Montecito Planning Commission Hearings Begin

February 17th, 2006

Westmont is entering final public hearings to approve the update to its approved Campus Master Plan. The college is seeking to update its plan for facilities that have been approved since 1976, but have not been constructed due to a lack of financial resources.

The idea to update the approved Campus Master Plan originated with the county of Santa Barbara. Since the current master plan was first approved in 1976, the college has constructed just three of the approved buildings, all in the mid 1980s. Westmont’s newest building on campus is 21 years old. In the mid 1990s – as we looked to construct the next two approved buildings that we were able to fund – the county asked us to update our approved plan.

The update has now gone through more than five years of public review. The goal was to ensure our plan was up to date with modern environmental and planning standards, as well as with campus needs that we could not have foreseen when the existing plan was first approved 30 years ago.

An unprecedented three rounds of environmental review have concluded, confirmed, and re-confirmed that this update is better than the existing approved plan – for the environment, for campus neighbors, and for the college.

The facts are clear: Westmont is legally bound to maintain an average of no more than 1,200 students, and the college has no interest in increasing its enrollment on campus. Westmont simply wants to provide the facilities its students need – facilities that were first planned in 1963, approved in 1976, and re-approved numerous times, most recently in 1993.

Westmont has always focused more on people and relationships than facilities, and that will continue. Yet to compete today with other colleges that offer 200 to 300 percent more square feet in facilities per student, Westmont urgently needs the classrooms, labs, and dorm rooms that have been planned and approved for 30 years.

Upcoming hearings

9:00 am, Wed, 2/23 - First special joint hearing of the Montecito Planning Commission and the Montecito Board of Architectural Review regarding the project baseline and project history plus public comments. County Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 East Anapamu Street.

9:00 am, Thu, 3/2 - Second special joint hearing of the Montecito Planning Commission and the Montecito Board of Architectural Review featuring Westmont’s presentation plus public comments. County Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 East Anapamu Street.

9:00 am, Thu, 3/9 - If needed, third special joint hearing of the Montecito Planning Commission and the Montecito Board of Architectural Review. County Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 East Anapamu Street.