On Friday, Dec. 13, Carpinteria Community Library will kick off a new program designed just for teens. The Open Space Creators Lab will be held from 3 to 4:45 p.m. and will focus on different artistics avenues to imagine, experiment and create. The first gathering will focus on polymer clay ornaments. The group will meet in the library’s community room at 5141 Carpinteria Ave. And, of course, it’s free!
On Saturday, Dec. 14, downtown Carpinteria will be brimming with holiday-themed fun and festivities. Plan your day around the following activities:
The City of Carpinteria introduces our new Mayor, Vice Mayor and Councilmember!
At the Dec. 9 City Council meeting, new Councilmember Julia Mayer was sworn into office for a four-year term. Councilmember Wade Nomura and Vice Mayor Natalia Alarcon also were sworn in to begin new terms on the City Council.
Following a unanimous vote, outgoing Mayor Al Clark passed the gavel to new Mayor Natalia Alarcon. The council then unanimously voted to appoint Councilmember Monica Solorzano to the Vice Mayor position.
Councilmembers and community members thanked outgoing Councilmember Roy Lee for his six years of dedicated City leadership. Lee was elected last spring to represent District 1 on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors starting in January.
A stretch of Via Real on the westside of Carpinteria is about to be transformed into a new roadway as the City continues its efforts to rehabilitate pavement throughout town!
Between Dec. 12 and Jan. 3, the section of pavement between Cravens Lane and Motel 6 (4200 Via Real) will be repaved and restriped. Work will be restricted to Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The public should be aware that delays may occur during construction, and we advise use of the following detouring to Foothill Road/State Route 192 during busy times. Learn more about this project at https://carpinteriaca.gov/2022-pavement-rehabilitation-project/
The Surfliner Inn project is scheduled for preliminary review by the City’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave.
The ARB will review the project’s architectural and landscape design in conformance with the City’s development standards and design policies, and will provide feedback to the project applicant and Community Development Department staff. The ARB will also provide a recommendation and comments to the Planning Commission and City Council for their consideration of the project.
Story poles have been installed to represent the project’s general siting, massing and scale in compliance with the City’s Story Pole Guidelines in advance of the Dec. 12 ARB meeting. Due to the location of the project occupying a portion of City Parking Lot #3 (at the intersection of Fifth Street and Linden Avenue), the story pole installation requires partial closure of the parking lot until their removal and the parking lot reopening on Jan. 9.
The ARB staff report and related attachments are available at https://carpinteriaca.gov/city-hall/agendas-meetings/
Environmental review of the project will commence after feedback is provided by the ARB. A hearing date for consideration of the project by the Planning Commission will be determined after the environmental review has been completed, which is anticipated to take several months.
The public can track the progress of the Community Development Department’s review of the project application by visiting https://carpinteriaca.gov/city-hall/community-development/linden-inn-project/
Your City is facing rising costs, increased need, and limited resources that require difficult funding decisions and tradeoffs. In coming months, your City Council will create a strategic plan with goals and priorities for the next two years.
We want to hear from you about what programs, services, spaces and issues you feel we should focus on over the next two years.
For a quick and easy way to share your thoughts, please complete our online questionnaire at https://carpinteriaca.gov/strategicplan/. To share more of your thoughts in a discussion format, please consider participating in the last of our three community workshops. The final workshop on Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. is bilingual and will be held via Zoom. Find the Zoom link on our Strategic Plan webpage at https://carpinteriaca.gov/strategicplan/.
During the holiday season, our consumption habits often reach their peak, increasing our environmental impact. Keeping sustainability in mind as you shop and prepare for this holiday season helps to ensure that the holidays remain joyous, bright, and resilient for future generations.
The Carpinteria City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the public may attend the meeting at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave., or view the meeting live at https://carpinteriaca.gov/, on Government Access Television Channel 21 or by logging into the Zoom webinar.
The following topics are highlights of the agenda. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found at https://bit.ly/3Vsq6yf. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to council members.
The Carpinteria Valley Association (CVA) is marking its 60th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1964, CVA has been a steadfast advocate for preserving the natural beauty and small-town charm of the Carpinteria Valley and Summerland.
Over the decades, CVA has played a crucial role in numerous environmental victories, including the preservation of the Carpinteria Bluffs and the establishment of the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve. The organization has also worked tirelessly to protect open space, limit urban sprawl, and ensure responsible land use practices.
As CVA enters its next 60 years, it remains committed to its mission of preserving the Carpinteria Valley’s unique character and advocating for a sustainable future. The City of Carpinteria recently recognized CVA’s significant contributions to the community, commending its dedication to the residents of Carpinteria.
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