••• I poked my nose over the fence for a look at the two “family pools” under construction at the Four Seasons Biltmore. The photos immediately above and below are from the same vantage point, looking north and south, respectively; the third shot is taken from farther north, looking toward the ocean. There’s a site plan in this post from July 2024, but I believe the plan subsequently changed a little.
••• “Any word on what the new story poles near the corner of N. Fairview Avenue and Calle Real are for?” asked J. “It’s the old Santa Barbara motorsports building, next to Bowlero and the gas station and car wash.” That’s 5995 Calle Real, and a 46-unit apartment complex has been proposed there. The Goleta Planning Commission was kind enough to enlighten us:
An existing approximately 12,000sf commercial building is proposed to be demolished to accommodate the new development. Structural development will consist of a total of 68,329 square feet, comprising 1) 44 three-story three-bedroom units with attached two-car garages 2) two three-story three-bedroom live-work units with attached two-car garages 3) a dog park with shaded picnic and grilling area. The 46 units would range in size from 1,333 to 1,672 square feet. Each residential unit will have ground floor patio and balcony space on the 2nd floor. The proposed project is offering all-electric with solar, smart technology, Energy Star appliances, dual-glazed windows with ultra-violet coatings and water efficient fixtures with each residence. A total of 97 parking spaces will be provided, including five guest spaces for the development.
••• Tickets are on sale for the Santa Barbara Studio Artists’ 25th annual Open Studios Tour (September 5-7). Participating artists in Santa Barbara and Montecito: Misa Art, Danuta Bennett, Ann Shelton Beth, William Dalziel, Jeanne Dentzel, Leslie Ekker, Karen Fedderson, Brian Kuhlmann, Kathy Leader, Paulo Pereira Lima, Cynthia Martin, Sarita Reynolds, Joan Rosenberg-Dent, Francis Scorzelli, Susan Tibbles, and Brian Woolford. And in West Santa Barbara, Hope Ranch & Goleta: Pamela Benham, Marilyn McRae, Jean Range, Nurit Ruckenstein, Eric Saint Georges, Ann Sanders, Marlene Struss, and Gerry Winant.
••• When I saw the Santa Barbara Drivers Club pop up on Instagram, I figured it was another golf simulator, but it’s actually “a community for car lovers to gather and enjoy enthusiast cars, sim racing, espresso and good company” at 4067 State Street, near Highway 154. From Wikipedia:
Sim racing is the collective term for racing games that attempt to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult, such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. It is this level of difficulty that distinguishes sim racing from arcade racing-style driving games where real-world variables are taken out of the equation and the principal objective is to create a sense of speed as opposed to a sense of realism.
••• Separate Reality‘s first group show, Fever, features eight artists, and some of the work looks very interesting. Below, from top: “Obstacle III” by David Cortes, “Sun” by Nick Gorham, and “Sconce” by Søren Wilde.
••• The Electrify America EV-charging station at Chapala and Carrillo is less lovely than it appeared in the renderings. The paving (vs. asphalt) is a welcome touch, but here’s hoping the landscaping fills in over time.
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Can’t get over what a missed opportunity that charging station is. Prime downtown real estate that could have been built up is now a permanent parking lot? Can someone refresh my memory as to what exactly went wrong with the proposals for this site and how this happened?
I think the soil was contaminated so housing could not be built.
How sad to see the Biltmore turn into a theme park. It was such an elegant property.
I was given a tour of the pool area and was told about its proposed build out ( think Palapa’s ). If it is built as planned ( and Ty changes his mind often ) this pool area will look like ” Disneyland goes to Las Vegas “. So sad … it doesn’t relate to the stately Biltmore. But I guess Ty thinks it’s competition for Rick.
The last proposal I saw for the empty downtown charging lot was a mammoth city block sized transportation hub with apartments. It would have been much uglier than this very tacky looking parking lot.