Anonymous
By an edhat reader
Week of April 3-8, 2023: Advisory Commission 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 April. (NB: City Calendar is a guide to many public meetings.) City TV covers many of the meetings and has reruns. However, Consent Calendar meetings are not televised.
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.
The Council is on holiday; among others, the Architectural Board of Review and the Planning Commission have meetings, the PC’s featuring 101 Garden Street, the proposed 174,812 sq. ft. hotel on 101 Garden Street, see the loopnet.com graphic..
MONDAY, 4/3
Single Family Design Board, 11:00 A.M., DGR: Consent Agenda: cancelled, with the next meeting tentatively scheduled for 4/10. ….NB: The SFDB is down to 3 members; there’s a special recruitment notice here, with the info here. Applications here, deadline: today, Monday, April 3, 5 p.m.. Past agendas, architectural drawings and public comments from prior meetings, link.
Architectural Board of Review, 1 P.M., DGR, Consent Calendar cancelled; next meeting tentatively scheduled for 4/10.
Architectural Board of Review, 3 P.M., regular meeting, hyflex, DGR; agenda:
- 1. Advisory Group Public Service and Decorum Training, by City Clerk’s staff, 15 minutes allocated.
- 2. 11 ANACAPA ST, Final Approval, Assessor’s Parcel Number: 033-112-010 Zone: OC/S-D-3 Application Number: PLN2020-00470 Owner: Ray Mahboob; Proposal for alterations and additions to an existing multi-tenant commercial building and parking area. The project involves converting 1,643 square feet of warehouse floor area to a wine tasting business, Architectural Board of Review Agenda April 3, 2023 Page 4 of 4 including a new 1,962 square foot, 45 seat, roof deck, a second-story storage area and bar. …There’s a parking exemption for this project because of its proximity to public transit (Santa Barbara Railroad Station). …, but voluntarily retains 32 surface parking spaces and the approved valet parking operations plan. The Planning Commission approved a Coastal Development Permit and a Parking Modification to allow 45 parking spaces rather than the required 68 parking spaces for the proposed combination of uses in the building.) Final Approval is requested. …
- 3. 1315 HUTASH ST., Cont item, PDA; Proposal for a 1,205 square foot second floor addition to front residential unit and remodel of the first floor. Proposal includes demolition of an as-built roof-deck extension to rear residential unit.) Project Design Approval is requested. Project requires compliance with the Project Compatibility Guidelines. Project was last reviewed on January 30, 2023.
Architectural drawings of these two items: click here.
TUESDAY, 4/4
Planning Commission, site visits: 101 Garden St., 2501 Medcliff: link; “The Planning Commission will visit the project sites scheduled for review at the Thursday meeting. No public testimony will be taken, but the public is invited to attend.”
Sign Committee: 9 A.M., regular meeting, DGR, in person: Agenda:
- 1. 40 E ANAPAMU ST (public library) Cont. Item: Concept Review: Proposal for approximately 133.46 square feet of signage, consisting of engraved and inlayed sandstone curbs, pavers, plaques, and panels, three 26 square foot inlayed ground signs, and eight limestone panels totaling 43.86 square feet…. Project was last reviewed November 15, 2022. (9:30AM)
- 2. 1503 COOK PL, New item; Concept Review; Owner: City of Santa Barbara, Chris Hastert, City of Santa Barbara Airport Director … Total proposed signage is 25.21 square feet. … The project is requesting an exception to exceed the maximum letter height and placement above a roofline.)
Architectural drawings: link.
City Council: Regular meeting, 2:00 p.m., Council Chambers, Hyflex, 2 P.M. Council holiday for this Tuesday; see schedule below of Council holidays.
