Goleta, CA · Case No. 25-0001-CUP
Protect
the Farm.
This permit follows the land, not the owner.
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Goleta, CA · Case No. 25-0001-CUP
This permit follows the land, not the owner.
Learn MoreThe City of Goleta is reviewing a Conditional Use Permit for Fairview Gardens, a permanent land use entitlement that binds every future owner to whatever uses are approved today. On July 13, 2026, the Planning Commission will decide what this land is permitted to be for generations to come, regardless of who owns it.
The application covers two distinct categories of use. The first includes the farm operations, educational programs, and community activities that Fairview Gardens has long been known for, and that this community broadly supports. The second is a large-scale event operation that the application describes in broad terms, with few definitions and no restrictions on who can attend, how events are priced, or what purposes they serve.
| Use | Frequency | Max Attendees | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal Farm Operations | Year-round | Staff only | Varies |
| Farm Stand | Year-round daily | Rolling | 9AM-9PM |
| On-Site Employee Housing | Permanent | 9 units | N/A |
| School Tours | 3x/week, school year | 100 | M-F 9AM-3PM |
| After School Program | 5x/week, school year | 40 | M-F 3:30-5:30PM |
| Pre-K Sprouts Program | 5x/week, year-round | 25 | M-F 9AM-3:45PM |
| Spring Break Camp | 1x/year | 50 | M-F 9AM-3:45PM |
| Summer Camp | 1x/week, summer | 75 | M-F 9AM-3:45PM |
| Kids Gardening Workshops | 4x/year | 25 | M-F 9AM-3:45PM |
| Adult Workshops | 20x/month | 100 | M-F 9AM-3:45PM; Weekends to 9PM |
| Self-Guided Tours | Daily | 5/day | Daylight hours |
| Guided Tours | 3x/week | 30 | M-F 9AM-3PM; Weekends 9AM-5PM |
| Total educational & agricultural sessions | ~1,324/year |
| Use | Frequency | Max Attendees | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café | Daily | Rolling | 9AM-3:45PM |
| Farm-to-Table Meals | 5x/month (60/year) | 250 | Any day 6:15-9PM |
| Fundraising Events | 4x/year | 500 | Weekdays 6:15-9PM; Sat 12-9PM; Sun 1-9PM |
| Seasonal Events | 4x/year | 500 | Sat 10AM-10PM; Sun 1-10PM |
| Open Houses | 4x/year | 750 | Sat 10AM-10PM; Sun 1-10PM |
| Lectures | 8x/year | 500 | Any day 6:15-9PM |
| Farm Field Days | 6x/year | 250 | Weekends 9AM-5PM |
| Quarterly Festivals | 4x/year | 800 | Sat 10AM-10PM; Sun 1-10PM |
| Annual Festival | 1x/year | 1,500 | Sat 10AM-10PM; Sun 1-10PM |
| Total discrete events | 91/year |
Nothing in this application defines what a farm-to-table meal is, requires these events to be open to the public, or prohibits a future owner from renting this property for private dinners, weddings, or corporate events. As written, nothing prevents it. That is not a farm application. That is a venue application on agricultural land.
The Planning Commission has a choice: approve a farm permit, or approve a venue permit on agricultural land. What follows is our position on which one this should be.
We believe Fairview Gardens can be something extraordinary. A working farm, open to the community, rooted in education and agriculture.
We support the following uses at Fairview Gardens:
Our concerns are specific. As written, this application authorizes two things that have no place on this land: a private event operation with no public benefit requirement, and amplified sound in a residential neighborhood.
Nothing in this application:
As written, this application makes no distinction between a community farm dinner and a private wedding. That ambiguity follows this land forever.
The application proposes events with amplified music until 10PM on weekends, in a residential neighborhood. Nothing in this application:
The applicant's own acoustics consultant confirms that concert-level amplification should not be permitted anywhere on this site. As written, the application contains nothing that prevents it.
We are asking the Planning Commission to consider conditions that make this a farm permit, not a venue permit.
The Design Review Board meets June 9 and the Planning Commission makes its final decision on July 13. Submit a written comment before June 6 to ensure it reaches the Design Review Board. Comments submitted before July 9 will be distributed to the Planning Commission before their decision. Use the tool below to compose your comment. You will have a chance to review and edit everything before it sends. It goes from your own email address, in your own name, directly to the City.
Written comments enter the record. A room full of engaged residents sends a signal that no email can.
This hearing is hybrid. Attend in person, join via Zoom, or watch live at cityofgoleta.org/goletameetings. The Zoom link will be posted on the City website at least 72 hours before the hearing.
This is the first opportunity for the community to be heard. The DRB will provide early direction on the project. A full room matters.
Written comments submitted before the hearing will be distributed to the Design Review Board and published on the City's Meeting and Agenda page. Submit yours below.
Time and Zoom details to be announced. Check cityofgoleta.org for updates.
This is the hearing where the permit will be approved, conditioned, or denied. Your presence here is the most impactful action you can take.
Written comments submitted before the hearing will be distributed to the Planning Commission. Submit yours below.
Optional, but adding your address shows the Commission you are a local resident. Comments from nearby neighbors carry particular weight on traffic and noise.
Open and send both emails — one for the June 9 Design Review Board hearing and one for the July 13 Planning Commission hearing. Each is sent from your own email address and entered into the official public record for that hearing.
Read the application for yourself. These are the primary source documents behind everything on this site.