s), roundabouts), as well as their effects on safety, health, pollution, traffic, and natural habitat issues. The consultant also has been charged with finding cost-effective engineering solutions which serve southern Old Town Goleta while providing unimpeded traffic flow to and from UCSB. Committee members have analyzed traffic flow data and have met with the traffic consultants to discuss conceptual designs for alternative solutions.

A number of Committee members also believe that the County, UCSB, and Goleta promoters should take a long-term, regional view on the area's development and that UCSB should explore possible partnerships with area businesses and developers on joint initiatives. There is considerable concern that UCSB is still viewed and treated as an isolated component of the local community, even though UCSB students, staff, faculty, and administrators are major contributors to the local economy, compose a significant proportion of the local population and work force, and participate in many local activities. The Committee has hired another consultant to discuss regional planning issues, including connections between UCSB and both Goleta and the City of Santa Barbara.

County planners and consultants have indicated that the proposed design for Highway 217, including the signalized intersections, cannot be changed because it resulted from a long, consultative process. Recently, however, Supervisor Marshall has indicated that she is willing to wait for the Committee's findings and is willing to incorporate these results into the plans for Highway 217. Furthermore, she has said publicly that she is willing to work with the Committee to organize an informational forum on Highway 217 featuring County staff, Highway 217 Review Committee representatives, and members of the Project Area Committee of the Goleta Old Town Redevelopment Agency. In addition to providing input on the design of Highway 217, the Committee believes that its activities and analyses will act as a foundation for larger issues regarding UCSB's place in the local community.

Description of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan

The goal of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan is to revitalize Old Town Goleta by providing:

• an improved appearance for downtown Goleta;
• improved traffic circulation and parking patterns;
• additional businesses, particularly a hotel and industrial areas to spur economic development; and
• additional public amenities, including parks, bikeways, and pedestrian paths.

The Plan encompasses a core area bounded by Highway 101 on the north, Highway 217 on the east, Fairview Avenue on the West, and South Street on the south, as well as outlying areas east of Highway 217 and south of Hollister Avenue, and west of Fairview Avenue between Highway 101 and Hollister Avenue (see map on this Web page). Originally, the Plan targeted several areas for development, including the renovation of commercial buildings; the development of a business hotel, multiplex theatre, and shopping complex, and off- Hollister parking for the Hollister Avenue corridor; promotion of a high-tech industrial park in the Airport Plaza; a large hotel/conference center just south of the Goleta Community Center (Page Hotel); additional residential development (550 units) in the northern parts of the planning area; and expansion of industrial areas near South Street. More recently, some of the Plan's components, such as the multiplex theatre, have been dropped from the Plan and an office complex, rather than an industrial park, is projected for the Airport Plaza.

Key components of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan include extensions of Ekwill Street and Fowler Street that would connect Highway 217 to Fairview Avenue (Ekwill Street and Fowler Road Extensions) and provide access to the southern parts of the Plan's area. The County argues that these road extensions would need improved access to Highway 217, which the Plan proposes to achieve with two at-grade intersections with stop lights, located between the Hollister Avenue and Sandspit Road exits. Funding for the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan would come from County general funds, special district assessments, mitigation funds, and state and federal grants. The anchor developments of the Goleta Old Town project, such as the Page Hotel, are projected to provide a large part of the revenue stream required to complete other parts of the revitalization plan, such as street, building, parking, road, and park improvements.

History of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan

Developers, local merchants, and County planning staff have been working on the plan since ca. 1995 and the idea for signalized intersections on Highway 217 surfaced in 1996. After an initial feasibility study, the County appointed a Goleta Old Town Advisory Committee (GOTAC) in winter 1996 to assist the county in developing specific elements of the plan. GOTAC released the Initiation Draft Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan for public review and comment in August 1996. After environmental analyses and review, an associated Environmental Impact Report was released in December 1996.

To maintain the potential for redevelopment financing for the Goleta Old Town project, the County Board of Supervisors appointed a Project Area Committee (PAC) in November 1996 as required by state Redevelopment Law. The Draft Plan and associated EIR were subjected to public review through a series of supervisorial hearings and PAC meetings, and the public provided written and oral comments that were included in the Proposed Final Environmental Impact Report of June 1997. The PAC's review, analyses, and recommendations were then released as the Revised Draft Revitalization Plan in December 1997. The Final Plan was released in June, 1998, and subsequently approved by the County Board of Supervisors in July, 1998. A Goleta Old Town Infrastructure Improvements Program (GOTIIP) Team, composed of County staff and one UCSB representative (Director, Physical and Environmental Planning, Budget and Planning, Tye Simpson), was then formed to implement the Final Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan and the GOTIIP Team is currently meeting to refine the plan.

