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1.1
Goals and Objectives
The Los Alamos Commons Specific Plan is much more than a conventional master plan. It responds to
the needs of the community and honors what makes Los Alamos so special today, while fulfilling a longstanding vision to create what is lacking.
The goal of Los Alamos Commons is to create a model new development that fits the site and fits into
the community and enables the realization of a viable, self-sufficient community.
This goal and resulting Los Alamos Commons Specific Plan is the product of an ongoing dialogue with
the residents of Los Alamos, including six community meetings and dozens of one-on-one meetings with
individual residents and community leaders.
Reaching the “Tipping Point” for a Viable Los Alamos
While residents want new shopping opportunities, professional services, and recreational facilities, today
Los Alamos lacks the critical mass of population envisioned in the 1994 Los Alamos Community Plan to
fulfill these needs.
The 1994 Community Plan was created as a longer term vision for the future, including the professional
services, shops, stores, and recreational opportunities, but as yet these opportunities have not
materialized.
At the same time, most of the infill locations within the current Urban Limit Line have been utilized, and
there is now only room for roughly 129 new homes within the present Community Services District
boundary, not enough to reach the “tipping point” needed to fulfill the community’s vision for the future.
Los Alamos Commons creates this critical mass with an appropriate transition of densities on 114 acres
of land that is surrounded on all sides by urban uses – the natural location to fulfill the community’s
vision.
The Natural Location to Fulfill Los Alamos’ Needs
Unlike the neighboring properties along Highway 135 that are either in active agricultural use or in
agricultural preserve contracts, the Los Alamos Commons property is bounded by residential and
commercial development to the east, Highway 101 to the North, Bell Street to the south, and the Los
Alamos Community Services District Water Treatment facilities to the west.
Presently, nine acres of the Los Alamos Commons property are located within the Community Services
District and zoned for approximately 50 homes and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. However
the remaining acreage, as well as the Community Services District Water Treatment facilities
themselves, have not yet been annexed into the Urban Limit Line.
The Community Services District would like to remedy this and annex their wastewater treatment
facilities and sewer line into the Urban Limit Line. A major objective of Los Alamos Commons is to
facilitate an update to the Urban Limit Line to logically plan for Los Alamos’ urban services
infrastructure.
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Goal
The goal of Los Alamos Commons is to create a model new neighborhood that fits the project site while
respecting the existing community of Los Alamos.
Key Objectives:
1.2
•
Create just enough of a critical mass in population for the viability of the new shopping,
professional services, and recreational facilities that Los Alamos residents want, without taking
land out of active agricultural use or agricultural preserve contracts.
•
Update the Community Services District boundary to reflect the actual location of Community
Services District infrastructure, annexing land that is bounded by urban uses, perimeter roads
and traversed by an existing sewer line.
•
Create an appropriate transition of density from Los Alamos’ core to the Community Services
District facilities to the west.
•
Respect the site’s land forms and constraint’s with a design that minimizes grading and
celebrates the property’s natural features.
•
Provide a diversity of housing opportunities, including homes designed to be attainable by Los
Alamos’ working families.
•
Create a low-density neighborhood north of San Antonio creek with ample open space and
pristine vistas.
•
Create a mixed-use village south of San Antonio Creek as an appropriate extension of Bell
Street and Leslie Street that completes Los Alamos’ downtown with new shopping, professional
services, and recreational opportunities
•
Provide the drainage infrastructure that the existing retail corridor needs to support new
businesses
•
Provide a new location for the fire department, which is in need of more space for equipment
and training.
Project Scope
Los Alamos Commons includes a diversity of new homes, professional services, shopping, and
recreational opportunities, including 196 new homes, 55,750 square feet of commercial space, 40,000
square feet of self-storage, a Community Center, public open space areas, and a County Fire Station
Site. Through the prposed use of DEvelopment Agreements, at the time of subsequent Development
Plan consideration, Los Alamos Commons housing will be oriented towards providing prioritized
housing opportunities for Los Alamos residents and community work force housing needs.
The site is traversed by San Antonio Creek. The northern or upper site is characterized by rolling
hillsides, and the southern or lower site is characterized by level land extending to the riparian areas by
the creek.
The plan for the northern site, “The Highlands,” envisions 116 homes laid out in lots ranging from 6,500
square feet to 16,000 square feet surrounded by 49 acres of natural open space.
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South of San Antonio Creek is “The Village,” a mixed-use site with 80 multi-family dwellings, 55,750
square feet of commercial space, 40,000 square feet of storage use, the County Fire Station site, the
Community Center, and public open space areas. Access to The Village will connect with the existing
Bell Street and Leslie Streets, forming a natural completion of Los Alamos.
Primary access to the northern site will be provided from The Village via a new bridge across San
Antonio Creek, with secondary access from St. Joseph Street on the east and Bell Street on the west.
