••• Last Friday’s meeting of the county’s Central Board of Architectural Review included an expansion of the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn in Los Olivos that would add a new building the size of the current one, doubling the number of guest rooms. The proposal “includes the construction of a new two-story hotel building, with a maximum height of approximately 31.5 feet, to be located on two adjacent parcels [and] have a footprint of approximately 8,363 square feet and a total gross floor area of approximately 15,144 square feet. It will contain 18 new hotel rooms […] and will include back-of-house administrative offices, a new lobby and lounge area, a luggage storage room, and a library.” Moreover, there would be “approximately 1,472 square feet of new additions to the existing 8,381-square-foot hotel building, the enclosure of a 240-square-foot porch area, the construction of a 54-square-foot porch and balcony area, and the construction of a new 59-square-foot addition on the second floor.”
••• The Carolina Bucci jewelry boutique has opened at the Montecito Country Mart.
••• The Well has added to its real estate holdings, buying the 9.13-acre Island View Nursery at 3376 Foothill Road in Carpinteria for $6 million.
••• Three temporary casitas—”imaginative, sustainable playhouses designed to spark curiosity and environmental stewardship”—at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden debut October 25. Below: Gnome Home by Matthew Caliguire of Allen Construction.
••• The Central Coast AirFest is October 18-19 in Santa Maria, “with nearly 40 aircraft on display. Visitors will see history in the skies, with dozens of historic warbirds taking flight. […] The weekend will be packed with world-class aerial performances, featuring the USAF F-35 Demonstration Team, U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet Demo Team, Jack Aces Mustang Team and award-winning pilot Anthony Oshinuga.”
••• Taj Mahal and Patty Griffin play the Arlington Theatre on February 17.
••• Coming to the Lobero Theatre: Janeane Garofalo (January 23), Madeleine Peyroux (March 3).
••• The California State Land Commission, which is in charge of the decommissioning of Rincon Island, sent out an update that mentioned how a 4.91-acre piece of onshore land (“Coast Ranch Parcel” in the map below) was donated to the state. Of more note to me was that the CLSC has “enter[ed] into a Memorandum of Intent with the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation to memorialize the intent and commitment to partner on an agreement to co-manage/co-steward Rincon Island and the Rincon Onshore Facility.” While no formal decision about what to do with Rincon Island has been made, “The Coastal Band has shared its conceptual ideas for future reuse of Rincon Island and Onshore Facility, which include protecting the land and creating an open space for the public to learn about their culture and traditional practices.” That was inevitable, I suppose, and noble, but it seems likely to turn Rincon Island into a destination for school field trips, when I was hoping for something more ambitious and out-of-the-box for such a unique opportunity.
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Why do all of the trade folks park along channel drive while working at the Biltmore and not using the staff parking lot ? It is impossible to find a place to park during the week starting at 7 am for beach walkers. It’s really gotten difficult over the past few months
Thank you
How about asking one of them or talking to the Biltmore staff? There may be a reason that isn’t obvious. Street parking in Santa Barbara and Goleta is very limited; I have attended meetings in the past where solutions to parking concerns are discussed for hours.
How about having Island Brewing move onto the island. They can play music as loud as they wish.