In the next few weeks, the County has a tremendous opportunity to have an honest conversation about housing and growth.

Most North County stakeholders will agree that resolving the housing issue is important for ensuring existing worker satisfaction and retention, for attracting good, high-wage jobs, and for maintaining the character and quality of life we all appreciate about the area.

In serving the interests of several key Northern Santa Barbara County industries, EconAlliance has seen that a concern about the availability and affordability of employee housing and the impacts of housing issues on recruitment and retention of employees, is common to all key North County industries – ag, manufacturing, space enterprise, energy, wine and tourism and healthcare.

The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) Regional Growth Forecast projects North County to grow by 22,000 jobs and 50,000 people by 2050, so it is imperative that the County consider housing options and growth priorities to assure that the current housing problem doesn’t become insurmountable in the decades to come.

If the answer to the housing problem were simple, housing would not still be an issue. The topic can be challenging, and thoughtful consideration of conflicting priorities is difficult. But because good jobs and healthy companies are key to County funding for schools, public safety and other County services, housing and growth conversations are critical.

The opportunity available to the County is to enable a robust housing/growth conversation by studying a housing project at Solomon Hills that the developer says could provide up to 4,000 units of housing of various types to address all levels of the workforce, at all pay scales, from executives to middle management and young professionals, to entry-level workers. Project plans propose reuse of a 1,903 acre disturbed industrial property, with housing units distributed on over 700 acres among “small-scale villages reflecting central coast charm.” Included in the plans are over 1,100 acres of public trails, parks, open space and conservation easements, a neighborhood commercial center and a “flexible work campus for North County businesses and employees supporting up to 2,000 jobs.”

A Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Solomon Hills Proposal allowing the County the opportunity to engage in a robust planning and development discussion about the future of North County will no doubt engender lively discussion.

The scope and vision of the Solomon Hills Project proposes to address our area’s current housing issues of availability and affordability while maintaining the character of Central Coast living. This could be an asset to communities and industries concerned about employee recruitment and retention.
Would the project, which is not on prime ag land, but on land currently zoned for agriculture, actually relieve some of the County pressure to consider prime ag land for future housing? Would it truly relieve some of the pressure on current housing stock?

We do not know, but the discussion seems worth having, for reasons beyond this project. Initiating the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Solomon Hills Proposal offers no approval for the project. But it will foster the kinds of discussions we need about the types of housing and projects that offer the best options for increasing worker housing inventory at all price points, while maintaining local character. It is a discussion important for the future of North County and we owe our communities and our employers this kind of thoughtful consideration and robust debate.

EconAlliance is a nonprofit organization with a mission to build awareness, advocacy, support and appreciation for Northern Santa Barbara County industries and communities. Its vision is to serve as a key catalyst inspiring high-performance, globally competitive industries and thriving communities.