Proposed Plaza clears hurdle
By Malia Spencer/Senior staff writer
The developers of Orcutt Plaza cleared a key hurdle Thursday when a regional commission unanimously approved their property's annexation into Santa Maria, but people living within the annexation zone will now get their say.
The Santa Barbara County Local Agency Formation Commission voted 7-0 to allow the annexation of nearly 60 acres just south of the southern city limit, near the Santa Maria Way exit of Highway 101.
After hearing public testimony both for and against the annexation, Commission Chairman Joe Centeno, who represents Santa Maria on the county Board of Supervisors, told the audience that despite Thursday's vote the final decision is yet to be made.
“Ultimately, the people are the ones who are going to make the final call,” he said, alluding to the next public hearing that must be held.
The next step in the annexation process is a protest hearing that will be called by LAFCO staff in the coming weeks or months, agency executive director Bob Braitman told the board.
Registered voters and land owners in the annexation area will be notified by mail of that hearing date, he said. He stressed that any protest received by the agency prior to the notification of the protest hearing will not count, so he urged residents to wait until they receive the notice before lodging their formal opposition.
