HabitatSSBC
By Habitat for Humanity, Santa Barbara
Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County (Habitat Santa Barbara) was granted conceptual approval by the City of Santa Barbara’s Architectural Board of Review (ABR) for our next six-unit affordable homeownership project, the Cota St. Affordable Homes. These new construction homes will be sold at an affordable mortgage to lower income families.
This project isn’t just building homes, it’s building community. Our considerations around design and planning are exciting and complex: create an incredible home for our future homeowner partner families, build homes that are compatible with neighborhood guidelines, and create design-friendly townhomes that can include community volunteers and homeowner “sweat equity” as they build the homes alongside licensed contractors and professionals.
For more than two years, we have been preparing for the Cota St. Afforadble Homes by canvassing the neighborhood and revitalizing the community with landscaping and clean-up projects. Currently, we are using the property at 710 E. Cota St. as our temporary office, to allow the staff to get to know the neighbors and neighborhood first-hand until the project’s groundbreaking.
Read our FAQs for additional information on Cota St. Affordable Homes. We are so excited to share more news about Cota St. in the coming months! Stay tuned!
Bravo! This is what Santa Barbara County needs to be doing more of. This is housing that truly helps people and the community. Not market rate luxury condos. We need options for people to own deed restricted homes . A 30 year fixed affordable mortgage is true rent control. Building generational wealth while living and working in the community. Having a stake in your neighborhood by building it together instead of giving hard earned money to someone else with nothing to show for it.
Local property owners wanting to develop their property should partner with Habitat for Humanity and other non-profits to develop their land and help the people who support the businesses in the area through their employment to avoid commuting from Lompoc or Oxnard or from living with several families in a single home. Santa Barbara, Goleta, Summerland, and Carpinteria home owners, please consider doing this. This would help California find homes for everyone.