SANTA BARBARA COUNCIL & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS: MAR 6-10

By an edhat reader

Week of March 6-10, 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, with an especial focus on properties and areas of particular public 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 March.  City TV covers many of the meetings, with reruns and public interest films. City Commissions are listed with their duties and powers, some 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. Except for the Council where they are part of the main agenda, Consent Calendar meetings are not televised.

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.

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; mod, modification. Meeting locations: City Council chambers upstairs at City Hall, 735 Anacapa Street; David Gebhard Room (DGR), 630 Garden Street; 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.

MONDAY, 3/6

Single Family Design Board, 11:00 A.M., DGR, in person: Consent Agenda: A. New Item, Concept Review, 1244 Shoreline Dr.: “Proposal for a 290 square foot ground floor addition, a 240 square foot second floor addition to be a new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), and a 173 square foot garage addition associated with an existing 1,116 square foot single-unit residence with a 245 square foot non-conforming garage. …” Project also requires granting of modifications by the Staff Hearing Officer for encroachment into the front setback, etc. No final appealable decision will take place at this hearing. Neighborhood Preservation Findings will be required when the project is reviewed for PDA.

B. 84 La Vista Grande, Review after Final Approval:  requested for a new 250 square foot roof deck over the approved garage, …. Project plans must demonstrate substantial conformance to the plans that received Project Design Approval on August 19, 2019.

Architectural Board of Review, Consent Calendar, 1 P.M., DGR, in person, cancelled.

City Council, 1:30 P.M., Special meeting, no video: site visit at 229 Vista del Mar, for an Appeal of a SFDB decision on Tuesday’s regular Council meeting.

Architectural Board of Review, 3 P.M., DGR hyflex; Agenda:

• 1. discussion item: Draft objective design and development standards (ODDS): Staff: Rosie Dyste; City of Santa Barbara, Project Planner; “Request for specific input on the Administrative Draft Objective Design and Development Standards. The Administrative Draft was prepared by Opticos Design Inc. Staff, the public, and a Work Group comprised of members from the Historic Landmarks Commission, Architectural Board of Review, Planning Commission, and American Institute of Architects are currently reviewing the document as well. The Board’s input will be relayed to Opticos Design for consideration in the revised draft.)” 10-page memorandum: link. For the City of SB 4.5 minute-video, answering, Why Objective Design Standards? Project Overview – scroll down on this link. The 301-page Administrative Draft Report is here. Community input is said to be welcomed.
• 2. 533 E. Michdeltorena St., Cont. Item: PDA. “The project proposes a new condominium development using the Average Unit-Size Density (AUD) Incentive Program. The project consists of constructing a new 45-foot tall, six-unit condominium building in the location of an existing surface level parking lot adjacent to an existing 48-foot, tall mixed- use condominium building….” Project last reviewed 6/13/2022.  and requires compliance with Planning Commission Resolution No. 015-22 and requires compliance with the Project Compatibility Analysis and the following guidelines: Urban Design Guidelines, Infill Design Guidelines, Outdoor Lighting Design Guidelines. Project was last reviewed on June 13, 2022.
• 3. 501 Garden Street, One-Time Pre-application Consultation Review: ” Proposal for a 10,303 square foot four-story mixed-use building with seven rental apartment units totaling 7214 square feet and 383 square feet of commercial-retail space. Ten parking spaces provided.” Project requires compliance with the Project Compatibility Findings.
• 4. 1212 Coast Village Road, Concept Review, minor alterations. to existing restaurant and adjacent office building. Project will require compliance with the Project Compatibility Guidelines.
• 5. 425 Santa Barbara St, Cont. Item, PDA; postponed to the March 20, 2023 Full Board ABR Hearing at the applicant’s request, Applicant: Jarrett Gorin, Vanguard Planning, Edward St. George, Owner. (Proposal for a four-story 19-unit residential apartment building, comprised of one (1) two-bedroom unit, eight (8) one-bedroom units and ten (10) studio units, on a vacant lot within the Priority Housing Overlay area of the City. The project is designed to comply with the City’s Average Unit Size Density Incentive (AUD) Program (SBMC Chapter 30.150) and California State Density Bonus Program (CA Gov. Code §65915-65918). The units range in size from 370 square feet (net) to 1,144 square feet (net) with an average unit size of 634 square feet (net). Under the State’s Density Bonus program, the project proposes the following concession from City development standards: to allow a reduction in the minimum private outdoor living space dimensions for each unit and allow private open yards from different units to be connected. The project proposes no on-site vehicle parking. Each unit will be provided a private, secure, covered storage area that includes bicycle parking and is included in the calculated square footage of the unit.) Project was last reviewed February 21, 2023. NOTE: Item 5 postponed to the March 20, 2023 Full Board ABR Hearing at the applicant’s request.