History and Plans for Ward Memorial Highway (Highway 217)

Since it was originally proposed in the 1950's, Highway 217 has been mired in controversy, representing a struggle among various state and local interests. The University of California at Santa Barbara obtained its current Goleta campus site on June 26, 1949, and classes at this campus began in 1954. As soon as the University's move to the Goleta site became clear, County planners and University officials became concerned about access to the new campus. Initially, a variety of access routes were proposed, including extensions of Pine Avenue and a road skirting the southern Goleta Valley from the Mesa to Goleta Old Town. In planning for this access road, however, the County became aware that the proposed road would be expensive. As a consequence, the County proposed that the State could pay for the actual construction of Highway 217, while the County could pay for acquiring the right-of-ways for this road. Towards this end, Assembly Bill 2718 and Senate Bill 1313 were introduced to the State legislature on January 20, 1955, to provide an access route to “the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara, Goleta Campus”. Local Senator Clarence C. Ward, who introduced SB 1313, died shortly before the votes on AB 2718 and SB 1313 were taken; consequently, Assembly Member James L. Holmes amended AB 2718 to name the proposed highway “Clarence C. Ward Memorial Boulevard” and both houses of the state legislature duly passed this bill.

After this bill passed, the State Highway Commission conducted a series of studies, meetings, and hearings regarding the route for Ward Memorial Highway. Many of the initial discussions centered on whether UCSB should have a westerly or easterly access road. The proposed western access road would connect Highway 101 more-or- less directly to the northwestern corner of the campus, whereas most proponents of an eastern access road favored a long road connecting Highway 101 at La Cumbre Road to the University's eastern entrance. The western access road was supported by a group of citzens that feared that development of the eastern access road, with its bridge over the Goleta Slough, could inhibit the development of a yacht harbor in Goleta Slough. . The City and County, however, owned most of the land needed for the proposed Goleta harbor, and neither favored the development of a harbor in Goleta. The University, County, City of Santa Barbara, and a variety of private citizens favored an eastern road connecting UCSB to Highway 101 at La Cumbre Road, running along the southern Goleta Valley. Local landowners along this route, however, opposed this road because they did not want to sell and subdivide their land.

The easterly and westerly route advocates carried their cases to the State Highway Commission and the current route was proposed by some as a compromise to these positions. Initially, the Highway Commission favored the western route because it was the least expensive and because of concerns about a bridge over Goleta Slough, which might hinder development of a harbor. Because plans for a Goleta harbor had not been formally presented and because it appeared that such a harbor was infeasible given the County's and City's opposition, Highway Commission staff reversed their positions and recommended an easterly connection for UCSB. To the consternation of the University, County, City, and many local groups, however, Commission staff recommended the current route rather than the route favored by most local interests because the favored La Cumbre - UCSB route was very expensive and had a low traffic benefit to construction cost ratio. Highway Commission staff favored the current route for Highway 217 because it provided a short connection from Highway 101 to UCSB, was inexpensive relative to other alternatives, and had the highest traffic benefit to contruction cost ratio of all proposed altneratives. Highway Commission staff also contended that the subsequently adopted route was safer for students, referring to lower accident rates on freeways than on other types of roads. UCSB, local governmental groups, and local advocacy groups pressured the Commission to reconsider its decision because they contended that this decision contradicted local opinion, did not receive adequate scrutiny, violated the intent of the enabling legislation, and would impact the airport and areas east of Goleta Old Town. After considering these issues, the Highway Commission reaffirmed its adoption of the current route for Ward Memorial Highway on April 25, 1957. Both UCSB and the County Board of Supervisors accepted the Commission's decision in 1958 and Highway 217 was completed in 1964.

Goleta Old Town promoters maintain that the current Highway divides their community and inhibits access to parts of Goleta Old Town, particularly areas south of Hollister Avenue. The proposed plan, however, does not solve the first problem because it does not provide for any new connections for areas east of Highway 217. The proposed intersections and stop lights on Highway 217, then, represent a new chapter in the ongoing controversy over the design and purposes of this highway. The County will soon secure authority over Highway 217 and is proceeding with plans to convert Hightway 217 to an expressway, thereby changing the original purpose of this road in order to serve developments in areas south of Goleta Old Town and to decrease congestion on Hollister Avenue.

