A four-story, 99-unit housing development proposed for one of the gateways to Santa Barbara is going to happen — one way or another.

Jarrett Gorin, a land use planner for Vanguard Planning, which represents the project, laid down the law at the beginning of Monday’s meeting before the Architectural Board of Review. He told the design panel that the project was submitted under Senate Bill 330, which limits design discretionary review.

“Under SB 330, there’s very specific, narrow scope within this board or any city board to deny a project like this,” Gorin said. “To deny a project like this, a board has to make a finding that it has a specific, identified impact to public health, safety and welfare based on an adopted standard.”

Architect Brian Cearnal joked that the team was starting its presentation with Gorin because he was the “hammer.”

The project is slated for the site of the current Tri-County Produce, 335 S. Milpas St. The market will remain but downsize.

No vote was taken. The developers and architect will take the feedback from the ABR and the city’s Planning Commission and consider it as they work through the application process.

The housing development is one of the more significant proposals aimed at addressing the city’s housing crisis. It’s on an underutilized 2.4 acre-triangle lot a block from the ocean.

A team of local investors purchased the 335 S. Milpas St. spot in 2022 for $9.75 million, according to Santa Barbara County property records. The project calls for demolition of the existing site to build the 99 units, and for a smaller version of Tri-County Produce, about 6,000 square feet to remain, fronting Milpas Street.

Tri-County Produce owner John Dixon is among the local investors, which includes general partners Austin Herlihy, Chris Parker and Steve Leonard.

The team has worked with local employers to support the project and the new housing.

“This is an important project,” Cearnal said.

The ABR was mostly positive about the proposal. The concerns centered on height and the architectural style, which seeks to blend an industrial, warehouse look with traditional Spanish Colonia.

The city does have discretion over the height of the building, which states that projects cannot exceed 45 feet. At its highest point, the build is about 51 feet tall.

“I feel there’s definitely some height that can be taken out of this project,” board chairman Kevin Moore said. “I don’t think we need to get a way from the Santa Barbara style.”

Moore said the industrial style is not appropriate for the site and suggested that the design be broken up into smaller buildings.

Commissioner Dennis Whelan said the design should move toward a traditional Santa Barbara, Spanish colonial style.

“This building is really going to complete this block,” Whelan said. ‘This is really the introduction to the city, and I would like it better reflected of the Santa Barbara style.”

Board member Lauren Anderson offered more positive feedback on the design. She said she would be OK with the mix of industrial and Santa Barbara styles but would like it better integrated within each building rather than what is proposed, which is the front as Santa Barbara style and the back of the project as industrial.

She said she is also OK with the project exceeding the height limit.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to push the design on this site and actually create something that could be an example of the future of Santa Barbara,” Anderson said.

The project would include a parking garage with 122 parking spaces, an additional five uncovered surface parking spaces, a residential lobby, trash, utilities and bicycle parking, according to publicly available records.

Of the total number of units, 26 would be studios, 18 would be one-bedroom units and 55 would be two-bedroom units. The building would reach about 51 feet, 10 inches at its highest point.