See Documents for architectural drawings, staff report, and Public Comment letters re the ODDS, one calling out again, with examples, that the images in the Report be checked for “Santa Barbaraness”; another asks the important question of who establishes compliance with the standards and urges that it be the “seasoned professionals” on the ABR or HLC, as appropriate, rather than staff.  Link.

TUESDAY, 3/7

Sign Committee, 9 A.M., in person, DGR, Agenda: 1. New Item, Concept Review:  800 Alvarado Place (El Encanto, a City Landmark) 4, differently-sized, signs – 53 sq. ft, building frontage, 155 sq ft; 2. New Item, Concept Review: 35 N. Calle Cesar Chavez, two new 32.5 sq. ft illuminated wall signs, bldg. frontage is 71 sq. ft; 3. New Item, Concept Review: 3775 Modoc Rd. (Vista del Monte) 4 new signs, 46+ sq. ft where max. allowed is 25 sq ft – an exception is requested.  Architectural drawings: link.

City Council, Special meeting, 11: A.M., closed session, for litigation, CAR: including anticipated litigation, “The significant exposure to litigation arises from expressed disagreements regarding the height limit applicable to development under the Housing Accountability Act and Density Bonus Law.”

City Council, regular meeting, 2:00 p.m., Council Chambers, Agenda: of particular interest is Item 8 from the Community Development Department: Recommendation: That Council review draft Ordinance for discussion to create the Housing Opportunities, Preservation and Equity (HOPE) Fund and direct staff to return with revised Ordinance for introduction. See the Council Agenda Report for details. Item 9 is a public hearing, an appeal of the SFDB’s approval on 11/20/2022 of a development at 229 Vista del Mar Drive; Council Agenda Report.

WEDNESDAY, 3/8

Staff Hearing Officer, 9 A.M. DGR, in person, Agenda: 900 Las Alturas Rd, a front setback mod. to allow a cantilevered balcony on a house on lot with a 47% average slope, plus other improvements. Staff report, with site plans and explaining the project,  link.

THURSDAY, 3/9

Downtown Parking Committee, 7:30, DGR, in person, Agenda: Preliminary budget proposal recommendation for fiscal years 2024 -2025, including changes to parking fees; also, review and recommend strategies for balancing the budget and restoring Downtown Parking Fund reserves.

Library Board, 12 noon, in person only, Central Library, West Faulkner Gallery, Agenda: Administrative Reports, Library Director’s report; Budget update, and a list of future agenda items:  Adult Services, Social Services, and Security Updates – April;  Library Card Policy Update – April; Budget Update – May; Advisory Group Civility Training – May; EDGE Update – June;
Library on the Go and Spanish Outreach Team Update – July….

Planning Commission, regular meeting, 1 P.M., Council Chambers, meeting cancelled.

City Council special meeting, 2 P.M., not televised, in person: Carrillo Recreation Center, 100 E. Carrillo Street. In person only; Agenda: Budget work session for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025. From the CAR:  “…Staff will provide the City Council with a summary of the recent revenue trends, projected costs, and a long-term forecast of the City’s finances. Staff will then present the budget instructions that were issued to departments to guide the development of department budget proposals.”

FRIDAY, 3/10: no public meetings.

Of general interest:

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.”

Aiding public awareness of “the people’s business”, the City is wired for TV both at City Hall and at the David Gebhard Public Hearing Room. Yet, quite a few meetings are not televised: for instances, all Consent Calendars; Downtown Parking at the DGR; Parks & Rec. meetings held at the Parks office on East Ortega Street; the Library Board, and also this Thursday’s Special City Council meeting at the Carrillo Recreation Center. In addition, there’s a move for the commissions to convert some standing committees into ad hoc “workgroups”, avoiding the troublesome requirements of the Brown Act. Leading the way was last month’s Harbor Commission, Agenda item 4, becoming “more in-line with desired practices of City Board & Commissions.”

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.

And a survey of the 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, Pearl Chase Society, and various hyperlocal neighborhood associations.