The following five divisions make up the Planning & Environmental Review Department:
Advance Planning: The function of this division is to develop and maintain the City’s General Plan, Local Coastal Program, Housing Element, and Zoning Regulations (Title 17 of the Goleta Municipal Code). This division oversees the City’s energy project planning, environmental programs, and geographic information systems. In addition, this division focuses on regional planning efforts with other cities, agencies, neighborhoods, businesses, and civic groups.
Building and Safety: The function of this division include assistance to customers at the front counter; conducting plan check of building permit applications to ensure compliance with the applicable building codes; issuance of building and grading permits; conducting inspections related to building and grading improvements, and code compliance issues as needed etc.
Current Planning: The function and services of this division include providing public information and assistance to customers at the front counter and by telephone; project review and permitting to implement zoning and subdivision regulations, and design review; coordination of permitting with other agencies; permit compliance and environmental review to implement the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) etc. The Code Compliance function is also part of this division.
Housing Implementation: The function of this division is to implement the City’s affordable housing policy and to develop, track and administer affordable housing units in the City. An important responsibility of the Housing Implementation division is to comprehensively manage and audit internal and external sources of funding (including the City’s Housing Trust fund) to support affordable housing. The City’s Housing Trust Fund is intended to be leveraged for the greatest community benefit and applied toward the development of new affordable units, acquisition of at-risk affordable housing units, or rehabilitation of affordable housing.
Sustainability Program: The function of this division is to coordinates efforts to create and implement a long-term sustainability vision for the city and incorporates sustainability into core processes and decision-making. A significant commitment for this function is to serve as a city liaison to regional bodies integrating the City’s sustainability efforts with those of various partnerships in support of the City’s Strategic Plan. Successful implementation of related initiatives, especially in the energy and transportation sectors, advances sustainability by promoting a healthy environment, a strong economy, and equitable well-being for residents.
