Santa Barbara County wants to make it easier for developers to build housing.

The proposed changes include allowing developers to build taller buildings and increase density. County planners are also proposing streamlining language in the zoning ordinance and expanding its definition of what is open space.

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission met for a workshop to introduce the commissioners to the proposed revisions and to ask for feedback.

The proposed changes are scheduled to return to the Planning Commission for a vote on Oct. 29.

“So basically, amendments to reduce unnecessary processing, to just reduce costs, reduce time and make it easier for projects to get through the process,” said Alex Tuttle, deputy director of the Long Range Planning Division.

Parts of Santa Barbara County are experiencing a housing shortage, and planners are trying to comply with state mandates to zone land to building more housing.

The proposed changes include allowing apartment buildings with 20 or more units to be built up to 40 feet tall instead of the previous height of 35 feet. The required distance from the property line also will be reduced from 20 feet to 10 feet.

Areas that are considered retail commercial zones will allow mixed-use development projects to be built up to 45 feet tall if they are more than 50 feet away from a lower-density neighborhood.

Other changes include revising the county’s open space requirements, which will require new developments to focus on shared spaces for tenants. Under the current code, any part of an apartment complex that has grass, trees or bushes is counted toward the county’s open space requirement.

The county plans to lower the open space standard but will change what it considers open space.

“There’s configuration standards where you can’t just count any green space as this open space,” said Martha Miller, a consultant and owner of Miller Planning Associates. “It really has to be usable. (It) has to meet minimum dimensional requirements and … be really usable as an amenity.”

For buildings with more than 20 units, at least 25% of the layout must be common area. Miller said developers still will be required to have green space besides shared areas.

Changes to the county permitting process include modifying the permit expiration rules and extensions. Under the current code, permits have expiration periods between one and five years, and one project could have multiple licenses with different expiration dates.

The county hopes to change the expiration period for permits to four years. The director of Planning & Development also would be allowed to grant one-time extensions without the need to hold a public meeting.

Mary Ellen Brooks, president of the Citizens Planning Association, expressed concern about what streamlining means. She also asked the Planning Commission to help protect the California Environmental Quality Act.

“We’ve been really concerned over the last two years because of what we’ve seen as an erosion in the public process … with the state housing element,” Brooks said.

Fourth District Commissioner Roy Reed asked whether the new changes would conflict with existing projects and local ordinances on the city level. Miller said county staff do not have any concerns that the changes would clash with local requirements.