Edhat Staff
The saga of the proposed 250-room Garden Street Hotel in Santa Barbara took center stage at City Hall, as Dauntless Development went head-to-head with appellants in a meeting that left the project’s future hanging in the balance.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting, filled with passionate public commentary and presentations, examined the planned hotel which has been in the conceptual phase for more than four decades, linked to a 1983 agreement with the city.
The development, which promises to transform Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, traces its origins back to a deal with real estate developer Bill Wright, who in 1983, agreed to donate a portion of his land for road development in exchange for the rights to develop a beachfront hotel. This “Specific Plan” gained the spotlight again as city councilmembers deliberated on appeals that aim to overturn the city Planning Commission’s 4-2 approval of the project.
Aerial rendering of the Garden Street Hotel (courtesy of Cearnal Collective)
Despite the project’s long history and the developers’ advocacy, it faces stiff opposition. The nonprofit Keep the Funk, along with appellants Steve Johnson and Rich Untermann, challenged the hotel on environmental, housing, and flood risk grounds.
Attorney Marc Chytilo, representing Keep the Funk, emphasized the decision’s long-term consequences and advised against rushing the approval of what would be Santa Barbara’s second-largest hotel with the nearby Hilton Beachfront Hotel being the largest.
The city council received a deluge of public comments, reports, and documents articulating concerns ranging from soil contamination and inadequate affordable housing provisions, to disagreements on the interpretation of the 1983 Specific Plan.
Garden Street Hotel looking north from the railroad tracks (rendering courtesy of Cearnal Collective)
The council concurred, deciding to extend the hearing to November 19, when a conclusive debate and potential decision are expected.
As the debate rages on, Santa Barbara stands at a crossroads, weighing the merits of long-standing development plans against contemporary housing and environmental concerns. The outcome of this prolonged battle could define the future of the Funk Zone and set precedential guidelines for development in the region.
Related Articles
Santa Barbara Planning Commission Begrudgingly Approves 250-Room Garden Street Hotel Project
“We have an agreement.”
– Santa Barbara (1983)
“Advise against rushing.”
– Attorney (41 years later)
Good advice. Just ask residents North Carolina, Lahaina, or Montecito.
Terrible idea. Thousands of tourists using tons of water. Why? Oh wait, for some tax money. Unsustainable.
The PC reviewed a much smaller but similar project on Oct 3: a 44 room hotel with sub-grade parking at 21 West Montecito St. I like everything about that project except the sub-grade parking. I was the only person to speak in opposition. BOTH the City’s Chief Building Official and the Floodplain Administrator showed up for this relatively minor project. Why? Perhaps because I was an appellant the 101 Garden hearing, and announced I would speak at the 21 West review. This tells me that my appeal has merit, and the heavy artillery showed up as a precaution. The good news? The Floodplain Administrator confirmed the basis of my appeal: sub-grade parking under a residential building is not allowed in 100-year flood zones. But that was followed by a false statement that an exception is made if the basement is professionally designed to meet structural standards. Nowhere in America will you find residential over a basement in a flood zone, regardless of the quality of the engineering. The Chief Building Official made a very clear and accurate statement, consistent with my position in all respects but one. But that was followed by a misleading statement: “FEMA has given their approval of the 101 Garden Street project that it is mixed use and that a subterranean parking is allowed”. If you have read this far, congratulations!
Correction: An exception can be made to allow residential over a basement in a flood zone. But the exception requires approval from FEMA, and the floor of the basement must be within 5′ of the base flood elevation. 101 Garden would not qualify. 21 West might just barely. But neither has requested an exception.
It’s a crappy idea
Obviously you don’t live right around the corner from there like I do
There’s too many airbnb’s and hotels and motels in our nice little neighborhood already
It’s hard enough on the people that live down here with this incessant ignorant tourist overload
Thanks for your uneducated opinion tho
I think including rooms for staff to live there might be a good idea.
Great idea! Perhaps McDonalds can build a small apartment complex for all of their employees.
Kidding aside, a staff member who relies on their employer for both employment and housing could find themselves in a situation where they have little choice but to accept lower wages. Losing their job would also mean losing their home, potentially uprooting an entire family.
Additionally, housing — or housing allowances — provided as a fringe benefit is taxable and subject to withholding, just like regular income.
The housing wouldn’t have to be specifically for their own employees. They could be required to provide X number of low income housing units.
Hard as they may try, Keep the Funk can’t wish the original nature of the Funk Zone back into being.
It’s already changed as most things do.
Many in disagreement want housing over hotels. Do they sincerely believe that a developer would be willing to create enough “affordable” units to make a sufficient dent in SB’s housing needs?
An agreement was made in good faith 40+ yrs ago. The landowner fulfilled their part of it, now it’s the city’s turn to do the same.
Where are Pearl Chase and Alice Keck Park when you need them?
What would they do?
Do you think they would approve of this? What do YOU think about the proposed hotel? You must have some opinion.