The County of Santa Barbara is in the process of updating the 1993
Community Plan. According to the Goleta Valley Planning Advisory
Committee (GVPAC),
"Urban Agriculture shall be preserved unless:
* the County makes findings that the land is no longer appropriate for agriculture or
*
there is an overriding public need for conversion to other uses for
which there is no other land available in the Goleta urban area."
The Goleta farmlands (as shown in the attached map) that are at risk of being developed include:
* South Patterson (610 acres)
* San Marcos/Hollister Ave (51 acres)
* Christmas Tree Farm (26 acres)
* MTD (17 acres)
Farmland
in California and all over the US is being paved over at an alarming
rate and the cost of imported food will continue to rise as gas prices
rise. The quality of imported food cannot be monitored as easily as our
local food. We are already dependent on foreign gas, do we want to be
dependent on foreign food too?
If you are concerned about saving
our local farmland, protecting our community's food supply, and
preserving our community's health, please sign our petition and let
your local government know how you feel.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/savegoletafarmlandThank you,
Shelly Cobb