Santa Barbara Ranch (Naples)
Background information from the Naples Coalition (see www.savenaples.org):
As many have read and heard our Gaviota Coast had a “town” called Naples, named after its Italian counterpart. Well sort of. In 1888 an East Coast businessman bought 500 acres of very cheap farmland from the owner of the Dos Pueblos Ranch. His plan was to divide the land into lots of several acres or less and call it a "town". He would then await the completion of the Southern Pacific coastal train route, sell the lots, and likely flee with the money. His scheme faded when the railroad was delayed and he passed away.
Lots in the Naples Township grew in legal stature when they were recorded with the newly formed Santa Barbara County. The County had long maintained that none of these lots could be developed unless they were "merged" into single lots meeting the modern 100-acre minimum zoning requirement. The owners of Naples disagreed. After numerous court decisions, the California Supreme Court invalidated the County's merger ordinance, although the court did not rule on the question of whether or what type of development could occur.
The developer and new owner of Naples, Vintage Communities of Orange County, initially proposed to build up to 54 homes on the property, then increased it to 72 units, including a portion of the neighboring Dos Puebloes Ranch. The County, worried about legal exposure to an expensive 'takings' lawsuit, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vintage's spokesperson, Matt Osgood. Osgood first promised to not build on the bluffs, then declared he had to build on the bluffs, The houses grew in size, guest houses became necessary, then it became an equestrian village, and so on. Now he proposes nearly 700,000 square feet of development. Grading started at 116,400 cubic yards, but since quadrupled to 480,000 cubic yards. The MOU promised beach access and open space bluff areas, but now these are not available. Inland development was to wait until the Coastal Commission approved the Coastal part, but the Supervisors recently deleted that provision, giving the developer carte blanche over the development of these precious lands.
Members from the Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation's Santa Barbara Chapter, Citizens Planning Association, Audubon Society, League of Woman Voters, Santa Barbara County Action Network and the Gaviota Coast Conservancy as well as unaffiliated individuals have formed the Naples Coalition. Our goals are to preserve the viewsheds, restore the biodiverse habitat, maintain wildlife corridors, protect the sensitive coastal bluff, and provide appropriate public access. We recognize the extreme sensitivity the Chumash Peoples have for this land.
The coalition realizes that some development may be inevitable, yet we resist the idea that the major criteria for development should be to maximize the economic return to land speculators. While respectful of an owners rights, we are also cognizant of the responsibilities of that steward to promote the broad interest of the public.