Agricultural permit streamlining / land use development code (ludc)

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Agricultural Permit Streamlining (LUDC)

This project involves Zoning Ordinance amendments to the Santa Barbara County LUDC that will affect approximately 600,000 acres of land zoned AG-I and AG-II in the Inland portion of Santa Barbara County. The affected areas are located outside the Coastal Zone and include the Cuyama, Los Alamos, Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Ynez Valleys, portions of the Gaviota Coast and the Goleta foothills.

OPEN has been actively involved in crafting language related to the final approved LUDC update, which reflected a balance between agricultural and environmental interests. The goal of the LUDC update was to streamline the permitting of certain ag structures (since the need for additional streamlining of County permits was repeatedly expressed by the agricultural community), while also protecting the environment. Specifically, the OPEN input helped to facilitate a reduction in the amount of unprecedented development (from 100,000 sf to 50,000 sf) that would have been allowed by the ordinance update, while incorporating mechanisms via development standards and ordinance language that will protect environmentally sensitive habitat and view corridors. A cap was also incorporated on the size of individual structures so as not to interfere with agricultural use of ag-zoned land.