Act now on Plan SB
Energy and Environment subsections to be decided
The City of Santa Barbara’s General Plan Update is coming back to the City Council, Tuesday, July 26. Key decisions relating to energy, climate change and the environment will occur tomorrow, and the impacts will be felt for decades. Please help us encourage the Council to empower future generations with appropriate tools and resources. We believe this means embracing new technologies and allowing people to choose from a range of options in transportation, housing, and business.
Read more about the specific goals, policies, and implementation steps...
Please join us tomorrow (Tuesday, July 26) at 2pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall to voice your support for a cleaner, healthier built environment with options for all residents.
Send the letter below to the City Council and the City Clerk to show your support:
HSchneider@SantaBarbaraCA.gov; DFrancisco@SantaBarbaraCA.gov; GHouse@SantaBarbaraCA.gov; RRowse@SantaBarbaraCA.gov; MSelf@SantaBarbaraCA.gov; HWhite@SantaBarbaraCA.gov;
CMRodriguez@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
Dear Santa Barbara City Council:
I support new technologies that allow people to choose from a range of options in transportation, housing, and business. I support the PlanSB Subcommittee recommendations but would like to see several of the implementation actions strengthened or clarified. Specifically:
- ER6.5 Facilitate Renewable Energy Technologies.
The City has an exemplary over-the-counter permit process for rooftop solar. Unfortunately this process does not apply to historic structures or structures in historic areas. ER6.5 should specifically highlight the intent to facilitate use of renewable energy on historic structures and in historic areas. It should also lay out a plan for how such a plan might be implemented.
- ER6.6 Solar Energy
I support all new construction and significant remodel projects installing solar energy and ask that any residential projects of three units or greater be required to install a minimum of 2kW of solar photovoltaic per unit. If 2kW per unit will not fit onto the property then the maximum physically feasible should be required. While it is often easiest to install solar on the residential roof, solar may also be installed over a parking structure or on the ground. All types of installation should be encouraged through this implementation element.
- ER9.1 Electric Vehicles
Southern California Edison has identified the City of Santa Barbara as the fourth largest electric vehicle market out of 183 cities in their service territory. This means that they expect Santa Barbara residents to adopt this new technology faster than almost every other city in Southern California. Specifically they expect to see 450,000 to 1,000,000 electric vehicles in their territory by 2020, with Santa Barbara making up a substantial chunk. ER9.1 is vital if Santa Barbara residents are going to embrace options that move them away from the gasoline pump. Please leave it in the PlanSB update.
Thank you for your consideration.
