Lompoc City Council Questions Most Recent SBCAG Regional Growth Forecast
LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) - The Lompoc city council is directing its staff to obtain more information about the Santa Barbara County Association Of Governments’ most recent regional growth forecast.
The city council feels the county is underestimating the growth coming from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The issue is over conclusions of an economic forecast by the Santa Barbara County Association Of Governments (SBCAG).
It forecasts moderate growth in the northern part of the county, and most of that happening further north in the Santa Maria Valley, over the next 25 years.
“Some people don't think the base is going to happen,” mayor Mosby said at last Tuesday’s city council meeting. “The people at the base say it's going to happen.”
Mosby has issues with conclusions in the county's most recent growth forecast, saying the numbers presented don’t align with current reality.
“A lengthy report,” says mayor Mosby. “My concern was, it's been reported on and on that more than 10,000 jobs are coming to the base, was not truly recognized in this report.”
He voted no when the report was accepted by the county council of governments back in June, and now is raising this issue with his city council.
“When that happens, it’ll push up our demand on our housing,” the mayor says. “And if we don't recognize that, we can't use that data in support of building more housing for the jobs that are coming into our valley.”
Concerns focus on the report not reflecting factors such as growth at Vandenberg Space Force Base, and new developments announced within his city.
“I believe what's happening is the county supervisors as the majority, and block voting the way they do, they're not going to recognize what's happening in our valley, and we will be misrepresented of what we have been told by multiple generals that this is happening,” Mosby says.
So, the city council now wants the data in that forecast re-evaluated.
“We're going to need to create a community consensus that this planning has to take place on a regional basis, not just individual communities,” says 3rd District supervisor for Santa Barbara county Joan Hartmann. “Lompoc really has to realize its vast potential and be a place where people want to live.”
Mayor Mosby also sites decades-old restrictions on annexation for development within the Lompoc city limits.
“In one move in 1978, they eliminated 7642 home sites and approximately 292 acres of light industrial commercial land around Lompoc,” says Mosby. “It'd be nice if the county just leaves Lompoc alone or let Lompoc plan its own destiny, its own future, instead of the real outsiders trying to control our destiny.”
Supervisor Hartmann says a working group is being established to create a north county vision, locating areas for housing and infrastructure as well as amenities to make the whole county appealing to live and work in.
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