Save Historic Hot Springs Trail

Will the Rustic Hot Spring Trail be Paved?

This week, the Independent has an article in the print edition highlighting our concerns about the proposed paving of Hot Springs Trail. The reporter, Calle Fausey, did an excellent job capturing trail users' concerns about the impacts on the Hot Springs Trail and its implications for the future. Read the article online. The comment period for the draft environmental documents regarding the proposed changes to the Hot Springs Trail corridor will end on Monday, July 8th, in just a few days. 

The proposed changes to the trail corridor include adding a bridge, retaining walls, and paving over a scenic section, forever altering the trail's character, particularly the creekside riparian trail segment. Furthermore, removing or damaging dozens of mature native oaks and sycamores will change the Hot Springs Trail experience as we know it.

We have identified significant concerns with the draft Mitigated Negative Declaration report for the Goerner Project, from inadequate mitigation to improperly deferred mitigation measures. Of particular concern is the assertion that impacts to recreation along the Hot Spring Trail are either insignificant or easily mitigated without trail usage data or legitimate mitigation measures to support these claims.

The County could only correct these defects by preparing an Environmental Impact Report for the Project. Please act now. 

Your support sends a powerful message that this natural treasure deserves to be enjoyed by future generations as a rustic trail with a mature tree canopy leading to the historic hot springs. Together, we can ensure that Hot Springs Trail is easy to access and remains a place where everyone can experience the beauty and serenity of nature.

The public comment period for the Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared for the Goerner SFD project, Case Nos. 08DVP-00000-00022/09CUP-00000-00007, ends on July 8th, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. The document and all attachments/figures are available on the P&D website at https://cosantabarbara.app.box.com/s/k04ychmxlsz0o8h850t7bqwk1lkn1yb9.

Please send comments with the subject line "Goerner Development Project IS/MND Comments" to

Veronica King, Planner
County Planning and Development Department
123 E. Anapamu Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
kingv@countyofsb.org
(805)568-2513

The 100-page Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Goerner Project project is at this link.
https://cosantabarbara.app.box.com/s/k04ychmxlsz0o8h850t7bqwk1lkn1yb9/file/1520466230250

The limited recreation and trail user information is in this section: 4.13 Recreation (pages 85-88)

Please get in touch with us with any questions you have.