SANTA BARBARA COUNCIL & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS: MAY 22-26

By the edhat staff

Week of May 22, 2023: Council and advisory committee meetings of Santa Barbara City

A long-time Edhat subscriber, hoping for more public participation in our local government, thought it would be helpful and interesting for the community to have a weekly listing of selected meetings, those of city-wide interest. We agreed. Please tell us what you think. There have been requests for coverage of other jurisdictions; volunteers to do that, please contact info@edhat.com. If we’ve mis-posted an address or there’s a meeting that we failed to list, please note the correction in the Comments section below. Thanks!

Santa Barbara has a City Calendar of meetings for May. (NB: City Calendar is a guide and is not comprehensive.) City TV covers many of the public meetings and has reruns. However, it cannot presently be completely relied upon and if there is a particular city public agency of interest, it would be best to check that commission’s or council’s website. Consent Calendar meetings are not televised; nor are those in City Council Room 15; nor are others, such as the library board meeting at the Faulkner Gallery.

Common acronyms, abbreviations: hybrid or Hyflex, meeting access is both in person and via Zoom or other webinar; PDA, Project Design Approval; FA, Final Approval; CAR, Council Agenda Report. Agenda item descriptions are generally direct quotes from the agendas. Meeting locations: City Council chambers upstairs at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street; David Gebhard Room (DGR), 630 Garden Street; Parks Office, 402 E. Ortega St.; or where noted. Noted also for some Council and Advisory Committee meetings are non-public addresses; these are addresses for those public servants who choose to attend the meetings at home or elsewhere.

This week:

There are two upcoming State Street Advisory Committee meetings. These will not be televised on public tv and available only by Zoom and in person.  From the agendas:

On Monday, May 22, The SSAC Chair will discuss the history of State Street and changes to downtown Santa Barbara; and a Santa Barbara commercial real estate professional will describe the challenges and opportunities of State Street today from a local perspective.

On Wednesday, May 24, the City and the MIG consulting team will lead a discussion with the State Street Advisory Committee on the long-term design of State Street. The State Street Advisory Committee will first break out into groups to analyze the designs, and then report their feedback to the entire committee. The feedback received during this meeting will be used to refine the designs that will be released for public review in June 2023.

MONDAY, 5/22

Single Family Design Board, 11:00 a.m., DGR, in person: Consent Agenda:

• A. 211 Litchfield LN, Cont, FA: Project, swimming pool and spa, requires “Project requires substantial conformance to the plans that received Project Design Approval on July 12, 2021.”
• B. 811 Litchfield LN, New Item, PDA & FA: 489 sq ft deck, with concrete caissons, “Neighborhood Preservation Findings and Hillside Design District & Sloped Lot Findings are required.”
• C. 1712 Anacapa St., New Item, PDA & FA, Neighborhood Preservation Findings are required.
• D. 3817 La Cumbre Hills Ln, New Item PDA & FA, Proposal for a new 625 sq ft / ADU over an existing one-story, 1,353 sq ft. single unit residence with attached 412 sq ft garage, …on a 6,534 sq ft lot. Neighborhood Preservation Findings are required.

Past agendas, architectural drawings and public comments from prior meetings, link.

Architectural Board of Review, 1 p.m., DGR, in person, Consent Calendar agenda:

• 1046 Coast Village Road, New Item, Concept Review: 1046 Coast Village Road, exterior improvements; no final appealable decision will be made at this hearing.
• 3888 State Street, New Item, PDA & FA: Proposal to alter the existing entry canopy facing the rear parking lot.
• 1411 San Pascual St. Cont. Item, FA: Proposal for a two-story building with a four-car garage on the first floor and a two-bedroom Accessory Dwelling Unit on the second floor. Existing Duplex Apartment will remain. Proposal includes a replacement of a rear retaining wall. Project was referred to Consent from the full board and requires compliance with the plans granted PDA on 4/17/2023.

Architectural drawings: link.

Single Family Design Board, regular meeting, 3 p.m, DGR, hyflex, Agenda:

1. 1240 W. Micheltorena St., New Item, Concept Review, “Proposal to construct a 2,681 square-foot, three-story, single-unit residence including 537 square-foot attached two-car garage on a vacant lot located in the Hillside Design District. Project includes decks at the second and third stories and a roof deck. The building is proposed to be recessed into the hillside….No final appealable decision will take place at this hearing. Neighborhood Preservation Findings, Hillside Design District & Sloped Lot Findings, and Grading Findings will be required when the project is reviewed for Project Design Approval.
2. 647 Sea Ranch Drive, New Item: Concept Review Proposal to construct a detached two-story accessory structure comprised of a 371-square-foot garage, 341-square-foot workshop, and 621-square-foot Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) above. No final appealable decision will take place at this hearing. Neighborhood Preservation Findings, Hillside Design District & Sloped Lot Findings, and Grading Findings will be required when the project is reviewed for Project Design Approval.
3. 965 W. Mountain Drive, New Item, PDA required. Proposal for additions to an existing 1,290 square foot, two-story, single-unit residence consisting of an 865 square foot first-floor addition, an 824 square foot second-story addition, and a 128 square foot screened porch. Project Design Approval is requested. Neighborhood Preservation Findings and Hillside Design District & Sloped Lot Findings are required. The project has notpreviously been reviewed by the SFDB.

