County Considers Buffer Zones for Gun Stores

Santa Barbara County supervisors moved on September 1 to tighten where gun stores can operate after Goodland Guns relocated to 7443 Hollister Ave. in Goleta, next to Here We Grow Early Learning Center. The issue had been building for weeks as parents, neighbors and school officials objected to the store’s move from Old Town Goleta to a former 7-Eleven site. Supervisors Laura Capps and Joan Hartmann brought the matter to the county board, asking for both a temporary emergency measure and a longer-term zoning change. The board then voted 4-1 for a 45-day moratorium on new gun-shop planning permits and directed staff to draft broader restrictions. ### How did a single store move turn into a county land-use fight? Goodland Guns’ relocation became a flashpoint because the new site sits next to a preschool and daycare facility. KEYT reported that the business moved from Old Town Goleta to Hollister Avenue, where neighbors raised concerns during renovations and called the site unacceptable for a firearm retailer near children. (keyt.com) August 3 and August 4 community reports show the backlash started before the store’s planned September 5 grand opening. Parents gathered in a park near the site, and Dr. Daniel Mizrahi said a daycare next to a gun store was “two incompatible uses next to one another.” Goleta Union School District board president Ethan Bertrand said families in the area were already on edge because the community had experienced gun violence nearby. (keyt.com) Dan Ashton, identified in local coverage as Goodland Guns’ owner or CEO, said he moved after his Old Town landlord doubled the rent. Ashton also said the Hollister property had sat vacant for years and had been plagued by trespassing, drug use and vandalism before his company installed fencing and other security measures. (keyt.com) ### What exactly did the county board approve on September 1? The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved a 45-day moratorium on new gun-shop planning permits in a 4-1 vote on Tuesday, September 1. The board also directed county planners to prepare a permanent ordinance that would bar gun shops within 1,000 feet of preschools, K-12 schools, child-care centers, parks, playgrounds, youth centers, houses of worship and other gun shops in unincorporated county areas. (keyt.com) Laura Capps said the county should act quickly. “It’s about acting now before we find ourselves asking why we didn’t,” she said, according to the Santa Barbara News-Press. KEYT separately reported that Capps and Hartmann had asked for a retail buffer zone to protect schools and for an interim urgency ordinance that could last up to 10 months and 15 days. (newspress.com) ### Why were county officials involved if the store is in Goleta? Goleta city officials had already been dealing with the fallout because the store’s site is inside the city, and residents pressed the City Council to revisit its zoning rules. Noozhawk reported on August 13 that the council discussed anticipated litigation tied to the city’s approval of Goodland Guns’ business license for 7443 Hollister Ave. and directed staff to schedule a public meeting and review the land-use ordinance. (newspress.com) Kelly Hoover, Goleta’s community relations manager, said in an earlier statement to Noozhawk that the city did not have locational zoning restrictions on firearm sales and had issued a business license to Goodland Guns on June 4 for permitted commercial use. Councilmember Stuart Kasdin said staff had treated the business as a sporting goods store, and KEYT reported that Goodland Guns had been described that way in the zoning context. (noozhawk.com) The county’s action applies to future land-use decisions in unincorporated areas, but the Goodland Guns dispute became the example driving the policy push. News-Press reported that parents had sought help from both the Goleta City Council and the Goleta Union School Board in the weeks before the county vote. ### What did school officials and residents ask for before the vote? (noozhawk.com) The Goleta Union School Board voted 5-0 on August 20 to pass a resolution urging a minimum 1,000-foot distance between firearm retailers and schools. News-Press reported the resolution came after Goodland Guns opened next to Here We Grow Learning Center at 7433 Hollister Ave. (newspress.com) Parents and residents had also pressed city leaders in multiple public meetings. Noozhawk reported that residents questioned whether a preschool could coexist with a gun store and whether the city had properly reviewed security and zoning at the site. Mayor Paula Perotte said on August 13, “I realize that we could have done this better; we should have, and I am sorry.” (newspress.com) ### What has the store said in response? Dan Ashton said the relocation complied with existing rules and said opponents did not represent the whole community. In a statement reported by Noozhawk, Ashton said a federally licensed firearms dealership is heavily regulated and “pose[s] zero hazard to anyone walking by.” He also said many petition signatures opposing the move were from outside the community. (noozhawk.com) August reporting also showed Ashton describing the Hollister site as the only workable option after a long search. He told residents, “This wasn’t my first choice to move to. This is just what actually worked with the city.” Later in September, the Santa Barbara County board is expected to consider extending the emergency moratorium for up to 10 months and 15 days while planners prepare the permanent 1,000-foot buffer ordinance, and county officials expect the longer-term proposal to return to supervisors in March. (noozhawk.com) (keyt.com) (noozhawk.com)