••• At the intersection of Anacapa and Ortega, where there are two restaurants (Gala and La Paloma) and a third on the way (Skyfield), the fourth corner is now home to five vacation-rental units branded as The Inn at Anatega. I got a tour, and they look really sharp—much better than most of the spec reno houses on the market these days. It’ll be fascinating to see how people feel about them. On one hand, you get more space than in a hotel room, probably for less money,* and it’s more handsome, to boot. On the other hand, you’re at street-level in a downtown building—you can lower the shades and pretend otherwise or leave them open and be on display. And while the bedrooms are separate rooms, they don’t have windows. (*The rates are hard to peg. For two nights midweek in June, Airbnb touted the nightly rate for at one unit as $288—but after the fees, the total cost is $828, or $902 if you want the right to cancel more than five days out, in which case you’d get a “partial refund.”)
••• The city of Santa Barbara is accepting submissions from architects for ADU designs that can be pre-approved for use by homeowners, “with the goals of speeding up the review and approval process, guiding homeowners who may not know where to start, and ensuring that those homeowners work with qualified, experienced professionals.” I wonder how many ADUs are actually used for housing. Also, too much standardized design is a bore.
••• From the county’s Public Works Department: “Gibraltar Road and East Camino Cielo Road have reopened after being closed since January of 2023. Barker Pass Road is also reopen.”
••• The Mayweather Boxing + Fitness studio at La Cumbre Plaza has closed, reports K.
••• No one guessed Where in Santa Barbara…?, so the house wins. It’s outside the Palace Grill on E. Cota Street.
••• Ensemble Theatre Company runs twice-annual trips to savor theater in other locations. The next one is in July for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. You get to see many productions, of course, but the add-ons are what make the trip special.
••• Asher Market‘s Santa Ynez location moved around the corner to 3551 Sagunto Street.
••• And there’s a fun new shop in Solvang: Off the Record Vinyl & Vintage.
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Speeding up ADU permits is a joke. It just took me FIVE years to get permits to upgrade my 1950’s electrical panel. I am trying to get a 280 sq. foot workshop ( electrical wiring, no plumbing , hidden from the street and neighbors) approved…this will take me at least two years and thousands of dollars in permits…
ADU’s are going up right on property lines..overlooking neighbors houses and yards. In Montecito there seem to be no studies done to see how these ADU’s are being used. The ones I know of are not affordable rentals, they are guest houses for already overbuilt homes.