A developer is proposing 25 new studio housing units near Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara.
The project calls for demolishing an existing 1,052-square-foot home and detached accessory building and replacing them with studio apartments at 515 W. Los Olivos St.
No parking is proposed for the development.
“My expectation is that it is not going to be a problem because residents are not likely to own or operate vehicles,” developer Steve Johnson told Noozhawk. “It is going to be ideal for nurses and other medical personnel.”
The builder’s remedy project consists of a three-unit, two-story building and a 22-unit, three-story building. Five of the studios will be restricted to people earning less than 80% of the area median income.
The project is on the Santa Barbara City Council consent agenda for Tuesday’s meeting and the panel is expected to waive requirements for environmental review.
The development does not qualify for an infill exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act, but city staff is recommending an exemption because the housing is located less than one quarter-mile from public transit.
Johnson said he has heard from a couple of neighbors, but overall only received positive feedback. He said it’s the type of housing people need in Santa Barbara.
“People might want their parents to spend their golden years in Santa Barbara,” he said.
Builder’s remedy allows developers to build with bonus density and bypass some local zoning laws to expedite housing development approval if at least 20% of the project is designated as affordable, and the project was submitted at a time when the agency’s Housing Element was not certified.
Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon said she supports the affordable housing at the site.
“This is a builder’s remedy project, but it is different from some of the others we are seeing because it is staying within the physical envelope of what was already approved before builder’s remedy,” Sneddon said. However, “there may also be neighborhood concerns about increased parking pressure,” she said.
Santa Barbara must find land to potentially build 8,001 units by 2031, according to state mandates. The city certified a Housing Element Update addressing these goals.