Project Study Reports for both the Ekwill Street and Fowler Road Extensions were prepared by County staff and consultants and incorporated into the Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan, and these and other amendments were subsequently adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 1997. The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) nominated the proposed Ekwill Street and Fowler Road extensions (and associated 217 intersections) for funding (ultimately $19.7 million) from the federal and state transportation program formerly known as the Flexible Congestion Relief Program. The County received notification that these road projects had been funded in October, 1999. The County lobbied elected state officials to have Highway 217 decommissioned as a state highway and transferred to County authority. A bill submitted by State Senator Jack O'Connell proposed this change in authority and it was signed by Governor Davis in October, 1999.

Presently, the County and State are working on documents dealing with the authority transfer and funding for Highway 217's improvement and maintenance, and it is anticipated that the California Transportation Commission will approve the relinquishment of Highway 217 to the County in June, 2000. County staff and consulting engineers also are proposing to complete preliminary design plans for the Ekwill Street and Fowler Road Extensions (including intersections with Highway 217) by June, 2000. After the design of these roads is completed and appropriate right- of-ways acquired, the construction of the intersections will commence, presumably in spring, 2001. At present, the County is preparing to accept control of Highway 217 and has received funding to construct the Ekwill Street and Fowler Road extensions, including their signalized intersections with Highway 217.

History of UCSB's Participation in the Planning Process for Goleta Old Town

UCSB students, staff, faculty, and administrators were not represented on committees that developed the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan (e.g., GOTAC, PAC); however, they could have participated in public meetings organized by these committees. Members of the UCSB community did participate, to some degree, in the review of the early plan developed by GOTAC and PAC and the plan's draft EIR prepared by the County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development Comprehensive Planning Division. County planners presented the plan to UCSB's Campus Planning Committee (CPC) on December 10, 1996. CPC declined a suggestion from its Chair to form a subcommittee to interact with the County on the plan; however, CPC asked for large amounts of informational materials on the plan and Highway 217. At that meeting, members of CPC expressed strong opposition to the signalized intersections on Highway 217, calling the plans a disaster for UCSB; stated that the plan was not well thought out and that alternatives needed to be considered; emphasized that the proposed changes did not improve access to the airport; and decried the lack of analysis of the plan's impacts on UCSB. UCSB officials, staff, students, and faculty provided written and/or oral comments on the draft plan and its EIR to the Board of Supervisors and PAC in December, 1996, and January- February, 1997. In every case, members of the UCSB community expressed strong opposition to the 2 signalized intersections proposed on Highway 217 between the Hollister Avenue exchange and UCSB . Even after the public review period for the draft EIR ended in January, 1997, UCSB administrators continued to meet with County supervisors and staff to explore alternatives to the signalized intersections on Highway 217. County planning staff contended, however, that alternatives, such as one interchange, 2 interchanges, or 1-2 roundabouts instead of the signalized intersections would each cost too much, would occupy too much land, were not consistent with CalTrans expressway standards, and had greater impacts on the environment. County traffic engineers completed analyses which assured them that transit delays for travel from 101 to/from UCSB would only amount to one or two minutes per trip with no more than 5-10 cars per lane backed up at the signalized intersections at any one time.

After County planners presented UCSB administrators with this information, UCSB officials elected not to oppose the 2 intersections and to support the general revitalization plan at a PAC meeting in late Feburary, 1997. This decision was based on County information that intersection impacts on UCSB traffic and accidents would be minimal, that these intersections were the only viable alternative to Goleta's traffic circulation problems, that acquiescence might help UCSB as it proceeded with other projects (e.g., North Campus housing), that the County would approve the project regardless of UCSB objections, and that there was latitude for having input into and altering the design of the 2 intersections. The subsequent lack of any additional active UCSB opposition to the intersections after the county presentations in February, 1997, was interpreted by some in the Goleta community and by some public officials as University support for all elements of the Revitalization Plan, including the signalized intersections on Highway 217.

In short, in its official comments on the Plan's EIR, the University expressed its support for many of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan's overall features and goals but expressed its opposition to the signalized intersections on 217; however, subsequent meetings with County planners pacified many of the University's concerns and campus officials backed away from their active opposition. In fact, however, there was considerable, continued opposition to the signalized intersections from various UCSB constituencies and UCSB officials continued to register the campus's opposition with elected officials.

The next round of University involvement in the County's planning process revolved around UCSB input on amendments to the Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan, including plans for the Ekwill Street and Fowler Road Extensions, as well as the County's efforts to obtain funding for these projects. For example, UCSB's Director of Governmental Relations, Lee Marking, sent a letter to the Santa Barbara Planning Commission in May, 1997, noting that most student groups, including the Associated Students and Graduate Students Association, opposed the intersections and stating unequivocally that the campus did not support the intersections. UCSB officials registered their opposition to the 217 stop lights at a Planning Commission hearing on the Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan in the same month. During this time, campus administrators attempted to solicit feedback on this project from selected faculty.

