Land Use Committee Meets

At this month’s Montecito Association Lane Use Committee meeting, the Committee was given a briefing on the rebuilding of Montecito from Matt Pontes, the County’s director of recovery, as well as representatives from the Planning & Development department. “We are considering this ‘Phase Two’ of the disaster, trying to navigate the rebuilding process,” said Cori Hayman, Land Use Committee chair.  

Planning & Development reps presented a power point outlining the pathway that residents will need to follow when rebuilding their properties. P&D is assembling a team of planners to act as liaisons between the community and the County, using lessons learn from the rebuilds after the Painted Cave, Tea, and Jesusita fires. There are 350 properties that are in the process of being assigned to a planner, who will each have a case load between seven and 50 properties, dependent on the scope of damage. 

The County has been working on building an interactive map which integrates permit history with specific properties, as well as showing the status of those properties: red-tagged, yellow-tagged, or green-tagged. Red-tagged properties are unsafe to occupy due to foundation or stabilization issues, or significant mud intrusion; yellow-tagged properties are allowed limited entry, due to moderate mud or water intrusion into crawlspaces, or isolated damage to structures; green-tagged properties are habitable, with cosmetic damage only to the exterior of the home or property. Since the disaster, 44 properties have been upgraded from yellow tag to green, with the removal of mud and debris. 

Pontes said the County is working hard to determine which properties will not be allowed to be rebuilt on, or whether they should be required to have a greater setback from creeks. Those determinations are in conjunction with plans for creek bed and bridge repairs, which are being looked at by myriad County staff and stakeholders, and the Army Corp of Engineers. “We have a massive amount of work to do on the ground,” Pontes said.  

For those homeowners planning to rebuild, it was announced that “like for like” rebuilds, with the same design, scale, size, and footprint, will not require a planning permit or review from MBAR. When the rebuild is not “like for like,” MBAR review and Land Use Permits and Coastal Development permits will be required. P&D staff is endeavoring to issue those permits in a two-week time period for the replacement of both primary residences and accessory structures. 

Also not requiring a permit: the removal of mud and debris; structure removal will be issued an over-the-counter demolition permit. Over-the-counter permits will also be given for replacement for finish materials, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing. 

Later this week, the County is rolling out new evacuation maps, based on our new topography and creek channels, and is releasing more information on where accumulated mud and debris can be dumped. (We’ll have that information in next week’s edition.)

The meeting was attended by three members of the board of supervisors: Das Williams, Joan Hartman, and Steve Lavagnino, who said they were trying to find room in the County’s budget to accommodate the recovery efforts. 

 “This is not just a First District issue,” Supervisor Lavagnino told the audience. “This is as much our problem as yours, and we are owning it. We are going to do this, one County, together.”