••• The huge, full-block project slated for the Funk Zone—first written about here three months ago—finally got noticed by another local media outlet. Edhat recapped the details of the project and had this about two civic entities that have discussed it: “The Planning Commission met on July 2 for a concept review of the project. While the majority of commissioners showed support in its initial stages, no formal decisions were made as the application has yet to be submitted. […] When it came to questions on housing, the majority of commissioners voiced approval for the project despite concerns regarding nearly every other aspect such as scale, height, parking, traffic, outdoor space, views, and affordability. […] The Architectural Board of Review also held a concept review on July 13, although no final appealable decision was made as the project requires compliance with the Project Compatibility Analysis and other guidelines. The majority of concerns centered around the mass of the building and asked for story poles for the board and public to get a better sense of its size.”
••• “Santa Barbara County officials announced Friday that they have underreported the number of Covid-19 deaths—by 28—over the past month.” The new total is 60. —Noozhawk
••• The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation is “working to restore parts of four structures in the El Presidio de Santa Barbara”: 1) the E. De la Guerra Street building where Make Smith, Warbler Records & Goods, Beads, and Mail Box Express are; 2) the Moullet House at Santa Barbara Street and E. Canon Perdido; 3) the Cota-Knox House on Anacapa Street; and 4) the former Santa Barbara School of the Arts building, home of La Plaza Azul restaurant. —KEYT
••• The CVS on Milpas Street wants to sell hard liquor, but one resident is against it. The store has gotten all the necessary approvals, and yet the state Alcoholic Beverage Control will not issue the license. —KEYT
••• From a press release on Edhat: “Santa Barbara Teachers’ Association and Santa Barbara Unified School District have reached an agreement on working conditions related to the 2020/21 school year.”
••• “Procore’s Carpinteria campus, which also houses a couple of other buildings, was recently sold to an out-of-town investor” for an undisclosed price, but “the original listed price was $48 million. As tenants Procore and Continental Automotive are secure in long-term leases, there’s no danger that the new landlord will cause a shakeup in tenancy.” —Pacific Coast Business Times
••• “Manuel ‘Ed’ Torres, a former supervisor with the Santa Barbara County Probation Department, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly embezzling more than $600,000 from the probation officers union he led for 20 years. Torres, 63, is currently booked in County Jail on 15 felony charges, including grand theft, misappropriation of public funds, forgery, and tax violations.” —Independent
••• The Montecito Board of Architectural Review discussed the Montecito Sanitary District’s proposed new building (rendering courtesy Cearnal Collective). —Montecito Journal
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