In August, 1997, the campus registered its opposition to the signalized intersections to the Board of Supervisors (August 5, 1997 letter from Lee Marking to the Board) and Chancellor Yang set up a small advisory committee which included student, faculty, staff, and administrative representation. The purpose of this committee, which followed from an earlier, broader consultation with a number of campus faculty, was to define UCSB's stance on the County's application for Santa Barbara County Association of Government (SBCAG) support for congestion relief funding for the Ekwill and Fowler Extensions. This UCSB committee recommended that the university hire an independent consultant to examine the traffic, pollution, and safety impacts of the proposed highway project, as well as to examine alternative solutions to Goleta's and UCSB's transportation needs. In addition, the committee prepared a position document for Supervisor Marshall that outlined the need for comprehensive regional planning, registered general UCSB opposition to the intersections, expressed support for most other Goleta Revitalization Plan elements, and reminded the Supervisor of UCSB's strong desire for joint UCSB-County explorations of solutions to mutual problems. This document was discussed at a meeting of this ad hoc committee with Supervisor Marshall on August 18, 1997.

Supervisor Marshall assured campus administrators that the proposal for the two intersections on Highway 217 was just a place holder for obtaining funding for solutions to Goleta's traffic circulation problems relative to 217, and that the exact design of these solutions would be developed through joint campus-County collaborations (Aug. 18, 1997, email memo from Bob Kuntz to the ad hoc committee, summarizing the committee's Aug. 18, 1997, meeting with Supervisor Marshall). Furthermore, the Supervisor stated that the campus should identify faculty, staff, and students to work with her and her staff to examine alternative solutions to the intersections which would allow a revitalized Old Town Goleta, improved airport access, reduced Hollister congestion, and an improved UCSB entrance. As a consequence of these assurances and statements of cooperation, UCSB campus administrators declined to actively oppose the intersection proposals at a SBCAG meeting dealing with Santa Barbara County priorities for congestion relief funding. There also was some feeling among campus officials that the SBCAG and County would support the intersection proposals regardless of UCSB's opposition.

The proposed Highway 217 intersections were largely out of the public's eye from fall 1997 to 1999, while County staff finalized the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan, obtained approval for this plan from the Board of Supervisors, began the process of transferring Highway 217's authority from the state to the County, and awaited the outcome of funding applications for the Ekwill and Fowler Extensions. In 1999, the County Board of Supervisors requested assistance from State Senator Jack O'Connell for finding a legislative vehicle for decommissioning State Highway 217 and transferring authority for 217 from the state to the County. During this time, on April 6, 1999, UCSB's Assistant Chancellor for Budget and Planning, Robert Kuntz, wrote a letter to the Board of Supervisors and once again expressed University concerns about the proposed decommissioning but recognized the importance of these changes for Goleta's long-term plans and expressed hope that these changes would make UCSB more accessible to the community. He further reemphasized that UCSB wanted to be consulted and to provide input on any changes to Highway 217. Mrs. Lee Marking, UCSB Office of Governmental Relations, re-inforced these opinions at a Board of Supervisor's meeting on April 6, 1997, which considered the proposed decommissioning of Highway 217. Supervisor Marshall wrote to Lee Marking on April 14, 1999, thanking Mrs. Marking for her appearance at the Board of Supervisors' meeting and stating that she would “involve UCSB at every step of the way” as the County moved forward with the Goleta Old Town Plan and the transfer of 217 from the state to the County.

On April 25, 1999, former Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Chair Robert Warner emailed Senator O'Connell expressing concern about 217's decommissioning owing to impacts on the University's operations and efficiency, as well as on the safety and health of commuters. On October 19, 1999, Senator O'Connell responded to Professor Warner and, at approximately the same time, the bill decommissioning Highway 217 was signed by the governor (reported to GOTIIP on October 14, 1999). In his response, Senator O'Connell stated that he understood that the Board of Supervisors had held public meetings on the proposal to decommission Highway 217, that the proposed intersections were considered as part of the public hearing process before the adoption of amendments to the Goleta Transportation Improvement Program (GTIP) in 1997 and of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan (GOTRP) in 1998, and that he believed the University supported the County's proposals for converting Highway 217. Although the County Board of Supervisors did consider the decommissioning of Highway 217 at its April 6, 1999, meeting, apparently only Mrs. Marking among University personnel knew of this agenda item. Although numerous public meetings were held on the Goleta Old Town Plan, only a small portion of these dealt with the proposed changes to Highway 217. Furthermore, our conversations with many faculty, students, and staff have indicated that they did not know of the implications of the Goleta Old Town Plan for Highway 217, because the proposed Highway 217 changes were embedded in a complicated, general plan, the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan (GOTRP). In addition, the University officially opposed the intersections again and again when commenting on the GOTRP and its EIR and, later, on the GTIP and the SBCAG's consideration of funding for these intersections. Senator O'Connell's October 1999 letter to Professor Warner did indicate that his staff had spoken recently with Supervisor Marshall's Office, GOTIIP Project Manager G. Comati , and UCSB's Director of Physical and Environmental Planning, Tye Simpson, “to request that promises made to involve UCSB faculty and students in the future design of Ward Memorial Boulevard are honored”. There is ample room for misunderstanding in all of this. UCSB administrators (e.g., Robert Kuntz) feel that they received assurances that UCSB could have substantive input into the design of Highway 217, including proposing alternatives to the intersections with stop lights, whereas Supervisor Marshall and County staff believe that “input” was limited to landscaping and other refinements.

