Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
The large-scale “SOMOfunk” project proposing to take over an entire block of the Funk Zone moved one step further despite loads of public comments expressing disapproval.
The Santa Barbara Architectural Board of Review (ABR) completed the concept review Monday night which drew nearly 200 verbal and written oppositions to the four-story, mixed-use building aiming to demolish and rebuild the entire block cornered by Santa Barbara Street, E. Mason Street, Gray Avenue, and E. Yanonali Street.
Located in the coastal zone, the project plans to tear down all existing structures, except for the 523-square-foot silo, and construct an approximately 199,519-square-foot development on 2.1-acres including 155 residential units, 13 of which will be condominiums and 29 would be designated as “affordable.” Additionally, a total of 228 parking spaces are proposed, 116 residential and 112 commercial, using a combination of standard spaces, mechanical lifts, and valet service.
The project’s site map (Source: Architectural Board of Review Proposal)
The community caught wind of a possible project in 2014 led by developer Neil Dipaola, who is also responsible for the mixed-use space named “The Loop” in Isla Vista and an Airstream Hotel on De La Vina that sparked Autocamp, an airstream hotel chain that’s expanded to several locations throughout the country. Cearnal Collective is the lead architect of the project.
In the summer of 2020, ABR and the city’s Planning Commission reviewed the project, and while no decisions were made, concerns were expressed over the size and scale of the buildings. In this week’s ABR meeting, the board voted 5-1 to move forward toward the Planning Commission. One boardmember recused themselves as a conflict of interest and the lone dissenting vote, Dennis Whelan, felt the scale of the project did not match the area.
As the Funk Zone has evolved into a gathering place of hipster eateries and high-end boozing, the artistic vibe has never faded. Several artist’s studios and galleries that host Art Walks and a variety of creative events are in the block slated to be demolished. Now, artists and makers are worried this new project will push and price them out of the Funk Zone.
“The Funk Zone has developed as a special place for the Santa Barbara community and those visiting us. It grew organically from a foundation of creatives and small business owners into a unique and distinctly Santa Barbara corner of the California coast,” wrote Bridgette Bugay to the ABR for public comment.
SOMOfunk rendering of the corner of Yanonali and Santa Barbara Streets (courtesy image)
Grassroots organization and nonprofit, Keep the Funk, has been raising awareness about the project. urging local officials to not give developers special treatment, and advocating for the preservation of the Funk Zone’s unique artistic character.
“‘“Funkzilla’ will devour the existing neighborhood and change it forever,” the organization states on its website. “The eclectic group of artists and small local businesses are the foundation of this community and should be celebrated and incentivized rather than displaced as large developments try to maximize their profits in the area.”
Keep the Funk points out the project is almost 3 times the maximum residential density, exceeds the city’s three-story height limit, blocks public views, and is inconsistent with the character of the surrounding neighborhood.
Developers believe this project will help curb some of the area’s housing shortage by providing much-needed available units, an alluring option for the city that’s under pressure from state regulators to increase affordable housing units.
A date has not been set for Santa Barbara’s Planning Commission’s review. Complete project details can be viewed here.
Video of the entire ABR meeting on July 25, 2022. An animated 3D tour of the project proposal starts at 2:33:00.
Like nearly all housing in Santa Barbara, the occupants will be those who can afford it. For the “affordable” units, those will go to those who know someone who knows someone. Make no mistake, the developers will make a profit as they should, and they do not care if you are from New York City, Los Angeles, or Timbuktu….just “Show Them Your Money!!!” Thank goodness we were able to buy a vacation place in friendly Pismo Beach about a year ago. We offset our expenses by renting it out for four months (June-Sept. the mostly foggy months), which leaves us (plus family and friends) with 9 months to enjoy when we can. I feel sorry for those people who moved to SB in the last 20-25 years….mostly “leftovers” at this point in my opinion. The Funk Zone is simply turning into an Orange County-like rats nest. Call me old fashioned, but I call it as I see it, and I see our city turning downward.
BABYCAKES, you are 100% correct. Santa Barbara is but a SHELL of it’s old self… and a sad sack one at that.
