Proposed Santa Barbara Police Station Building Moves on to Planning Commission

By edhat staff

The proposal for the new Santa Barbara Police Department station moves on to the city’s Planning Commission after a 4-2 approval from the Architectural Board of Review (ABR).

During a special meeting on February 12, ABR heard another concept review on the proposed station after expressing concern in November over the “cold” design sketches and location of the main entrance.

The $80 million project lead by architect Brian Cearnal, of Cearnal Collective, will consolidate police operations from four separate sites.

The three-story, 53-foot high, 65,000 square foot station will take over the commuter parking lot at 119 E. Cota Street, where the Saturday Farmer’s Market takes place. An associated 37.5-foot high and 86,000 square foot parking structure will also be built to accommodate 244 parking spaces. Each structure would have a subterranean level and additional surface parking would be provided.

While most of the ABR members expressed an improvement to the building’s sketches from their last meeting, there were still comments on its dominating appearance, “dark, gloomy” front entrance, and making Cota Street “devoid of activity” due to the parking lot’s placement.

View along Cota Street looking North (courtesy image)

“As much as it is important to me to create a beautiful civic building, the building has got to work for the police department first and foremost,” said Cearnal.

With this recent approval, the project is then sent to the Planning Commission who will decide whether to approve the 53-foot height of the building as the limit is 45-feet in that area. The ABR will deliberate once again pending approval from the Planning Commission.

More details and sketches of the project can be found here.

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November 18, 2020: Mixed Reviews of New Santa Barbara Police Station Design