WEDNESDAY, 4/5
Staff Hearing Officer, 9 A.M. DGR, in person, but listed on City TV; Agenda:
I. Two announcements:
1. Announcement of Staff Hearing Officer decision on a Coastal Development Permit for a project at 1311 SAN MIGUEL, …The proposal consists of the addition of a 580-square-foot Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) as a new second-story. The project includes replacement of the existing attached two car carport and roof deck with a new attached two-car garage and roof deck; …
2. Announcement of Staff Hearing Officer decision on a project at 1414 SANTA ROSA Ave., The project consists of the addition of an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) as a new second-story to the existing one-story house. The project also includes one-story additions and remodeling for the existing house, ….
The Staff Hearing Staff Hearing Officer Agenda April 5, 2023 Officer shall not issue a decision on the application(s) until at least ten (10) calendars days after notice has been provided to the public. The Staff Hearing Officer may receive and consider written comments from the public, but without a public hearing. The announced decision will be the final action of the City.
II. PROJECT 1635 STATE STREET … The project site is located in El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District, Part I. Proposal to convert 1,101 square feet of a 2,496 square foot commercial structure to a single-unit residence. The project includes reconfiguration of existing …The discretionary applications under the jurisdiction of the Staff Hearing Officer at this hearing are: 1. A Zoning Modification to grant relief from Open Yard standards, … 2. A determination that the project is categorically exempt from further environmental review. …
Architectural drawings, public comment, staff reports: link.
THURSDAY, 4/6
Street Tree Advisory Committee, 8:30 A.M., regular meeting, in person, Parks Office, Agenda:
- Tree removal considerations:
Street trees: (1) 3411 Calle Noguera – (2) Quercus agrifolia, Coast Live Oak – Randall Wilson.
Setback trees:
1. 1215 High Ridge Lane – Citrus limon, Lemon – David Watkins;
2. 1244 Shoreline Drive – Schinus terebinthifolia, Brazilian Pepper – Will Rivera;
3. 2526 Murrell Road – (2) Hesperocyparis macrocarpa, Monterey Cypress – Rebecca Johnson.
B. Street Tree Master Plan:
1. 100-400 blocks of S. Milpas Street – request to evaluate existing designation – STAC
2. 300-1100 blocks of Shoreline Drive – request to co-designate Jubaea chilensis, Chilean Wine Palm – staff.
Planning Commission, 1 P. M., City Council Chambers, hyflex, Agenda: Two new items:
- A. 2501 MEDCLIFF ROAD … The 24,393-square-foot site is developed with a 970-square-foot, single-story residence, and a 230-square-foot-one-car garage. The proposed project would demolish the existing residence and garage and construct a two-story, 3,970-square-foot residence with a 586- square-foot garage attached to the residence by a breezeway and a 478-square-foot basement, and associated site improvements. …
- B. 101 GARDEN STREET … Owner: The Wright Family H Limited Partnership Applicant: Carolyn Groves, Dudek. The project consists of the merger of six lots, removal of all existing structures, and construction of a new 174,812-square-foot (net) hotel containing 250 rooms (130 extended stay rooms; 120 lifestyle rooms) and an 85,298-square-foot subterranean parking garage located on a 4.53-acre site at the southwest corner of Garden and E. Yanonali Streets. See the Agenda for: Guest amenities and parking …. The discretionary applications under the jurisdiction of the Planning Commission at this hearing are:
1. A Parking Modification to allow less than the required number of parking spaces (Santa Barbara Municipal Code (SBMC) §28. 90.100 and SBMC §28.92.110.A.1);
2. A Development Plan to allow the construction of 153,000 square feet (net) of nonresidential development (SBMC Chapter 28.85);
3. A Coastal Development Permit to allow the proposed development in the Appealable and Non-Appealable Jurisdictions of the City’s Coastal Zone (SBMC §28.44.060); and
4. Determination that the project is categorically exempt from further environmental review pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15332 [Infill Development Projects].
Architectural drawings, Staff reports, Public comment (including 1 General Public comment re Westside bike lane construction; and public comment re 101 Garden Street.
Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals, 2:30 P.M., 630 Garden Street, regularly scheduled meeting, but no agenda or notice of cancellation as of Sunday, 4/2, afternoon.
FRIDAY, 3/31
No meetings listed.
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.”