Exactly sbsunshine, you hit the nail on the head and just rationalized why SB is getting sold out and the town as some of us knew it has been and will continue to be going the tubes, LA style.
It’s already down the tubes with cars parked bumper to bumper along most city streets for blocks, tourist takeover of the beaches, poor paying jobs to service the industry (resulting in packed housing and the aforementioned carmageddon.) a downtown with little rental but lots of expensive restaurants. The funk zone is the next target of the wealthy out of town developers.
Maybe they will put in stadium size LED displays flashing corporate commercials and have a moving walkway. Put in a chik-fil-a express too. If Randy Rowse fixes the homeless problem it should be pretty nice.
Achooo touches on an important subject. So many of the housing units in recent mixed-use developments are not used for anything other than vacation homes! They do not really add to the city’s housing stockpile and do not help the “housing shortage.” IMO if we can’t sell them with a stipulation that they are used as full-time residences then maybe a city tax on vacant homes would be a step towards discouraging this practice.
I agree with AHCHOOO. It’s the same thing that’s been happening all over SB County. It cracks me up that the “Funk Zone” people are bitching about this though… “The eclectic group of artists and small local businesses are the foundation of this community and should be celebrated and incentivized rather than displaced as large developments try to maximize their profits in the area.” Are they talking about what USED TO BE THERE?!?! They can’t be talking about the tourist trap joke that is called the funk zone now, can they? That’s what it used to be before we all got kicked out! Boo hoo and enjoy your Karma.
Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winner, Loveaduck hit the bullseye!!!
If the city decided that it would only permit affordable units to be built going forward, no new housing would be built. The “affordable” units are not profitable for developers, and the more “affordable” units the city requires the fewer new housing units will be built overall. Requiring only 10% “affordable” units in a new project is more than enough to put the brakes on new development and drive up the cost of housing. The “affordable” units are effectively a surcharge on the new units made available on the free market. For decades, the residents of Santa Barbara have supported policies attempting to maintain Santa Barbara as a sort of a time capsule of the way it was in the mid 20th century. Ironically, development was not heavily regulated then and housing was affordable for regular folks. However, trying to maintain the city as it was in the 60s by restricting development while the population grows has created an exclusive enclave for the wealthy. While residents claim to support affordable housing in theory, they always oppose proposed developments that would actually provide affordable housing units. “This project would ruin our neighborhood” they say. “We are going to change the rules so an ugly project like this can never be built again” is the consensus after a creative developer manages to construct a bunch of small housing units. If property owners were free to build as they saw fit, we would see a surge in construction of new housing units.
Something struck a cord with me the other day. lake mead delivers to Las Vegas. the bellagio in vegas has a HUGE water fountain ( that is very much functioning )
zero fucks given there, why would any other developers have any other feelings.
I like it. Its way better than the mishmash of old dilapidated buildings and industrial spaces down there. Clean it up, clear out the garbage and the poisons (the ground in that zone is poisoned from decades of industrial chemical use by long gone businesses) and send the industrial businesses to Goleta or Oxnard where they fit in among the nothingness.
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Nostalgia has no place in civic planning. We are planning and building for the next 50-100years. Not meeting the washed memories of some group of aged people and their hazy memories of the past… By the way: The reason SB doesn’t have apartments for the average person is because of the BANANA groups. Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone stopped them cold in the 80’s and they didn’t build any for decades. You could have bought one of those buildings or lots in the FunkZone in the 90’s for almost nothing because NO ONE wanted to be there. Now the area is ready for our city’s main business and its main goal. Tourism and tax revenues. That’s the unintended results of NIMBY/ BANANA approach. You cannot stop progress and you cannot go backwards. It always comes back to bite. You have to approach this stuff with the future in mind as well as the past. That takes effort and money and most importantly desire to embrace change and the willingness adjust goals and expectations.
Many of the people crying about this project today, will turn around next week and be whining that “we aren’t doing enough to provide more housing in Santa Barbara!” Then those same folks will line up a few weeks later to oppose the next development that would provide housing.