The Goleta City Council will discuss zoning amendments and short-term vacation rentals during its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Goleta City Hall, 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B.
The council will conduct a public hearing to consider adoption of a Title 17 Zoning Amendments Ordinance. Since adoption by the council in 2020, the city has conducted three rounds of amendments to Title 17, including necessary revisions related to changes in state law and to clarify various provisions.
The proposed amendments to Title 17 address state law consistency, implement the Housing Element 2023-2031, remedy issues identified during implementation, and provide clarity to the regulations adopted.
Additionally, the council will discuss Short-Term Vacation Rentals Ordinance Amendments and voluntary collections agreement with Airbnb. Created in 2015, the current ordinance and STR permit program is in need of revising to improve efficiency, monitor the number of STR units in Goleta more accurately and assess their impacts on local housing, according to the city.
Contracts with Airbnb and the city are supposedly in the works as well.
The council will also discuss partnering on a Home Solar and Battery Storage Program with the Sustainable Community Network Program. The city said developing and implementing a home solar and battery storage program would help expand community access to renewable energy and improve energy resilience.
The goal of the SCN program is to improve resilience and protect against the worst impacts of outages. Participation in SCN also supports the city’s Strategic Energy Plan, which includes a goal of moving community-wide electricity supply to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Finally, the council will discuss board and commission document amendments. Staff have come up with proposed changes including: establishing the Public Engagement Commission as a regular city commission; modernizing and simplifying the Municipal Code; updating member qualifications; amending the number of meetings per year; eliminating extraneous documents; and more.
If you would like to join the meeting, visit cityofgoleta.org/meetings-agendas.
email: abahnsen@newspress.com
