ASSOCIATED STUDENTS
University of California, Santa Barbara
Senate Resolution
Subject:
A Resolution in Support of Re-enivisioning the Isla Vista Master Plan
Author: Beatrice Contreras
Second: Jimmy Villarreal
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Number:
__ FPP:
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Bill Type:
Positional
Vote Required for Passage: 2/3
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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
recommends to the A.S. Senate that the following action be taken:
Pass As Written:
Pass With Amendments:
Do Not Pass:
Refer To Committee:
Recommended by a Vote Of:
Chairperson's initials:
STUDENT -SPONSORED LEGISLATION
Student Sponsor: Alexander Moore
Student Co-Sponsor:
The Student-Sponsored Resolution Liaison
has insured that this StudentSponsored Resolution is correct in its form and adherence to the ASUCSB Legal Code.
Pass As Written:
Pass With Amendments:
Do Not Pass:
Refer To Ad-Hoc Committee:
FISCAL IMPACT
Amount:
$0
Account:
A Resolution
In
Support of Re-envisioning the Isla Vista Master Plan
WHEREAS, the Associated Students of UCSB (ASUCSB) seeks to represent the undergraduate student body at the
University of California, Santa Barbara; and,
WHEREAS, UCSB and Isla Vista are located in close proximity to each other and have an inherently intimate
relationship with each other; and,
WHEREAS, ASUCSB has been involved in Isla Vista for many years through organizations such as the Isla Vista
Community Relations Committee, the Isla Vista Tenants Union and the Legal Resource Center, which all
either provide information or funding for the community; and,
WHEREAS, UCSB students are actively engaged in the Isla Vista community through other organizations such as
the Isla Vista Teen Center and Isla Vista Youth Projects; and,
WHEREAS, Isla Vista is home to approximately 20,000 people in just one-half square mile of land, with a density
of 62.5 people/acre in 2007; and,
WHEREAS, a large portion of Isla Vista residents are UCSB and SBCC students; and,
WHREAS, Isla Vista has been identified as one of four “Poverty Hot Spots” in the County’s recent poverty study
“A Snapshot of Poverty in Santa Barbara County”; and,
WHEREAS, approximately 80 to 100 people are houseless in Isla Vista at any given time; and,
WHEREAS, it is possible that houselessness could rise with the rise of housing costs; and,
WHEREAS, the Master Plan, as outlined in 2007, aims to “[update] zoning to allow mixed use development in
downtown Isla Vista and higher density multi-residential development in the northern and central areas of
the community”; and,
WHERAS, the Master Plan also states as a community objective, “A variety of housing types should be provided
that appeal to a range of household sizes and income levels”; and,
WHEREAS, mixed use developments are appearing in Isla Vista far more than before, with buildings like The
LOOP, ICON, ICON Gardens and Plaza Lofts; and,
WHEREAS, the newest proposed development in Isla Vista, The Nest, is supposedly guided by the Isla Vista
Master Plan; and,
WHEREAS, these new developments do not appeal to a range of income levels, despite their supposed guidance by
the Master Plan; and,
WHEREAS, these developments indicate a potential misunderstanding of the status and purpose of the Master Plan;
and,
WHEREAS, Santa Barbara County staff worked with “the community, the Isla Vista Project Area
Committee/General Plan Advisory Committee (PAC/GPAC), the University of California Santa Barbara
(UCSB), and Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District (IVRPD)” between 2000 and 2007 to prepare the Isla
Vista Master Plan; and,
WHEREAS, this Master Plan is intended as a planning document for Isla Vista, in order to guide the growth of the
area; and,
WHEREAS, according to the County website, “the Plan is the product of extensive community participation” with
input from “committed residents, business owners, and land owners working with County staff and a
consultation team”; and,
WHEREAS, according to the Introduction of the Master Plan, “Due to its location adjacent to UCSB, Isla Vista will
remain a student-oriented community”; and,
WHEREAS, the Plan Participants do not have any students listed, indicating a lack of student input and
participation in the project; and,
WHEREAS, the lack of student input on the project indicates an inconsistency between the goal of creating a
student-oriented community and its application; and,
WHEREAS, the Master Plan contains valid critiques of the community, such as a lack of “adequate facilities to
serve the community”; and,
WHEREAS, some goals in the Master Plan, such as “Design a community… where dependence on the automobile
is reduced”, are unrealistic given the lack of resources in the community; and,
WHEREAS, it is necessary to reevaluate the changes that have occurred in our community since the creation of the
Master Plan in 2007;
THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED BY THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS IN THE SENATE
ASSEMBLED: that ASUCSB is in support of the establishment of a committee to evaluate and re-envision
the Isla Vista Master Plan, with participants from a number of areas and communities.
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that such a committee would include participants providing input on behalf
of the UCSB constituency, including UCSB’s Division of Student Affairs and members of Associated
Students UCSB.
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that such a committee would also include other participants from the Isla
Vista community such as non-student residents, the Santa Barbara Student Housing Co-Op, the Isla Vista
Community Network, the Isla Vista Youth Projects and other similar organizations.
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that the goal of this committee will be to collect information on what the
future of Isla Vista should look like, from the perspective of those who live in and actively participate in
the community.
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that we direct the current ASUCSB External Vice-President of Local
Affairs, Alex Moore, to make these concerns and the passage of this resolution known to the Santa Barbara
County Board of Supervisors at their next meeting.
LET IT BE FINALLY RESOLVED that ASUCSB supports an Isla Vista Master Plan that understands the unique
history of the Isla Vista community, emphasizes the need for housing that is both high quality and
affordable, fights the increasing corporate presence in IV and incorporates input from the very communities
that are affected by such a planning document.
CC:
Denise Rinaldi
deniser@as.ucsb.edu
1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal
scarbaja@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
2nd District Supervisor Janet Wolf
jwolf@countyofsb.org
3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr
dfarr@countyofsb.org
4th Supervisor Peter Adam
officeofpeteradam@countyofsb.org
5th Supervisor Steve Lavagnino
steve.lavagnino@countyofsb.org
County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato
cao@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
Kirsten Z. Deshler
Kirsten.Deshler@ucsb.edu