Montecito Tea Fire Still Burning
I recently attended an interesting meeting of the Montecito Fire Committee. About two years ago there was a massive fire that raged in the hills above Santa Barbara destroying hundreds of multi-million dollar estates, known as the tea fire. Many of these homes were built on hillsides and back in canyons serviced by private roads that do not meet current fire dept specifications, primarily because they are not wide enough for the big modern fire trucks. Santa Barbara County allowed owners that lost their homes, two years to rebuild through a streamlined permitting process without having to go through the multitude of committees and reviews normally required, and without regard to the current road standards that are now required. For many reasons, many homeowners have not started the process of rebuilding; some did not have adequate insurance coverage, others are living off of their insurance pay out, second home owners were not in a hurry to rebuild, the list of reasons is endless. The land owners that choose to build in the future without benefit of this grace period will be required to comply with all current codes and procure all necessary committee approvals in order to be issued building permits.
This is where the story gets interesting. The part where the landowners have to agree upon issues of common interest amongst themselves. Where personalities, individual interests and of course, money, all combine to make decision making very difficult. This particular road that has provided access to about 13 montecito homeowners, some for over 50 years, is too narrow for the fire trucks to navigate safely in case of a fire. It will need to be widened and straightened, basically rebuilt before any homes can be assigned building permits due to the fact that the 2 year grace period us up. Without the ability to build on these lots, they are worth very little, because the new owners would have to build a costly road before permits could be issued. Santa Barbara County was kind enough to agree to the funding for a bond to pay for the roads construction. The bond will be repaid by the homeowners through a property tax assessment over the next 30 years. It's seems like a great deal for the homeowners. The taxpayers will lend money for building the private road to the homes, to be repaid over 30 years. The owners have to agree to pay back the bond with the county. They also have to agree to an equitable division of the check that the county hands them when the road is completed. Should the lot owners further up the hill pay more than the owners that use less road? Can everyone afford to pay the tax assessment? Would some owners rather do nothing?
Despite the peacful setting, high on this panoramic hillside overlooking Santa Barbara and the calm Pacific Ocean beyond, tensions are high. Can 13 neighbors get together and unanimously agree on an issue that effects them all? We shall see.
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