Brian Barnwell is back.

More than 25 years after he first took a seat on the Santa Barbara Planning Commission and 16 years after he left the City Council, Barnwell has returned to the city’s marquee commission.

With a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, the Santa Barbara City Council tapped Barnwell for the city’s most prominent nonelected board in Santa Barbara.

“I think the thing that is most exciting about being on the Planning Commission is watching and helping and organizing the way this fabulous city grows,” Barnwell told Noozhawk. “It’s really a privilege and an honor to be part of that process. And, of course, there’s the old adage of it’s nice to get out of the house once in awhile.”

Barnwell, 77, turned heads Tuesday night when seemingly out of nowhere he re-emerged as a contender for the seat. He had applied two previous times over the years for spots on the library board and was denied.

However, he is no typical candidate.

Barnwell, a real estate appraiser and Vietnam War veteran, also served for four years on the Santa Barbara City Council from 2003 to 2007, when he racked up nearly 8,000 votes in at-large election.

He is a history buff who reads two or three books a week and has the kind of knowledge of Santa Barbara that would make an artificial intelligence program jealous. His thinking is deep, his analysis wide and his storytelling masterful. He breaks down complex city land use issues with ease, as though he were telling stories around a campfire.

“We’re at this point when the city has to redefine itself in a new way for the next 20 or 30 years,” Barnwell said. “I think the tip of the iceberg is State Street and parklets, but it also has to do with housing and maintaining our historic character because God knows money interests from Los Angeles are coming up big time because our rents are high here and they want to be part of that.”

Barnwell said he wants to see more housing in Santa Barbara, and that middle-class people are getting pushed out because of the high cost of rents.

“The market rent for a studio is between $2,000 and $2,200 a month,” Barnwell said. “I don’t know what number you carry in your head, but I carry, ‘Oh, they used to be $800; now they are $1,200 or maybe $1,400.’ No, they are none of those. They are $2,200, and one- and two-bedrooms are above that.”

Tuesday night’s vote was 5-2 to appoint Barnwell and re-appoint Donald DeLuccio to two open seats. Council members Eric Friedman, Alejandra Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon, Mike Jordan and Mayor Randy Rowse backed Barnwell, while Oscar Gutierrez and Kristen Sneddon opposed him.

Sneddon and Gutierrez had instead nominated DeLuccio and the other candidate, Fred Sweeney.

“Brian is a former planning commissioner and council member who brings a lot of institutional knowledge to the commission during a very transformational time,” Rowse said.

Friedman said of Barnwell that he “loves Santa Barbara, and it shows.” Friedman said Barnwell’s experience as both a former planning commissioner and City Council member will be “extremely valuable” as decisions are made on complex projects, including Paseo Nuevo, downtown revitalization and La Cumbre Plaza, “for years to come.”

Harmon said Barnwell reached out to her directly to learn about issues in her downtown District 6.

“I believe his nuanced perspective will be invaluable,” Harmon said. “I very much appreciated his proactive efforts to engage around the issues that matter most to D6 residents. I look forward to seeing the great work he’ll do in this latest iteration of his Santa Barbara public service.”

The appointment has re-invigorated Barnwell.

“I think everyone understands this, when you don’t feel broad and expansive some days,” Barnwell said. “Some days you feel closed in and tight. And as I was getting older, I was feeling more closed in and tight. I didn’t think I had much to offer.”

Then, he said, he talked to his wife, Camie Barnwell, who encouraged him to seek appointment. That’s when he turned the corner and came to a realization.

“What I have as an older guy may be valuable,” Barnwell said.

When he applied for the library board, he said he did it quietly, without much confidence and a bit “diminished.” It was different this time.

“Then I thought, I don’t have to be diminished,” Barnwell said. “I may not be able to play third base for the Yankees, but maybe I can coach for the Yankees.”