Past agendas, architectural drawings and public comments from prior meetings, link.

State Street Advisory Committee, Special Meeting Agenda, in person and by Zoom, (see agenda, if Zoom access is a problem), 5:30 p.m., Faulkner Gallery, SB Public Library, Agenda items: Economic Trends and Success of Public Spaces

1. • The SSAC Chair will discuss the history of State Street and changes to downtown Santa Barbara, and a Santa Barbara commercial real estate professional will describe the challenges and opportunities of State Street today from a local perspective.
   • MIG, Inc. and Strategic Economics will discuss local and national economic trends around housing and commercial vacancies, what makes great public spaces, and how placemaking plays a key role in public space and economic development. Two members of the SSAC will provide their local expertise on the proposed Community Benefit Improvement District. The SSAC will have an opportunity to discuss the topics, including what makes developments downtown work and what opportunities exist for State Street.

No staff reports posted as of Sunday evening for the public.

TUESDAY, 5/23

City Council Ordinance Committee, at noon, hyflex, Agenda: Amendment to the SFDB Appeal Process; Ordinance Committee Agenda Report.

City Council Regular meeting, 2:00 p.m., Council Chambers, Hyflex, 2 P.M.,

(Council Agenda packet – this essential packet with its descriptions and details of agenda items, was not available on Sunday afternoon and evening when this report was compiled.) Agenda: for Zoom/Web access info.

Consent Calendar, noted: Item 6: Subject: Amendment to the Restriction of Oversized Vehicles [Ordinance Introduction] (530.04) Recommendation: That Council introduce and subsequently adopt, by reading of title only, an Ordinance of the Council of the City of Santa Barbara Amending Section 10.44.220 of the Santa Barbara Municipal Code Pertaining to the Restriction of Oversized Vehicle Parking on City Streets.

And Item 7. Subject: Fiscal Year 2023 Third-Quarter Review (250.02) Recommendation: That Council: Receive a report from staff on the status of revenues and expenditures in relation to the budget for the nine months ended March 31, 2023;

Accept the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Interim Financial Statements for the nine months ended March 31, 2023; and

Approve proposed Third Quarter (Q3) adjustments to FY 2023 appropriations and estimated revenues as detailed in the attached schedule of Proposed Q3 adjustments.

And Item 15 Appeal of Planning Commission’s approval re: 2315 Edgewater Way continued to 5/23, postponed indefinitely.

Public Works Department:

1. Subject: Appeal of the Suspension of Authorization to Operate and Maintain an Outdoor Business Facility at Taza Restaurant at 413 State Street
2. Subject: Appeal of the Suspension of Authorization to Operate and Maintain a Parklet at Ca’Dario Restaurant at 37 East Victoria Street
3. Subject: Appeal of the Suspension of Authorization to Operate and Maintain a Parklet at Folded Hills Winery at 1294 Coast Village Road
4. Subject: Appeal of the Suspension of Authorization to Operate and Maintain a Parklet at Courthouse Tavern at 129 East Anapamu Street
5. Subject: Appeal of the Suspension of Authorization to Operate and Maintain a Parklet at Trattoria Vittoria at 30 East Victoria Street (530.04)
6. Subject: Appeal of the Suspension of Authorization to Operate and Maintain a Parklet at Foxtail Kitchen and Bar at 14 East Cota Street (530.04)

Item 23: Interviews for Advisory Commissions: (4 p.m.) – Continue interviews of applicants to June 6, 2023 (Est. time 4:00 p.m.) and June 13, 2023 (Est. time 6:00 p.m.).

WEDNESDAY, 5/24

Historic Landmarks Commission, 11 a.m., in person DGR, Consent Calendar Agenda:

1. Oak Park, 636 W. Junipero St. Cont. item, PDA & FA: “Listed on the Historic Resources Inventory, constructed in 1904 and site of the 1940 Juneteenth Celebration. Proposal to restore a 1,800 linear foot reach of Mission Creek. Project includes creek bank restoration and planting of over 5,000 native riparian trees, shrubs, and herbs. The Creeks Division is seeking CEQA review for the creek restoration activities… last reviewed, 4/12/2023.
2. 2151 Mission Ridge Road, New Item, PDA & FA,, proposal to demolish an existing driveway and build a new one.
3. 431 E. Valerio St., #B, New Item, PDA & FA, proposal to convert an existing garage and attached accessory structure into a 554 sq ft ADU, with a minor zoning exception.
4. 1715 Laguna St., New Item, Concept Review, proposal for exterior alterations to an existing 1,262 sq ft single-unit residence, Craftsman style.

