WWHT? Michael Bennett Wants to Create Disneyland in Old Town

Perhaps the next Political Play of the Week could be an occasional series called What Was He or She Thinking?

The Pacific Coast Business Times reported today that Goleta Council Member Michael Bennett told his buddies at the Chamber of Commerce (or was it their PAC? -- I can't tell the difference) that he would like to create a "semblance of Disneyland" in Old Town Goleta.

Bennett thinks he can create a picture perfect Mayberry with what I guess is more hotels in Old Town as he was very excited at the Chamber/PAC meeting about the success of the new Hampton Inn and condo project. That's all well and good as it is a good enough example of a mixed-use project along a transporation corridor (although it has already increased traffic horribly -- are these folks using the bus? or walking?) -- but do we really want Orange County-style planning in Old Town?

The problem with Bennett's statement is twofold. First, we don't need to look to Orange County for ideas -- Old Town's character can be enhanced and improved as it is right now, it doesn't need to copy our mega-neighbors to the south. Second, related to Bennett's next campaign, he just wrote his opponent's get-out-the-vote mail piece! What was he thinking?

Old Town: San Jose Creek and Steelheads

parkparkpark offered the following for discussion...

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I think Tom Schultz covered a really important issue in today's Santa Barbara Newsroom.

The ugly concrete channel right in front of the News-Press Goleta Printing Plant is going to be enlarged by digging out and then *pouring new concrete* over the existing aprons of the channel. Here is a cross sectional diagram of the new plan.

In the enlargement nothing will be done to improve steelheads' ability to migrate up San Jose Creek! In earlier incarnations there was going to be a small channel with a natural bottom for steelhead, but that was removed. But now the concrete bottom will be left as is all along South Kellogg, which forms an impenetrable barrier to steelhead.

The project as about to be approved is right out of 1965. 35 years of South Coast environmentalism is being ignored by this undertaking, and the steelhead will suffer.

Further, the City of Goleta has only done a Negative Declaration, not a full EIR on the project. The comment period ends tomorrow... more info is on their April 2, 2007 agenda. The comment period ends tomorrow!

Flood control in Goleta Old Town is important, but this is a retrograde and unacceptable solution. I wonder if the News-Press has ignored the issue because they benefit... the Printing Plant needs the channel enlargement to keep from flooding.

The old council was just as supportive of this travesty as the old one... something about Goleta Old Town... out of sight, out of mind.