April 22, 2026
Tag: 101 Garden Street
Large Furniture Store Opening on State Street
Plus: The new stoplight on Coast Village Road; Beck to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; the Carpinteria outpost of The Shopkeepers appears to have closed; new boutique in Kismet's former space in the Upper Village; Blue Man Group at the Granada Theatre; Funk Zone–ish hotel to be two Marriott brands; another Funk Zone fitness studio; State Street's reliance on resale; "Where in Santa Barbara...?" answer. 33
November 21, 2024
250-Room Funk Zone Hotel Gets the Go-Ahead
Plus: Biltmore renovation allowed to proceed; city to help remove Las Alturas landslide house; the county Planning Commission rejected a cannabis project for the first time; Cost Plus World Market could be around for three years; Tunnel Trail reopened; the history of Goleta's Encina Royale neighborhood; Milpas Street improvements likely. 2
October 3, 2024
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
February 29, 2024
Santa Barbara Water Rates to Go Way Up
Other recent news: Proposed Garden Street hotel will only have 60 employees; Santa Barbara–based Jackpocket acquired for $750 million; a Wells Fargo branch has closed; the reinvented River Lodge motel outside Paso Robles has opened; the tree of the month; sewage spills affect Goleta Beach and Miramar Beach. 3
February 26, 2024
New Company Offers Helicopter Tours of Santa Barbara
Plus: Lemons washing up on local beaches; 16-passenger bikes are back in the Funk Zone; road to Ojai closed because of a rock slide; Kings of Leon and Rebelution to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; updates on Vuori and RH; an amusing hat from a new brand called Santa Ynez Country Club; another look at the 250-room hotel proposed for Garden Street. 9
August 11, 2023
Another Step Forward for the Revamp of De La Guerra Plaza
Other recent news: the Planning Commission puts the screws to the 101 Garden Street hotel; more on Ocean Fathoms's misbehavior; the Santa Barbara News-Press's list of creditors; proposed improvements to Stow Grove Park in Goleta; the Santa Barbara Zoo's new red panda. 2
April 30, 2023
April 14, 2023
MarBorg’s Non-Curbside Rate Hike Is Coming to Santa Barbara
Other recent news: The Santa Barbara City Council can't make up its mind about State Street parklet fees; Carpinteria Salt Marsh trails and beach access closed till June; park turtles to be relocated; Santa Claus Lane upgrade moves forward; recap of the debate over the proposed hotel at 101 Garden Street; Carrizo Plain superbloom photos. 7
April 8, 2023
Oprah Winfrey’s Creek Construction Makes Downstream Neighbors Nervous
Other recent news: Santa Barbara County tightened the eviction code; city Planning Commission waffles on 101 Garden Street hotel; update on the county's ambulance services contract; library plaza should be done by October; Elings Park improvements; opposition to fish farms in the Santa Barbara Channel; 72-room hotel in Carpinteria moves forward. 8
April 6, 2023
A New Chapter for the Sacred Space in Summerland
Plus: No nonstop flights between Santa Barbara and Chicago this summer; update on the Santa Ynez Valley zipline park; Goop rumored to be expanding in Montecito; office building/chapel on Chapala sells; story poles are up for the 250-room hotel in the Funk Zone; Robert Cray Band to play the Lobero; answer to last week's "Where in Santa Barbara...?" 2
Recent Comments
The woman is...... interesting. Could have been worse. Imagine a man with a..... "projection" to hang a towel on....... — Judy's Older Brother
Thank goodness its not here, Ricks taking the hideous architecture on tour, it should fit in nicely in TO, they'll just have to paint it… — Alan
I’ve long thought the golf course is ripe for redevelopment. Though I do agree with the slippery slope concerns. That said, I am shocked to… — BW
Thanks for digging in. Seems the issues are all water related. I’m wondering if a preferred design context given the obvious constraints would be composting… — Daniel Meisel
True. But remote, if you want to be in a more urban part of SF. Remind me to tell you about the Kabuki in Japantown,… — Thomas Reynolds
I see you've been slumming it in our old town. The Huntington must have created more rooms; previously it was mostly suites, having formerly been… — Thomas Reynolds
The Presidio hotels in the Presidio are hands down my favs Erik! Big rooms (former army barracks), quiet - fantastic art installations in the hiking… — Leslie Westbrook
Who designed the rediculous improved street/parking configuration on Santa claus lane...there isn't enough room in the north bound lane to drive a car through...parked cars… — BeckyGallup
Their needs to be a better answer then just closing the rest stop. I do the drive almost daily and the amount of people I… — Derek
If you're asking about the Huntington Hotel, the Big Four is indeed the only restaurant and it looked the same to me (but has probably… — Erik Torkells