The SIMA Corp. has proposed a 36-unit, mixed-used housing development for the heart of downtown Santa Barbara.
The project calls for 36 residential units — a mix of studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments — with 17 parking spaces. It is proposed over several lots, at 710 State St., 714-720 State St. and 15 E. Ortega St.
Restoration Hardware and The Press Room are among the buildings that would be demolished to build the L-shaped project.
The building would stretch four stories tall and reach 48 feet. It also would include 2,320 square feet of commercial space.
“We’re looking to put housing that will probably be the most well-located housing in the downtown,” said Jim Knell, chairman and founder of the SIMA Corp. “I envision it being a landmark property.”
The project has already been before the Historic Landmarks Commission and is scheduled to go to the Santa Barbara Planning Commission on Sept. 3 for a concept review.
The development comes at a time when Santa Barbara city leaders are working fast to encourage developers to build housing downtown as a way to revitalize the area. In recent weeks, the council has agreed to allow developers to build as high as 48 feet, instead of 45 feet, and allow parking offsite from the development. Officials believe that housing downtown will instantly bring a population that eats, drinks and shops along State Street, a move that would prop up the city’s sagging retail scene.
Knell said the project would demolish about 15,000 square feet of retail space where Restoration Hardware resides and replace it with much-needed housing.
“It’s not like it produces a lot of trips downtown,” Knell said of Restoration Hardware.
He said a high-end apartment project in that area would “solidify downtown.”
“It’s a bellweather of what could be done in the future,” Knell said.
The Historic Landmarks Commission reviewed the project in June and determined that the building at 15 E. Ortega St. does not meet the criteria to be designated a historic resource. The one-story brick building was built in 1925.
It’s the second high-profile housing project proposed for downtown in recent months. Peter Lewis, a prominent downtown property owner, has proposed an 84-unit, 52-foot-tall apartment project for the 400 block of State Street. The project is proposed for 415-419 State St., which houses software company Invoca, and calls for a garage on the parking lot behind the former Staples building and housing on top.
There’s also talk of building housing inside the former Nordstrom building in the Paseo Nuevo mall.
“I’m really looking forward to learning more about the specifics of this project as it continues through the approval process,” said Councilwoman Meagan Harmon, whose district includes downtown. “In general, I truly believe that housing and mixed-use development in our downtown is the way of the future.
“So many of us, from residents to planners to city officials and others, have been beating the drum of downtown housing for so long. It is incredibly exciting to see our local developers continue to respond to the clarion call with proposals that are specifically aimed at bringing much-needed, much-desired housing units to our downtown core.”
— 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.