Housing might be the future of downtown Santa Barbara, but for now it’s hotels — at least in one prominent downtown spot.
Santa Barbara’s Historic Landmarks Commission on Wednesday gave final approval of a 14-room hotel at 801 State St., right where it intersects with De la Guerra Plaza.
The project calls for a third-story addition, with a roof deck and a new elevator shaft.
“This is a wonderful example of adaptive reuse and addition to a historic downtown building,” project architect Brian Cearnal said. “Although originally conceived for small residential units, the zoning would not allow the density, so it became a small hotel instead.”
Plans call for a dramatic change to the look of the site, which has a long history of turnover.
The building once was home to Mel’s lounge, a spot famously popular with former Mayor Harriet Miller. Over the years, it has been home to Rocks nightclub, Piranha, a Sunday prayer service, Hoffmann Brathaus and other businesses. The Las Tiendas building is also a structure of merit.
The hotel rooms will stretch back to the Paseo Nuevo movie theater. The neighboring Sunglass Hut also plans to move from the spot.
The project, owned by Tammy Hughes, is an example of a trend that might be seen more often going forward. With so much vacant retail space downtown, developers are turning to hotels. Another project recently proposed for the Funk Zone includes 12 hotel rooms.
“Kim (Hughes) has been investing in Santa Barbara since he came to school at Brooks Institute in the 1970s,” said Tammy Hughes, one of the project’s owners. “We feel like this is an opportunity to reinvest in downtown Santa Barbara and revitalize and reimagine that beautiful building.”
Project constuction could begin in the spring.
Business leaders are supportive of the project and say they believe that it could revitalize a portion of State Street.
“The proposed 14-room hotel project at 801 State and the addition of the new restaurant on that block fits well into the mix of downtown businesses, as there are only currently retailers on State Street from Canon Perdido to De La Guerra St.,” said Robin Elander, executive director of the Downtown Association. “The proposed rooftop deck will be a great space for locals and visitors to host events and gatherings and further enliven the area. I am excited to see what looks to be a thoughtfully designed project come to fruition.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
