The Rosewood Miramar Beach Expansion May Officially Proceed

••• “The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously denied all appeals against the current iteration of the Rosewood Miramar expansion project on Tuesday, clearing the path for the housing and retail project to finally proceed.” —Independent

••• “The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the Agricultural Enterprise Ordinance [which] will allow farms and agricultural properties to get into the agritourism business by adding campgrounds, farmstays, special events and tours. Events could include cooking classes, farm-to-table dinners, weddings, writing and yoga workshops, bike races and equestrian rides. Additionally, the ordinance will allow vineyards to serve food in wine tasting rooms.” —Noozhawk

••• “Extremely low numbers of Western Monarch Butterflies reported this year at Ellwood Mesa.” —KEYT

••• “Carpinteria’s Ad Hoc Harbor Seal Advisory Committee is considering recommending that the city close the Harbor Seal Rookery year-round for three years to save the declining harbor seal population. About 1,500 feet of the beach, which contains the rookery, would be off-limits.” —Noozhawk

••• “California Commission issues public admonishment of Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Adams [….] Judge Adams also had a lack of candor with the Commission and told the oversight group that ‘he was retiring, that his last day on the bench had already passed, and that he would not be returning to the bench’ shared the Commission’s report. Judge Adams did not retire.” —KEYT

••• “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association is looking for public input on potential new sites for different types of fish farming, or aquaculture, nationwide. Eight of those potential sites—called Aquaculture Opportunity Areas—are in the [Santa Barbara] channel, ranging in size from 500 to 2,000 acres. These proposed AOAs led to protests last year, with Santa Barbara–based environmentalists fearing the polluting, destructive effects of finfish farming [which] can harm both the farmed fish themselves and surrounding marine life.” —Independent

••• “A federal judge decided this week to halt the proposed $25 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons, effectively squashing the deal [….] In Santa Barbara County, the Vons on Turnpike Road in Goleta and the Albertsons at 1500 North H Street in Lompoc were among the locations set to be sold if the merger went through.” —Independent

••• “The Gaviota Coast Conservancy recently acquired the historic 3,272-acre Rancho Tajiguas property, the largest continuous property on the Gaviota Coast between Gaviota State Park and Isla Vista.” The plan is “to eventually open the property to the public while keeping it a functioning ranch and protecting wildlife.” —Noozhawk

••• “The Carpinteria Unified School District Board of Trustees looked at two potential options for a swimming pool at Carpinteria High School last week: a 25 yard by 35 meters pool, and a 25 yard by 50 meters Olympic-sized pool.” Go big! (You can donate to the cause via the Warrior Pool Foundation.) —Coastal View News

••• “24 Hour Fitness center in downtown Santa Barbara will close its doors for good on December 30.” —Edhat

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