1.3.
Historical Uses
The property, northwest of the existing township of Los Alamos, has historically been used for cattle
grazing and dry farming. In the recent past winter wheat and field grasses have been cultivated. No
archaeological resources were found on the property during a Cultural Resources Survey conducted by
Applied EarthWorks, Inc. However, an historic trash dump (post 1890s) was located on the site in the
northerly bank of the creek. At this time, no activity in the creek bank is anticipated.
1.4
Land Use Concept
A major element of the Los Alamos Commons purpose and objectives is to integrate a community within
natural open spaces encouraging indoor/outdoor living opportunities. With approximately 54 acres (47% of
the site) of open space, the project is designed below the prominent ridgeline running through the northern
half of the property. This design decision, based on the topography of the site, will preserve the pristine
ridgeline for hiking trails. The southern portion of the site is bisected by San Antonio Creek in an east/west
orientation. In order to respect this resource, development is greatly setback (50’ to 500’) from the creek,
with only one bridge crossing planned across the creek. The development is intended to promote healthy
living by providing a system of pedestrian trails and an emphasis on outdoor living. The architecture is
designed to respect the existing natural contours, utilizes earth tones, and preserves view corridors.
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1.5.
Methodology for Plan Preparation
The following steps were utilized in preparing the Specific Plan:
•
Gather information about the physical characteristics of the property, and applicable county
regulations governing its use and development.
•
Contact various public and quasi-public agencies interested in planning for the property,
including, Santa Barbara County, Los Alamos Community Services District, local school
districts, CalTrans, and utility companies.
•
Identify and analyze the physical constraints and opportunities that the property presents for
future development, and, thereby, identifying the issues that must be addressed in the Specific
Plan. This process involved the preparation of individual special studies or reference to
previous studies on archaeology, traffic, fiscal considerations, drainage, groundwater, and
public services. These studies provided necessary background information for the formulation
of an appropriate land use plan and development standards.
•
Formulate goals, objectives and policies to guide the preparation of a new, detailed land use
plan for the property and regulatory standards applicable to planned residential development.
1.6.
Purpose and Authority of Specific Plan
The Los Alamos Specific Plan is established by the County of Santa Barbara pursuant to the provisions
of Government Code Section 65450 et seq. The Los Alamos Commons Specific Plan is intended to
further refine and implement the policies stated in the County of Santa Barbara Comprehensive Plan and
the Los Alamos Community Plan (LACP) and to function as an amendment to the LACP. It contains
both policy and regulatory elements and will be used in evaluating future development projects.
The Specific Plan will direct all facets of development of the Los Alamos Commons property, including
the locations, distribution and extent of land uses including open space, and the infrastructure necessary
to support these uses. The Specific Plan also contains development standards and criteria by which
development will proceed, methods of management of the open space areas, and an implementation
and phasing plan. Once adopted, the Specific Plan is intended to provide clear direction to all future
planners, builders, inspectors, consultants, contractors, residents and decision-makers. All future
development must be consistent with this Specific Plan and any amendments.
The following steps will occur in this process:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Specific Plan Review
Environmental Documentation
Annexation to the Los Alamos Community Services District
Amend Urban Boundary Line
Tentative Tract Map/Development Plan Approval
Final Map/Grading Permits/Building Permits
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1.7.
Organization
The Los Alamos Commons Specific Plan is organized into the following chapters:
1.
INTRODUCTION – This chapter includes goals and objectives, and an overview
description of the Specific Plan and its relation to the County of Santa Barbara
Comprehensive Plan.
2.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS – Provides the location of the property, the
surrounding land uses, and discusses environmental opportunities and constraints of
the site. More detailed information is included in Appendix A.
3.
POLICIES AND REGULATIONS – Contains relevant policy and zoning requirements
necessary to govern implementation of the Specific Plan.
4.
LAND USE – Sets forth land use designations and describes the development plan of
the Specific Plan Area.
5.
CIRCULATION – Establishes circulation classifications, standards, and sets forth
roadway and trail alignments.
6.
PUBLIC FACILITIES – Identifies development criteria for the community facilities
located within the project site, including water and sewer facilities, and necessary
drainage improvements.
7.
DESIGN GUIDELINES – Sets forth the Community and Neighborhood Design
Programs that set the standards for the development review plans for final map
approval.
8.
IMPLEMENTATION – Identifies program for financing the necessary public facilities to
accommodate the project on- and off-site is set forth in this chapter.
APPENDIX A:
APPENDIX B:
APPENDIX C:
APPENDIX D:
LOS ALAMOS COMMONS SENSITIVE SPECIES AND HABITAT SURVEY
CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY
WASTEWATER METHODOLOGY AND SEWER PIPE CAPACITY ANALYSIS
TRAFFIC STUDY
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