Article taken from the Santa
Barbara News Press Bacara project worries Goleta By
THOMAS SCHULTZ 04/10/05 Bacara Resort & Spa intends to build more than five dozen suites -- a preliminary proposal that already has sparked conflict. Hotel executives describe it as an expected project for the next stage of the resort, but Goleta officials call it an expansion. How this basic conflict plays out could significantly affect how the plan for 62 two- and three-bedroom units is perceived by slow-growth Goleta City Council members who could ultimately decide its fate. Under the proposal, the units would be managed by Bacara but sold to private owners, who could in turn rent them out. The plan is sure to generate stiff resistance among Goleta residents still angry that the 73-acre resort exists on what was once a popular wildland, and those still fuming over its unsuccessful attempt to prevent nighttime public parking for visitors to Haskell's Beach. The hotel is likely to find support, however, from the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, where business leaders note that higher profits translate to more tax dollars for the community. "They (management) want to complete Bacara, to fulfill what the marketplace is asking for," said political consultant John Davies, speaking for the resort. "By doing that, they can up their occupancy. "The biggest demand they have is two- and three-bedroom suites," Mr. Davies said, noting that more hotel business means an increase in city tax revenue. "It's an easy proposal. It's an easy discussion." Since its opening, Bacara has enjoyed rave reviews from travel publications as an upscale destination. However, it is also embroiled in a huge civil lawsuit over its construction that could jeopardize the resort's future, according to attorneys for the owners. Underneath its glossy surface, parts of the complex are rotting, cracking and crumbling away, the result of a litany of building defects, court documents allege. It's a morass of multiple claims ricocheting among the resort owners, insurance companies, contractors, engineers, architects and subcontractors. Asked if new construction is in any way an effort to boost Bacara's bottom line in light of its legal situation, Mr. Davies said the two matters are not connected. On the contrary, he said, the hotel aims to increase its amenities. "The Bacara under-built when they first built." Santa Barbara County oversaw initial approval of Bacara, which opened in 2000. Land use control has since shifted to the city of Goleta, which incorporated in 2002. The new proposal has a long way to go before public hearings begin. City Council members have declined to comment on the plan -- all say they have not read it yet -- other than to note that environmental protection and public beach access would rank high among concerns. "It's not likely to come to a decision point for well over a year from now," said Ken Curtis, Goleta planning director. In papers submitted to City Hall, Bacara describes a "final development plan" focused on its eastern terrace, currently occupied by tennis courts, a maintenance building, a beach cabana and the 50-space public beach access parking lot. Nine new buildings ranging from 15,585 to 23,840 square feet -- each with six to eight suites -- plus a new pool and pool cabana building would be constructed. Below two of the new buildings, the resort would construct 124 parking spots for the suites. In addition, the resort would build a new beach house with showers, toilets, 100 lockers and a snack shop for the public. An existing beach house would be modified, according to the plan. The existing tennis courts would be moved to where the 50-space public parking lot is now. That lot and an associated footpath would be relocated to the east -- cutting into a hillside, according to city Senior Planner Rob Mullane -- and would be reconfigured to 64 total parking spaces. The battle over nighttime public parking at the resort heated up in 2003 after a dirt lane that enabled the public to park close to the shoreline was closed to all but emergency vehicles. That lane disappears in the latest drawings, with emergency vehicles gaining access along a specified route via an entrance drive, footpaths and lawn area, Mr. Mullane said. The battle over parking cooled down after the Coastal Commission clarified to Bacara that 24-hour public access was required as a condition of the resort's approval.The hotel is still opposed to nighttime public beach access. "They would like to be like every other public beach in the state, with hours of operation," Mr. Davies said. "Is it safe for people to be wandering around? What type of element is walking around at night?" When asked if this concern extended to the safety of guests of the resort, Mr. Davies said: "The guests are safe, but the guests are staying there and are absolutely not an element coming to the beach to do danger." Public access to the beach must remain unfettered, according to the Coastal Commission. "Whatever they do, (Bacara) has to provide for the same or greater public access," said Steve Hudson, a commission planning and regulation supervisor. Other questions remain unanswered. How much would the new suites cost? How many new employees would serve them? The question of how to characterize the project also looms. While Bacara brass say existing building entitlements cover the project, city planners say the proposal is brand new. Goleta resident Ethan Woodill, a San Marcos High School wrestling coach who grew up surfing and fishing at Haskell's Beach, lives a half mile from Bacara and expects disagreement over any new construction there to be fierce. "That project has done enough impact to that area," he said. "I can't even fathom another 60 units. Most people I know locally shudder when they hear they are planning to do anything else out there." At the Chamber of Commerce, however, President and CEO Kristen Amyx said the project appears reasonable, particularly because the site is already developed. "Anything like this that helps Bacara become more profitable is good for the city," she said. "People who have heartburn over this are the ones who didn't want development there at all. Since that ship has sailed, we ought to do it in the best way we can." |