October 3, 2024
News Roundup
Debate Rages Over the 250-Room Garden Street Hotel
Other recent news: Debunked rumor that the Bidens bought in the Santa Ynez Valley; District 1 candidate forum recap; Funk Zone art gallery closed; city councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez's poor attendance; criticism for cannabis stink abatement plan; Goleta library to close for up to two years; Mission Creek restoration; Cottage Health to create employee housing; what's next for Andersen's Pea Soup in Buellton. 3
September 26, 2024
A Faster Track for the Miramar’s Retail and Housing Expansion
Other recent news: The new owner of Buellton landmark Pea Soup Andersen's; California to finally ban the sale of all plastic bags at grocery stores; buyer found for the News-Press's physical archive; bomb thrown inside a Santa Maria courthouse building; the tree of the month; the Riv's ode to Bianca Censori. 3
September 19, 2024
The City Council’s Current Thinking About State Street
Other recent news: CVS is said to be closing downtown; Metropolitan Theatres has left the Fiesta Five on State Street; interview with city administrator Kelly McAdoo; what to do with two dilapidated airport hangars; Fuel Depot opened on Storke Road; candidates for Goleta elections; progress for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. 11
September 5, 2024
The Debate Over Rent Control in Santa Barbara
Other recent news: A rise in stolen checks; vintage shop updates; Lucidity Festival is shutting down for good; Goleta likely to lower speed limits; Platform Holly has been plugged; the county's agricultural enterprise ordinance moves forward; Eric Goode's huge Ojai spread; positive feedback for the proposed Tri-County Produce project; SBCC wants a bond extension; the Surfliner Inn's slow progress. 31
August 29, 2024
August 22, 2024
Opening Date for the Santa Barbara Public Library Plaza
Other recent news: The eight-story building proposed near the Mission; a bit of intel on the buyers of the former St. Anthony's Seminary complex; President Biden and his family are vacationing in the Santa Ynez Valley; feedback on the plaza to replace Franceschi House; Moody Sisters cottages istreated; the new Tilly Timms souvenir store; California Highway Patrol issued a ton of speeding tickets; driver crashes car and flees on skateboard. 5
August 15, 2024
A Chilly Reception for the Biltmore’s Family Pool Complex
Other recent news: The arrogance of the U.S. Space Force; beach grooming debate; UCSB chancellor Henry Yang will step down; the candidates for Santa Barbara's city council; the men behind the street names near the airport; questions about the Lobero Theatre's proposed expansion; downtown condo owners caught in the new Community Benefit Improvement District; Refugio State Beach reopened; dreaming big about the former U.S. Bank branch on State Street. 5
August 1, 2024
Will a Hotel Ban Fix Santa Barbara’s Housing Problem?
Other recent news: Discussion over county agritourism changes; Santa Ynez Valley radio station now part of KCLU; the heads of Cottage Health and Direct Relief are retiring; Gaviota Coast Conservancy and El Capitan Canyon campground come to an agreement. 11
July 25, 2024
Aggressive Invasive Ants Discovered in Montecito
Other recent news: Santa Barbara is thinking about spending money on an economic development plan; downtown building could become apartments; Mesa residents are concerned about Elings Park fire risk; Carpinteria's Soap store is closing; the tree of the month; push to turn Carpinteria's former Rite Aid into a community center; miserable Casa Dorinda resident Renée Templeraud. 14
July 18, 2024
The State Street Advisory Committee Can’t Reach a Consensus
Other recent news: Progress on containing the Lake Fire; popular campgrounds suffered little fire damage; Santa Barbara and Goleta working together on airport noise; back-in angled parking in Old Town Goleta; this year's Fiesta celebration won't include a carnival; the folks hoping to build on Hot Springs Trail share their point of view. 25
Burning Questions
- Why Are the Railroad Tracks Being Expanded Along Padaro Lane?
- Will You Explain the Plan to Adapt the Waterfront for Climate Change?
- Why Did the Rosewood Miramar Beach Install Gates?
- How Long Will This Big Pipe Be at East Beach?
- Is Cabrillo Boulevard Going to Be Widened Under Highway 101?
- Was There a Fisherman Inn in Downtown Santa Barbara?
- What Are Those Old Buildings at the Corner of Castillo and Montecito Streets?
Recent Comments
It is kind of complex to tease out who bears the risks and benefits in these projects that have public and private parties involved. I… — SBradley
Very interesting. If Yardi is paying anywhere near $120M + $35M + $5.7M for almost 250k empty square feet, this is going to take a… — NuemanJ
I think some folks who would consider this is a windfall for Yardi may be overlooking two things: 1)The cost to Yardi to buyout AB's… — StanThompson
Just realizing I did not address your first point. The buildings on the property have been up for sale, and their value is also depressed… — SBradley
I think that the city's representation of this land as having ‘zero value’ is confusing because it sums together the value of 2 distinct things… — SBradley
No idea whether this is a good deal for Yardi or not. Paseo Nuevo has been available for sale since 2020 with no buyers -… — NuemanJ
I wish this same logic worked for Thrifty ice cream! According to the BLS inflation calculator, something that cost 5 cents in 1970 should cost… — Doug B
I'm unclear how bike lanes are related to maga. For that matter please explain how freeways and rail lines are remotely maga in a state… — Bettye Jones
Worth knowing about the Paseo Nuevo deal: the city is skipping the required competitive bidding process for this public land transfer by using the state-approved… — SBradley
This write up is such a biased take that sides with a handful of people. I imagine the people groaning about this project have a… — Yesenia G.