The California Coastal Commission is coming to town.
The 12-member state agency charged with making sure projects adhere to the California Coastal Act will vote on several local projects facing South Coast residents this week.
The commission meets Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Hotel at 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd.
On Thursday, Coastal Commissioners will discuss:
- Administrative penalties of almost $15 million toward Sable Offshore Corp. related to its coastal oil pipeline work
- An appeal of the Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel housing and shops project
- An appeal of a Santa Barbara Funk Zone hotel on Garden Street
- UC Santa Barbara’s plans for a 2,000-plus-bed student housing project
Sable Offshore Corp. Enforcement
One of the biggest decisions of the day for the Coastal Commission will be how to move forward regarding Sable and its work on the oil pipeline that runs through Santa Barbara County.
The commission will decide whether it wants to pursue fines against Sable for allegedly doing work without permits and refusing to stop. If the commissioners choose to fine Sable, the company would face a penalty of $14,987,250, according to enforcement staff.
Periodically since September 2024, Sable has been doing work on the pipeline along the Gaviota Coast. The Coastal Commission’s enforcement staff have issued multiple cease and desist orders, alleging the company does not have the permits required for this kind of work.
Sable has done excavation with heavy equipment, widened roads, installed metal plates and other materials, installed shutoff valves, and removed, replaced and reinforced parts of the pipeline, according to a commission report.
Sable claims it is doing repair and maintenance work covered by its existing permits, which it gained when it purchased the pipeline and other facilities from ExxonMobil.
“The unpermitted development Sable has undertaken at both onshore and offshore
locations has resulted in damage to coastal resources, but the extent of this damage is not
fully known because of Sable’s continued refusal to provide complete and detailed
information as to the work that it has undertaken, as well as proposed, future plans,” the Coastal Commission enforcement report says. “Additionally, Sable has continued to undertake development activities at onshore locations along the Pipelines, despite issuance of two separate Cease and Desist Orders and in direct contravention of the resource protection provisions of the Coastal Act.”
The pipeline Sable is working on is the same pipeline that burst in 2015, causing the Refugio Oil spill that leaked 123,000 gallons of oil into the Gaviota Coast. Sable is the new owner of the pipeline, three offshore oil platforms and Las Flores Canyon processing facility.
“The repair and maintenance work done to ensure the safe condition of the Santa Ynez Unit and onshore pipelines was fully authorized by coastal development permits previously approved by the California Coastal Commission and Santa Barbara County,” Sable’s Vice President of Environmental and Governmental Affairs Steve Rusch said in a statement.
“Commission staff’s unreasonable overreach is an attempt to exert influence over the planned restart of the Santa Ynez Unit oil production operations — something that is entirely outside of this Commission’s authority. All of Sable’s work has been conducted in previously disturbed areas, and Commission staff continues to exaggerate the project’s impacts,” he said.
A Coastal Commission report disagrees with this, saying that the work performed by Sable did not take environmental impacts into account.
Sable recently sued the Coastal Commission, challenging the cease-and-desist orders.
Rosewood Miramar Beach Housing
Developer Rick Caruso wants to build 26 affordable-housing units and eight market-rate units at the luxury hotel at 1555 S. Jameson Lane in Montecito.
He also wants to add about 17,500 square feet of high-end boutique retail shops.
Heal the Ocean and Unite Here Local 11 have appealed the project approval, raising serious concerns about flooding, parking and other issues. They also argue that it is not consistent with the local coastal plan.
Many community residents oppose the project and have raised concerns about obstruction of views and construction. They also have expressed concerns that the hotel’s addition of luxury boutique shops would attract out-of-town visitors and not be geared to locals.
Keep the Funk Looks to Stop Hotel
A group of residents and workers have appealed the approval of a 250-room hotel in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone.
Keep the Funk believes the 101 Garden St. hotel would destroy the character and charm of the area, which is known for its small businesses, art shops, clothing stores, wine tasting rooms and breweries. The site of the hotel, a full city block, is currently used for storage.
The developers, the Wright Family, have had the right to build either a hotel or housing at the site since 1983, through a specific plan granted by the city. In light of the current housing shortage, members of the public believe housing would be better for the site than a high-end hotel.
San Benito Student Housing Project
UC Santa Barbara hopes to gain approval for its San Benito student housing, which will add 2,224 student beds in apartment-style units for its undergraduates.
The college is looking to modify its 2010 Long Range Development Plan by changing the maximum height of buildings from 65 feet to 81 feet. The college is also looking for permission for construction near its Facilities Management Site, including encroaching into wetlands by 50 feet and modifying parking requirements.
The San Benito Project is the first part of a two-stage plan by the college to add more housing for students. San Benito is expected to be finished by fall 2027, and the second phase, which will add an additional 1,400 beds, is expected to be completed by 2029.
The project will consist of seven new residential and support buildings. The college will also build a new Central Utility Plant, change the roadways to the stadium, add new bicycle parking, and add new pedestrian and bicycle paths.
The college will also conduct landscaping to remove and replace vegetation. Other work will include the enhancement of wetland areas on campus.
In June, the Coastal Commission approved demolishing and removing 17 buildings at the site.
The San Benito Project replaced UCSB’s previous plan, Munger Hall. The hall was a controversial design that was designed to house 3,500 students in a nine-story residence hall.
The building received backlash from students, staff and local officials, who raised concerns about overcrowding and safety due to the building’s size. Others criticized the building’s lack of windows and natural light.
Here’s the agenda for this week’s meetings.
Noozhawk reporter Joshua Molina contributed to this report.
