Author: Erik Torkells

January 12, 2021

Maximized Views on Alta Mesa

Noteworthy new listings also include a 1936 house rich with period detail on a hidden downtown street, a Coast Village project, "not your typical Westside offering," and a Neoclassical-Mediterranean hybrid.

Covid-Test Bus Parked in Santa Barbara for Two Weeks

Plus: Dylan Star boutique has temporarily popped up in Paseo Nuevo; ongoing construction of the Las Positas/Modoc Roads bike and pedestrian path; proposed Montecito house to have a freestanding "tea room"; ADU seminar; where to donate books? 2

January 11, 2021

A New Fancy Food Store in Montecito

More food news: Chick-fil-A reopens today; Gelson's has expanded; Mesa Burger and its siblings are offering 50% off to medical workers; menu R&D at Bell's spinoff Bar Le Côté; Gipsy Hill Bakery's toaster tarts and Triple Chip's everything bagel babka; shrub maker Broken Clock Vinegar Works. 1

January 10, 2021

Covid Cases Continue to Surge in Santa Barbara County

Other recent news: Grand Montecito estate's new owner revealed; detectives seek help identifying Goleta gunman; UCSB students helping to search for the remains of a teenager who perished in the debris flow; cat reunited with owner after three years; longtime employee purchases Pet House store; Channel Island Surfboards is being bought back by the founders' son; shooting ban extended in Los Padres National Forest.

Newsletter: January 10

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January 9, 2021

Montecito Villa Sells for $13 Million Off the Initial Asking Price

New year, new crop of closings—including a hacienda on 18.8 acres in the Santa Ynez Valley, a mix of the fabulous and mundane on E. Mountain Drive, a Hope Ranch house with dungeon, and more.

January 8, 2021

First Look at the Rooftop Bar Proposed for the Funk Zone

After having decided to rehabilitate 11 Anacapa rather than tear it down, the developer is now asking to add a contemporary roof deck to the old building and a slick black box of a parking structure nearby. 7

January 7, 2021

County Hospitals Are Preparing a Shift to “Crisis Care”

Other recent news: Committee to recommend that Santa Barbara ban natural gas in new construction; school district might temporarily eliminate D and F grades because of the pandemic; the man whose house was electrified; cannabis shop opening in Goleta. 1

Still No Word from Chick-fil-A

More food news: Hook & Press introduced its first-ever savory donut; dimmed hopes for Tyger Tyger's reopening; suggestions sought for a good rehearsal dinner venue; new all-day restaurant in Solvang; Pico is getting into the burger game; Full of Life Flatbread's heartstrings.

January 6, 2021

Pura Luna Apothecary Is Moving to a Larger Space

Plus: "Peace & Quiet" at Sullivan Goss; new online vintage shop based in Santa Barbara; Idyll Mercantile is teasing its new location; more cannabis in Carp; an outing to La Purisima Mission State Historic Park.