Mission Canyon Residential Design Guidelines Workshop. Table Focus: Environmental Issues and Concerns

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1 Mission Canyon Residential Design Guidelines Workshop Table Focus: Environmental Issues and Concerns Grading How is Grading Regulated in Santa Barbara County? The technical aspects of grading are regulated by the County s Grading Ordinance which applies to over 50 cubic yards of transported material or where cut and fill exceed 3 feet in vertical distance to the natural contour of the land. Projects requiring grading plan approval must receive conceptual BAR review before the land use permit is processed. Projects in Mission Canyon are subject to the following Findings for Approval regarding grading: Grading and development shall be designed to avoid visible scarring and shall be in an appropriate and well designed relationship to the natural topography with regard to maintaining the natural appearance of ridgelines and hillsides. How is grading regulated via the Mission Canyon Area Specific Plan? All grading, including ag, requires both a Land Use Permit and a Grading Permit, including review by the Special Problems Committee Grading on slopes of 30% or greater shall be avoided, unless this would preclude all reasonable development of a parcel Grading should be avoided on slopes of 20% or greater, except in special instances where such prohibition would preclude any reasonable, other permitted use of a legal parcel. Mission Canyon Grading Design Guidelines: The overall shape, height and grade or any cut or fill slope shall be developed in concert with existing natural contours and scale of the natural terrain of the particular site The angle of the graded slope shall be gradually adjusted to the angle of the natural terrain Graded slopes shall be concealed wherever possible, and revegetation of those slopes shall be required The toe and crest of any slope in excess of ten feet vertical height, excepting the toe of any slope within twenty-five feet of a dwelling, shall be rounded with vertical curves of radii no less than 5 feet and designed in proportion to the total height of the slope. Any manufactured slope bank in excess of the ten feet vertical shall have variable gradients.

2 The siting of proposed structures on any project site shall be such that maximum concealment of a created cut slope is accomplished. Where cut and fill slopes more than 3 feet are created, a detailed landscape and irrigation plan shall be prepared by a licensed landscape architect and submitted to [P&D] as part of the grading permit review process. Landscape planting of slopes will incorporate skyline tree planting to soften architectural forms. Slope planting shall blend with the natural terrain and then transition to ornamental planting adjacent to the building pad. Natural drainage courses shall be maintained wherever possible. Fire Prevention What are the fire prevention requirements in Mission Canyon? Mission Canyon lies within the state designated High Fire Hazard area. The defensible space clearance requirement in this area (maintained around buildings and structures, whether habitable or not (i.e., barns and garages) is 100 feet. Insurance companies may require firebreaks of more than 100 feet. As a Special Problems Area the County Fire Dept. reviews land use and building permits. Application of the Fire Dept s Development Standards, which includes fire hydrant spacing, automatic fire sprinkler systems and vegetation mgmt. plans, is on a case-by-case basis. What techniques and/or materials can be used to reduce fire hazards? Use of Fire safe construction methods such as: Careful consideration of where the home is located away from ridgetops, canyons and areas between high points of a ridge; Materials used such as roofs that meet fire resistance classification of A and heavy timber or non-flammable materials for decks; Enclosing the underside of balconies and decks; Limiting the number of windows that face large areas of vegetation and use of dual, triple paned or tempered windows, and; Covering chimney outlets and stovepipes and roof eaves and vents with ¼ inch mesh. Use of Fire Safe Landscaping such as: Removing dead vegetation, separating vegetation and pruning lower limbs; Irrigating the first 30 feet around a home. Beyond 30 feet should be irrigated to a lesser extent feet should be native plantings that require little or no irrigation; Leave space between plants and groups of plants; Avoid planting or consider removing highly flammable plants such as acacia, eucalyptus, pine and juniper.

3 What are some planning strategies for dealing with development in the wildlandurban interface? (from Planning for Wildfires book) 1) Conduct wildfire planning in a Comprehensive Planning Context a. Make a natural hazards element of a local comprehensive plan a required element as a statement of statewide policy 2) Conduct a program of regulation and enforcement that stresses continuous individual responsibility by homeowners and property owners 3) Conduct an effective ongoing program of education and outreach to affected residents and property owners Watershed Issues What is a watershed and how does this relate to Mission Canyon? A watershed is the drainage basin for a river or stream, usually defined by ridgelines or other geologic features, which drains to a larger body of water. Mission Canyon is within the Mission Creek watershed which includes 7,203 acres with headwaters in the Los Padres National Forest. About 15% of the watershed is within unincorporated County jurisdiction of Mission Canyon. What can done within the context of the Design Guidelines to improve the health of a watershed? Management of grading and stormwater runoff can be incorporated into Design Guidelines in order to improve the health of watersheds. Examples include guidelines to: Minimize stormwater and nonstormwater runoff from the site to the street or neighboring properties by use of on-site drainage systems (french drains, detention basins, bioswales) and directing runoff into planted areas. Maximize water permeability through site design features such as reducing paved areas, use of permeable paving materials and preservation of open space drainage ways Views and Viewsheds How are views regulated in Santa Barbara County? Private views are not regulated in SB County. County regulation in terms of views comes from the View Corridor Overlay Zone which is used to protect significant existing coastal view corridors from 101 to the ocean and the Scenic Buffer Land Use Overlay which is present over the streams in Mission Canyon that were designated because of the picturesque view or landscape afforded by their natural setting. The scenic buffer is used

4 to mitigate the effects of changes in appearance resulting between land uses being put to different uses. The Eastern Goleta Valley Residential Design Guidelines include a public viewshed guideline to preserve public viewsheds through setbacks, landscaping and structural treatments along major roadways, open space and coastal areas. How does the City of Santa Barbara regulate views/viewsheds? The City s General Plan states that new development shall not obstruct scenic view corridors, including those of the ocean and lower elevations of the City viewed respectively from the shoreline and upper foothills, and of the upper foothills and mountains viewed respectively from the beach and lower elevations of the City. The City also has a view ordinance to establish a private process for neighbors to resolve disputes regarding blockage of private views by trees or other vegetation. The ordinance establishes the right of property owners to a private view but stipulates that a private view may not necessarily be restored to an unobstructed panorama. What is green building? Green Building Concepts Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use and harvest energy, water, and materials, and reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal the complete building life cycle. Green design often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resouces such as using sunlight through passive and/or active solar and photovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs and rain gardens for reduction of stormwater runoff. What techniques can be used to encourage green building? The County offers expedited plan check times, reduction in energy plan check fees and/or a resolution of commendation from the Board of Supervisors for projects that exceed Title 24 (California Energy Efficiency Standards) by 20-40%. The City of Santa Barbara is considering accepting the Architecture 2030 Challenge that was developed by architects and includes targets that all new buildings, developments and major renovations be designed to meet a fossil fuel, greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that building type. The Architecture 2030 Challenge would gradually increase the fossil fuel reduction standard to carbon-neutral by 2030 (using no fossil fuel GHG emitting energy to operate).

5 FOCUS QUESTIONS: Do the grading guidelines for Mission Canyon adequately address grading concerns? Are fire-safe landscaping guidelines being followed in Mission Canyon? Should they be more strictly enforced? Are fire safe construction methods being used in new development or remodeled dwellings? What are the major watershed issues in Mission Canyon? How can the health of the Mission Creek watershed be improved via design guidelines? Should the County consider a view ordinance for Mission Canyon similar to the City of Santa Barbara which would establish a private process to resolve view disputes regarding blockage of private views by trees or other vegetation? Should green building techniques be encouraged by methods beyond what is already offered by the County?