Mr. Simpson sits on the GOTIIP and reports that the County staff on the GOTIIP believe that the Route 217 project has been approved and the focus of County staff is on how best to implement the approval rather than evaluate the fundamentals of the project, its merits, or basic alternatives. Mr. Simpson reports that, at best, the GOTIIP believes that its major function is to refine the design, such as landscaping plans.

In conclusion, it is apparent that most campus constituencies aware of proposed alterations to Highway 217, including students, staff, faculty, and administrators, have consistently expressed strong reservations about the County's plans for Highway 217. During the public review period in early 1997 for the Draft Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan and its EIR, UCSB officials expressed strong opposition to the signalized intersections on Highway 217 while supporting the goals and features of many other plan components. However, UCSB administrators later decided to back off from their opposition at this point in the process, owing to larger political concerns about town-gown relationships and County planners' assurances that plan impacts on UCSB would be minimal. In addition, University administrators concluded that the County would probably support the signalized intersections even over UCSB's objections.

The University did once again renew its public opposition to the signalized intersections on Highway 217 when providing comments to the County Planning Commission and County Board of Supervisors on the Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan (May 7, 1997 and August 5, 1997) and on the SBCAG's consideration of funding priorities for transportation improvements. However, UCSB administrators decided not to continue to actively and publicly oppose the intersections at the 1997 SBCAG meeting on transportation project funding priorities, this time because they had received assurances from Supervisor Marshall that the design of Highway 217 changes was flexible and that UCSB would be included in all Highway 217 planning (August 18, 1997, meeting between Supervisor Marshall and the ad hoc committee). Promises to include UCSB faculty and staff in Highway 217 planning were recognized broadly, as evidenced by Senator O'Connell's response to Professor Warner's letter. Although Highway 217 was built as an access road for UCSB, the State did not consult with UCSB administrators when considering the bill to decommission Highway 217. Although UCSB faculty and students have not been included by the County in any of its planning efforts, the County assumes that Mr. Simpson's presence on the GOTIIP team constitutes general UCSB representation in the planning processing. Based on promises from elected officials, UCSB officials felt that they would have the ability in the future, should the project go forward at the state level, to provide substantive input to any proposed changes in Highway 217, including the ability to propose alternatives to the signalized intersections. Recent conversations with County staff, however, indicate that they believe that the proposed intersections on Highway 217, and the extensions of Ekwill Street and Fowler Road, had been finalized by the approved Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan and the Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan. Recently, however, Supervisor Marshall and her staff have indicated that they are willing to explore alternative plans with UCSB and to clear up past misunderstandings.

Formation of UCSB's Highway 217 Review Committee

Near the end of 1999, it became apparent that changes to Highway 217 were now imminent, both because the state bill had been signed which would decommission Highway 217 and transfer its authority to Santa Barbara County and because the County had received federal-state funding to carry out its plans for Highway 217. Although a number of faculty, students, and staff had been consulted in 1997, it also has become apparent that many faculty, students, and staff were uninformed about the plans for Highway 217. At the fall 1999 meeting of Letters and Sciences Chairs and Management Services Officers, Deans, the Provost, and Chancellor Yang, the proposed changes to Highway 217 and recent approvals for the project were discussed. The response was clear that most department chairs and MSO's had not been previously aware of the proposed changes and that, upon learning of the planned changes, they were firmly opposed to signalized intersections on Highway 217.

