The Shelby partners’ builder’s remedy development at 7400 Cathedral Oaks took a major step forward on June 30 when the owners reached a settlement with the City of Goleta. After the courts ruled against the city in a dispute over an old tract map and the new application for the 56 single-family homes, the two sides have agreed on terms for the planning process. These include 11 affordable homes and an environmental impact report, which should be completed before year’s end. As well, Planning Commission or City Council reviews will occur, which give the public an opportunity to comment.
The passage of time has been a factor plaguing the development in many ways. Although Dr. Glynne Couvillion bought the property in the 1978, he was a working eye surgeon and simply held the property as it transited from residential to agricultural zoning over the years. The ag zoning brought the land under the influence of the city’s Measure G of 2012, which would have required a city-wide vote to develop the acreage, if not for the vesting tentative tract map the partners completed in 2011.
The 12-acre development next door to Glen Annie Golf Course then entered a period of limbo during a drought-induced water moratorium, which ended in 2024. When the owners — Dr. Couvillion’s family — submitted a new project application under the rules of the state’s Housing Accountability Act in 2024, the city contested it, arguing that the 2011 tract map set the rules. Superior Court Judge Tom Anderle disagreed, finding for the owners and ruling that the city should process their new permit application…