1. Montecito proposes a permanent sale of part of its State Water Project interest Montecito Water District General Manager Nick Turner outlined a proposed sale of 1,400 acre-feet of State Water Project interest—about 42% of the district’s 3,300 acre-feet—to Solstra Communities. Solstra is pursuing the Solomon Hills development south of Orcutt, which would include roughly 4,000 homes. The proposed price is about $40 million, assuming a 2028 closing. The package also includes rights to store and recover 550 acre-feet at Semitropic and 1,650 acre-feet of water already stored there. Before closing, Solstra would have to assign the State Water Project interest—including water allocation, treatment and conveyance capacity, and associated obligations—to a local water purveyor that qualifies as a CCWA project participant, as determined or approved by CCWA. The presentation was informational; the board took no action on the sale. Staff must address legal-counsel and other process questions before substantive work proceeds. The transaction depends on project approvals, with a tentative closing in late 2028 or early 2029. The board will need to consider procedural steps before CCWA can evaluate the proposal.
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