There are widespread and growing campus concerns about changes to Highway 217 that will likely occur over the next 2 years. There is frustration that planning went ahead with little or no assessment of impacts to UCSB, and the large community it serves, other than minor assessments of traffic delays. In response to these concerns and Supervisor Marshall's call for UCSB involvement in the 217 planning process, Chancellor Yang has appointed a Highway 217 Review Committee to study the impacts of the County's plans for Old Town Goleta, particularly modifications to Highway 217, on UCSB. The formation of this Committee was announced to the campus community on December 3, 1999. The committee includes student, staff, faculty, and administrative representation, including the Chairs of key Academic Senate Committees, the Presidents of Associated Students and the Graduate Students Association, and Faculty Association, Staff Assembly, and CSAC leaders. The committee's goals are to study the effects of the Goleta Old Town Plan, particularly the proposed intersections on Highway 217, on UCSB; propose alternative solutions to traffic problems shared by UCSB and the community; work with local government agencies and community groups to insure that the University's and community's interests coincide; and solicit input from and communicate with all campus constituencies, including students, staff, faculty, and administrators, on the impacts of the proposed highway project. This Committee will use gathered information to advise the Chancellor on the University's stance and actions regarding the proposed plan.

Activities, Findings, and Plans of the Highway 217 Review Committee

Activities

From its formation in December, 1999, until now (February 14, 2000) the Committee has met nine times to discuss the Goleta Revitalization and Transportation Plans, including a meeting with Supervisor Marshall and County staff to determine appropriate future steps and a meeting with community leaders that have served on the GOTAC or PAC to clarify issues (Ms. Johny Wallis, Mr. Harlon Green). In addition, several Committee members met with County and SBCAG staff and consultants working on the Goleta Plan to assess the status of Highway 217 planning; Chancellor Yang, Senate Chair Watts, Committee Chair Cooper, Physical and Environmental Planning Director Simpson, and Budget and Planning Assistant Chancellor Kuntz met with Supervisor Marshall and her staff to discuss the issues and set the stage for the larger meeting of Supervisor Marshall with the entire Highway 217 Review Committee; and Committee members Cooper, Nelson, and Kuntz met with Supervisor Marshall and advisor Chaconas. As a first step, Committee members have attempted to familiarize themselves with documents relevant to the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan. Prior to the Committee's meeting with Supervisor Marshall, Committee members reviewed the Draft Plan and its EIR, as well as a packet, prepared by Assistant Chancellor Kuntz, chronicling all University documents, activities, and positions regarding the Revitalization Plan and proposed modifications to Highway 217. The 1997 Final EIR, 1998 Final Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan, and 1997 Project Study Reports for both the Ekwill Street and Fowler Road Extensions were provided to the Committee by the County and are being reviewed. The Committee also reviewed traffic and circulation data for the planned Engineering-Science Building Project at UCSB.

The Committee requested that Chancellor Yang, Assistant Chancellor Kuntz, and Committee Chair Cooper screen potential candidates to act as a traffic consultant for UCSB. After Chancellor Yang consulted with engineering colleagues and discussed these issues with Mr. Kuntz and Professor Cooper, they recommended The HNTB Companies. Mr. Richard Hart, Associate Vice President of Transportation for The HNTB Companies, visited the UCSB campus on January 21, 2000, to meet with Committee members, discuss the proposed modifications to Highway 217, and refine the scope of his consulting work. In general, the Committee asked Mr. Hart and his company to assess the costs and safety, health, traffic, and environmental impacts of the proposed modifications to Highway 217 and possible alternatives, with a particular focus on alternative cost-effective transportation solutions which serve southern Goleta Old Town without impeding traffic flows or increasing accident rates for commuters going to/from UCSB. At present, Committee members are working with Mr. Hart and other HNTB employees on these analyses and it is anticipated that a general impact analysis and general transportation solutions will be provided to the Committee in February, 2000, with details to follow later. In addition, Committee member Professor Carol Pasternack has been working with the Committee to construct a charge for a consultant, Mr. Barton Myers, to speak to the Committee about regional planning issues, including linkages between UCSB and both Goleta and the City of Santa Barbara.

Committee member and Associated Students President Jason Nasar invited Supervisor Marshall and her staff to participate in a campuswide forum at UCSB where Supervisor Marshall would answer questions about the Goleta Old Town Plan and proposed modifications to Highway 217, as well as their impacts on UCSB. In a letter to Chancellor Yang, dated January 18, 2000, Supervisor Marshall declined to participate in such a forum, stating that “such a forum would be premature until [UCSB's] consultant has brought new information into the discussion”. Supervisor Marshall, however, also stated that she looked forward to “the results of the engineering study and our continued efforts to work with the faculty, staff and students of the University to generate a solution that benefits all of our interests”. In letters to the Goleta Valley Voice (Feb. 9, 2000) and Daily Nexus (Feb. 9, 2000) Supervisor Marshall states that the final design for Highway 217 will incorporate the conclusions from the studies of the University's traffic consultant and that final decisions will not be made “without appropriate input and consultation” with the University community. In those letters, she also proposes a public forum on Highway 217 featuring representatives from the County, Highway 217 Review Committee, and Goleta Old Town PAC. Committee members Cooper, Nelson, and Kuntz met with Supervisor Marshall and her advisor, Mark Chaconas, on Feb. 9, 2000, and she reiterated these commitments and indicated a desire to work with the University community on solutions to common problems.

