Westmont to Hold 'Community Conversations'

Westmont has scheduled two community conversations about its Campus Master Plan Update followed by tours of the plan site from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 16 and Nov. 23.

The informative gatherings will be in Page Hall, on the upper campus. Those who would like to attend should follow the signs from the campus’ main entrance off La Paz Road. Optional tours of the plan site will follow.
In addition, the Montecito Association has offered to sponsor a moderated Community Forum after the first of the year.

“It is essential for Westmont to be a good neighbor if we are to perform our educational mission,” Westmont President Stan Gaede said. “These conversations will give people another opportunity to find out more about our plan to update the approved 1976 Campus Master Plan to meet modern planning and environmental standards.”

Westmont has held more than 50 meetings with its neighbors and the community since 1998 about the update of its approved Campus Master Plan. The plan calls for no increase in enrollment, residential students, or parking permits.

Santa Barbara County planning staff will soon begin preparing an environmental impact report for the Campus Master Plan Update. County staff initially chose a mitigated negative declaration as the appropriate level of environmental analysis for the update because they determined there is no evidence of significant impacts that cannot be mitigated. However, in order to allay any potential community concerns, Westmont requested that the county undertake the preparation of an environmental impact report for the Campus Master Plan Update.

Westmont, a nationally ranked, residential liberal arts college, has been a part of the Montecito community since 1945. The college serves an average of 1,200 students on the picturesque campus, 80 percent of which will remain in open and green space once the campus master plan is complete.