I applaud the Goleta City Council for getting right to work on what they campaigned and were elected to do. The very flawed planning process and plan by the previous council needed overhaul. It was what a select few wanted, geared to keeping yesterday forever with no changes.

To paraphrase a known quote, “Planning delayed is project denied” was the intent of the previous council and its Design Review Board to run the applicant dry then deny. The need to streamline the process and relax some of the imposed ridged standards does not mean poor planning; what it does mean is a swift answer yes or no and reasonable standards as each plan is different.

Today’s housing requirements are considerably different than yesterday’s. The ranch-style house with a big yard is not desired by families. There is no longer stay-at-home moms as both parents work, children do not play sandlot baseball anymore as they are driven to participate in organized events, and gardening is replaced by yoga and exercise equipment.
The request for garage conversions and additions are to provide for today’s housing demand: storage, family rooms, office space, entertainment centers, larger bedrooms, exercise rooms and many amenities to support house living, not yard maintenance. Families want more house on a smaller lot.

I would point out that the price of my house dropped because there is a second story in the neighborhood and whoever might buy ours might not be allowed to remodel to provide for today’s requirements. If the older houses cannot be reasonably remodeled to meet today’s needs then they are of little value. None of these are vile plans if done properly and with consideration, not frustration.

It is true that the reason Goleta became a city was for better planning. Finally there is the prospect of having it be responsive to the demands of current and future residents.