The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission authorized the Isla Vista Master Plan yesterday morning, leaving it only months away from the desk of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

As the second step in the adoption of the IVMP, the Planning Commission finalized hearings for the proposal and addressed concerns regarding controversial aspects of the plan such as the impact of zoning changes throughout I.V., which would allow for new two-to-three story buildings.

The Master Plan proposes various changes throughout I.V. including new zoning regulations that would revamp the storefronts along Pardall Road. The IVMP would also create new roundabouts in intersections all over the one-square-mile town and add a pedestrian walkway through Anisq’ Oyo’ Park that would re-establish the green area as the center of the town.

After viewing statistics and projection reports that estimated the impacts of the IVMP in several areas, the Planning Commission voted to recommend the Board of Supervisors approve the IVMP.

According to a Planning Commission memo, the group discussed the effects the plan would have on county tax revenues and property values, and also addressed how to encourage downtown developments.

Deputy Director of the Santa Barbara County Redevelopment Agency Jamie Goldstein said the commission discussed approaches that would encourage business owners to revamp buildings in I.V.

“We asked for programs that would create incentives to develop lots, to integrate green buildings,” Goldstein said. “We want to create programs to provide incentives for investment in public infrastructure.”

The Isla Vista Project Area Committee, a group of 13 individuals that includes local residents, students and business owners, took six years to devise the plan. The finalized IVMP attempts to reach a compromise between residents who wish to see a more upscale I.V. and those who are concerned about overdevelopment impacts such as environmental damage and increased traffic.

Ventura Enterprises Owner Lou Ventura said last week that he was concerned the incentives provided by the county would not be enough to spark development. One incentive offered by the county would match private developers for up to $10,000 in improvements to the fa