••• The group of architects and planners uniting against about the development at 505 E. Los Olivos Street have now released a “conceptual representation only of the project massing, based on a review of the applicant’s submission and project description” (above), along with another Builder’s Remedy abomination, 1609-1615 Grand Avenue (below) on the Lower Riviera. UPDATE: A protest is planned for July 27.
••• Speaking of which, the Independent reports that “the owners of 505 E. Los Olivos Street […] failed to pay their property taxes for the second fiscal year. The owners, who go by the name The Mission LLC, owe a total of $198,657.” An anonymous reader sent me research that the people behind The Mission LLC are likely Craig Martin and Stephanie Smith, whom the Independent has previously identified as the owners of the Grand Avenue project depicted above.
••• “The Shelby partners’ builder’s remedy development at 7400 Cathedral Oaks [next to Glen Annie Golf Course] took a major step forward on June 30 when the owners reached a settlement with the City of Goleta. After the courts ruled against the city in a dispute over an old tract map and the new application for the 56 single-family homes, the two sides have agreed on terms for the planning process. These include 11 affordable homes and an environmental impact report, which should be completed before year’s end.” —Independent
••• “Temporary signs in the public right-of-way that promote businesses cannot be taller than 42 inches, must be free-standing, and must be off the sidewalk, according to an ordinance approved by the Santa Barbara City Council. […] All temporary signs are banned in the city’s El Pueblo Viejo Historic District.” Does anyone think this looks good? —Noozhawk
••• “State Approves Santa Barbara Segment Funding to Finish Highway 101 Widening Project.” —KEYT
••• “Goleta Ready to Dazzle with First-Ever Fourth of July Drone Show […] The show will feature 150 drones in a 12-minute display that honors and celebrates America and Goleta.” —Noozhawk
••• “Fuel Depot on Storke Road in Goleta is home to a new state-of-the-art car wash with four bays. […] With the older car wash system, it would take several seconds before the nozzle would shift from high-pressure soap to rinse, but with the new system the shift is instantaneous.” Just think about what you can do with all that extra time! —Noozhawk
••• “Lake Los Carneros Footbridge Still Lost in Limbo […] The City of Goleta has no immediate plans to repair the bridge, citing the millions of dollars in cost as well as a need to remove the bridge in its entirety while not disturbing the habitat below.” —Noozhawk
••• “Los Padres National Forest Faces New Threat with Rollback of ‘Roadless Rules’ [.…] Trump Administration’s Plan Would Open 600,000 Acres to Commercial Logging, Possible Infrastructure Development.” —Independent
••• The tree of the month is the Senegal Date Palm, “distinctive from other palms in that it has multiple trunks growing from the base of a single plant. […] It has been planted in the Santa Barbara community since the late 1800s. It was available for purchase through the 1893 mail-order catalogue of Ralph Kinton Steven’s retail plant nursery, which was located on what is now the grounds of Ganna Walska Lotusland, where a large grove of old specimens still stands.” —Edhat (photo by David Gress, courtesy Santa Barbara Beautiful)
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Funny how the same developers who pushed a 250-room hotel through approvals are now saying 250 rental units would ruin Santa Barbara. Hard not to notice the irony.
the hotel by the beach wouldn’t cause a 25 minute delay in evacuating Mission Canyon.
There’s no irony in 250 rental units that would destroy the view corridor of one of the most important historic structures in the state.
Both mission and riviera developments should be shut down immediately and these types of developments banned from ever being able to be submitted. Wake up Santa Barbra and Montecito! CA doesn’t care about all the quaint towns that make up our great state. They care about the almighty $$ in the name of a housing crisis! Current leadership is great at messaging lies.
I agree with you 100%. What kind of person/developer comes into SB and wants to build something like that, let alone two developments like that. So hideous and out of place. I hope the city fights both until the very end!
The problem is with our County’s elected representatives. The ONLY reason these projects are being considered is because our representatives failed to comply with state law. They did not update the County’s housing element as they are required to do every 10 years. The County knew what was required of it–it had notice for years. The fault here is with the County’s Board of Supervisors. No one wants those Builder’s Remedy developments. But, the County opened the door to them. Hold the Board of Supervisors responsible.
You have the wrong jurisdiction. These developments are within the City of Santa Barbara not the unincorporated county. The County’s Housing Element and the timing of it’s final approval by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development has no bearing on the application of the Builder’s Remedy to land within city limits.
100% Agree!
Having lived here for over a decade now, I still feel like a newcomer, and because I like it in Santa Barbara so much, I’ve often been perplexed at comments by older residents about how it’s been ruined, a shadow of its former self, and so on. However, if these abominations can get built, I really may have to start thinking that it’s all over here myself —
Pick your battles? Well this is one of em…
Hi. I love your newsletter!! Maybe this isn’t up your alley but I am a walking Montecitoan and I love to use the tunnel. The tunnel has always been a place where I might meet a few homeless people but it now seems someone is delivering toiletries and goods in boxes to them. While this is so very kind; it is encouraging the homeless to use the tunnel as a de facto home. The population around the tunnel is growing and it is starting to feel a bit unsafe (even in mid day). Maybe a shout out by you would be worthwhile or can you advise me where to seek help?
I’d suggest reaching out to the Montecito Association.
A proposed 270-unit apartment building with approximately 450 cars needing to exit onto a two-lane evacuation route, where all vehicles must make a right turn, would face significant congestion. Under ideal conditions, assuming a conservative three-second gap per car, it would take about 22 to 25 minutes for all vehicles to complete the turn. However, real-world factors such as traffic congestion, limited lane capacity, cautious driver behavior during an emergency, and queue spillback could substantially increase this delay. This bottleneck would pose serious evacuation risks to at least two thousand people living behind the project who rely on the same route for safe egress.
It’s not about if sidewalk signs “look good” they are an accessibility hazard and have been for years. Ask my blind husband how tripping over these signs feels walking around this city or a wheelchair user having to go into the roadway to go around them deters them from certain areas of town that aren’t as safe as they used to be. This requirement has already been in place but not enforced for 4+ years. They are still just as visible off to the side.
Anyone who loves Santa Barbara should boycott the architects involved with the irresponsible Mission apartment complex. Those architects are Bildsten Architecture and Planning.
Tell these clowns- Craig Martin and Stephanie Smith- to take their liposuction-cannabis queenpin-snake oil-attempted builders remedy shakedown to another town, I recommend Tijuana.
If you voted for newsom – this is EXACTLY what you voted for.
The proposed structures near the mission are architecturally inconsistent with the area’s character, yet the city will likely approve them. This follows the same pattern we’ve seen with the oversized developments on the east side. The Milpas corridor is already experiencing significant density increases, and once all these approved projects are completed, the impact will be substantial.
If the city intends to approve high-density development throughout Santa Barbara, this should be applied equitably across all neighborhoods. Affluent areas shouldn’t receive preferential treatment while working-class communities bear the brunt of intensive development.
Though these buildings may be aesthetically problematic, the real crisis is the displacement of residents from the senior housing complex behind the Milpas Starbucks. The human cost of people losing their homes far outweighs concerns about architectural design.
The core issue remains: Santa Barbara needs consistent, equitable development policies that balance growth with community character and, most importantly, protect existing residents from displacement.