Findings

Conversations with County staff have indicated that they view the signalized intersections on Highway 217 and associated road extensions to be essential to the success of the Goleta Revitalization Plan because they would allow direct access to southern areas of the Goleta Old Town area, would alleviate congestion on Hollister Avenue, and would serve large developments (e.g., the Page Hotel) that would generate new tax revenues. The proposed extensions and intersections also would receive state-federal funding which would not be available for other purposes. The Ekwill Extension from 217 to Fairview would serve primarily two of the anchor developments for the Revitalization Plan, i.e., the Page Hotel and the Airport Plaza industrial park. The South Street/Fowler Extension from 217 to the Fairview Avenue – Fowler Road intersection would serve planned industrial areas on the south side of the redevelopment area and would provide more direct access to the Airport than the present off ramp from 217 to Sandspit Road. Although Highway 217 was built as a freeway or major arterial between Highway 101 and Hollister Avenue, the Airport, Goleta Beach Park, and UCSB, many Goleta Old Town merchants and developers, and County staff, view Highway 217 as a barrier inhibiting access to Goleta businesses. They strongly support the proposed modifications to Highway 217 to increase access to the southern redevelopment areas. County planning staff originally rejected alternative solutions to the intersections, including roundabouts and interchanges, because they maintain that these features would be too costly, would require more land, and might have additional environmental impacts. In addition, roundabouts, in particular, could further impede traffic flows and increase traffic delays. The County's traffic analyses indicate that traffic delays and accidents caused by the proposed intersections would increase minimally. County staff are working towards a June, 2000, deadline for the preliminary detailed design of Goleta Old Town infrastructural improvements, including the proposed Ekwill and Fowler extensions. Under the current timetable, construction of the intersections is slated for spring, 2001. At present, County planning staff and consultants believe that the proposed Highway 217 signalized intersections have been set by the Final Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan and by the Goleta Transportation Improvement Plan. However, as noted above, Supervisor Marshall has indicated that there is still sufficient flexibility for the County to work with UCSB to find solutions to mutual problems.

Members of the Highway 217 Review Committee believe that there may well be engineering solutions that serve southern Old Town Goleta without affecting the traffic flow along 217 to and from UCSB. These alternatives include a reduction in the number of road extensions planned to connect 217 to Fairview Avenue and the appropriate design and location of slip ramps, interchanges, or roundabouts. In general, many members also do not believe the results of the County's traffic and safety analyses, particularly during peak traffic hours, and there has been no analysis of impacts on traffic flow during special events. As a consequence, Committee members recommended and approved the hiring of a traffic consultant to provide UCSB with independent information and a second opinion on the costs and the traffic, safety, air pollution, and environmental impacts of the proposed modifications to Highway 217 and of several proposed alternatives. The Committee also has instructed its traffic consultant, Mr. Richard Hart of The HNTB Companies, to propose cost-effective transportation solutions which effectively serve southern Goleta Old Town while providing unimpeded traffic flow to and from UCSB. In addition, the Committee has recommended and approved the commission of an urban planner (Barton Myers and Associates) to discuss the impacts of the highway modifications on the University's connections to both the City of Santa Barbara and Goleta.

A number of Committee members believe that the County, UCSB, and Goleta promoters should take a long-term, regional view of the area's development and that UCSB should explore possible partnerships with area businesses and developers on joint initiatives. There has been considerable concern that UCSB is still viewed and treated as an isolated component of the local community, even though UCSB students, staff, faculty, and administrators are major contributors to the local economy, compose a significant proportion of the local population and work force, and participate in many local activities. The Committee has been heartened by Supervisor Marshall's recent pronouncements that the results of the Committee's analyses will be integrated into the plans for Highway 217 and that the County and UCSB should work together on solutions to common problems.