No Final appealable action will take place at this meeting.  Architectural Drawings, staff reports, Historic Structures Reports for all these items,

Historic Landmarks Commission: regular meeting, 1:30 p.m., DGR, hyflex: Agenda: 1713 Lasuen Rd, Cont. Item, PDA & FA; Project last reviewed Feb. 15, 2023; Requesting acceptance of a Memo to the Secretary of the Interior Standards prepared by the City Architectural Historian, Nicole Hernandez, which concludes the proposed project meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation; therefore, project impacts on significant historic resources would be less than significant (Class III).

Architectural Drawings, staff reports, including Historic Structures Reports, Memo to the Secretary of the Interior Standards: link.

State Street Advisory Committee, Special Meeting in person and by Zoom, Wednesday, May 24, from 3:30 to 6:30pm, Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library: Agenda, MIG, Inc. will present three design scenarios and the associated development process, which included the preliminary SSAC direction and evaluation criteria, learnings and principles of great public spaces, feedback from City staff, and a tradeoff analysis. The SSAC will break out into groups to analyze the design scenarios and will report their feedback to the entire SSAC. The feedback will be used to refine the design concepts that will be released for public review in June 2023.

No staff reports posted as of Sunday evening for the public.

Parks and Recreation Commission, 4 p.m., regular meeting, hyflex, City Council Chamber; Agenda: Consent Items 1. Summary of Council Actions) 2. Subject: Minutes

    Street Tree Advisory Committee Items … For Action, Recommendation That the Commission:

1. Conditionally approve the following street tree and setback removal requests: 1. 1527CrestlineDrive–(5)Fraxinusuhdei,EvergreenAsh–AndrewBluhm
2. Conditionally approve the following street tree removal requests:
   1. 701WestmontRoad–(3)Fraxinusuhdei,EvergreenAsh–CatherineDealy
   2. 625N.AlisosStreet–(2)Sequoiasempervirens,CoastRedwood–Tyler Reynolds
   3. 3728TorinoDrive–Schinusterebinthifolius,BrazilianPepper–Robert Richards
3. Approve the following setback tree removal request: 1. 18 Vista Del Mar – Phoenix canariensis, Canary Island Date Palm – Anna Gardner

    4. Subject: Director’s Report – Recommendation: That the Commission receive a presentation on the status of the various Parks and Recreation Department (Department) initiatives and activities.

    5. Parma Park Sustainable Trails Project–For Information

    6. Subject: Advisory Board Purview and Communication Training – For Information

THURSDAY, 5/25

Fire and Police Commission, Special Meeting 3. p.m., hyflex, City Council Chamber, Agenda and reports, including CompStat, January 2019 – April 2023;  Agenda items:

1. Santa Barbara fire department incident reporting data
2. Santa Barbara Police Department mission strategies report  – Police Chief Kelly Gordon will present a brief report on the calls for service received by the Santa Barbara Police Department.
3. Santa Barbara Police Department’s evaluation process -Police Chief Kelly Gordon will present the newly updated evaluation process for sworn officers of the Santa Barbara Police Department.
4. Overview of public safety officer’s bill of rights act and firefighter procedural bill of rights act.

FRIDAY, 5/26

City Administrative offices closed.

Of general interest:

City Advisory Commissions are listed with their duties and powers described in the Charter of the City of Santa Barbara, See: Article Vlll, Appointive Boards and Commissions, pg; 25 et seg. Other commissions may be formed by the City Council for certain issues of public concern.  Santa Barbara Municipal Code. The City Council meets at 2 p.m., Tuesdays, except for these holidays: January 3, January 17, February 21, March 28, April 4, May 30, June 20, July 4, July 11, August 8, August 15, September 5, November 14, November 21, November 28, December 19, and December 26, 2023. The regular Council meetings are sometimes preceded by their Finance and Ordinance committees whose agendas are part of the regular council meeting agenda; the Council also has a Legislative Committee and a Sustainability Committee, each of which meets irregularly.

AIA-Santa Barbara, August 2020,  State Street Promenade and housing community survey results, more than 4,800 responses, linked here. Civic groups concerned about city government: Allied Neighborhoods Association, Citizens Planning Association, League of Women Voters -Santa Barbara, and various hyperlocal neighborhood associations.

City of Santa Barbara says it emphasizes transparency: https://santabarbaraca.gov/government-transparency. Listed under city transparency is a link to the Ralph M. Brown Act (“Brown Act“), “In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils and the other public agencies in this State exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.”