Campus input and media coverage

It is apparent that many campus constituencies are uninformed about the proposed changes to Highway 217. When they have been informed, the reaction of the campus's students, staff, and faculty to the decommissioning of Highway 217 and the proposed stop lights on 217 has been overwhelmingly negative. Informal discussions of Committee members with students, faculty, and staff have revealed substantial resentment regarding the planned Highway 217 modifications and concern about the perceived lack of University input into the planning process. These sentiments have been bolstered by email communications to Committee members from faculty and staff expressing concern about the impacts of the proposed modifications on the safety, health, and efficiency of University employees and students. Committee members especially have received comments from University programs and departments with close ties to the community, such as the Music Department, the Visitor Center, and the Arts and Lectures Program, expressing concern that the prospect of additional traffic delays may be sufficient to deter some patrons from attending campus events.

Media coverage of the University's activities regarding the proposed plans has been mixed. The Independent stated that UCSB had reversed its initial support for the Highway 217 changes and now wanted time to study the proposed modifications and the Nexus emphasized that County staff welcomed input from the Highway 217 Review Committee, while emphasizing the importance of the proposed modifications to the success of the Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan. The Goleta Valley Voice contained an editorial and a couple of letters to the editor which were generally sympathetic to the University's 217 activities and which generally opposed any changes to Highway 217. However, the Valley Voice also included a couple of additional letters stating that UCSB was generally unsympathetic to Goleta's concerns and that UCSB's opposition to the proposed changes was selfish. Other articles in the News Press, Nexus, and Valley Voice have given even-handed reportage to the activities of the Highway 217 Review Committee, Faculty Association, and Faculty Legislature on this issue, as well as responses from County staff. The Highway 217 controversy has become a major issue in the 3rd District supervisorial race.

Future Steps

• The Committee has nearly finished reviewing additional documents provided by County staff including the Final Goleta Old Town Revitalization Plan, the Final Plan EIR, and the Specific Project Plans for the Ekwill and Fowler extensions. Committee member Harry Nelson has completed a detailed analysis of traffic flow patterns under the proposed plan.


• The Committee plans to meet with County staff and consultants to clarify any issues and questions resulting from its analyses of existing documents.


• The Committee has hired an independent traffic consultant, The HNTB Companies represented by Mr. Richard Hart, who will examine the costs and traffic, safety, health, and environmental impacts of the proposed modifications to Highway 217 and of several possible alternatives. The traffic engineering consultant also has been charged with proposing a transportation solution which effectively serves southern Goleta Old Town while producing unimpeded traffic flows along Highway 217 to and from UCSB. General analyses and solutions will be presented by the consultant to the Committee in February, 2000.


• In addition, Committee members Professor Carol Pasternack (Chair, Design and Review Committee) and Vice-Chancellor Kuntz are making arrangements for another consultant (Barton Myers) to provide the Committee with information on larger regional and urban planning issues in February.


• The committee believes strongly that the entire campus should have opportunities to hear from and communicate directly with planning officials and elected representatives. Initially, Supervisor Marshall declined the Committee's invitation to participate in a forum on Highway 217 pending the outcome of the report of the Committee's traffic consultant. More recently, Supervisor Marshall has called for a public forum on Highway 217 featuring County staff, Highway 217 Review Committee members, and PAC representatives. As soon as the Committee has received a general report from its traffic consultants, it will arrange to discuss its analyses, findings, and the traffic consultants' report with Supervisor Marshall and her staff. After this is completed, the Committee will work with Supervisor Marshall in setting up a public forum.


• The Committee and its consultants will need time to complete their analyses. Recently, Supervisor Marshall stated that “final decisions have not yet been made, and will not be made without appropriate input and consultation” from the University community, indicating that she was giving the Review Committee and its consultants time to finish their studies and to work with the County on Highway 217 planning. The Board of the Faculty Association recently passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on County planning for the Highway 217 modifications, allowing for sufficient time for the campus to complete its analyses. Faculty Association members prepared a resolution for a moratorium on planning of the Highway 217 modifications which was presented and unanimously passed at the Faculty Legislature's February 3, 2000, meeting. This resolution is being presented to the Academic Senate in a mail ballot. The Committee also feels that its information-gathering activities will be valuable in keeping the campus apprised of developments and alternatives and in providing University input at public hearings.


• The Committee will send updates on its activities and findings to the campus community via email and will provide more specific information to all interested parties on its Web page. In addition, all of the County and University documents reviewed by the Committee have been placed in UCSB's Library (Government Information Center, 1st floor near the Map and Imagery Section Collections).


• The Highway 217 Review Committee welcomes any comments and suggestions on the proposed plans for Old Town Goleta and Ward Memorial Highway, as well as on the Committee's activities and findings. Please contact any of the Committee members, via email or phone, if you have concerns, suggestions, or questions.