More apartments are headed to Milpas Street, the latest in a sudden transformation of Santa Barbara’s Eastside commercial corridor.
A developer plans to demolish a car wash, a parking lot and a nightclub to build a three-story, 23-unit apartment building at 518 to 524 N. Milpas St.
Two of the units will be set aside for very low-income residents.
The site is home to the La Pachanga Night Club.
“I think it is a beautiful design,” said Cass Ensberg, a member of the Santa Barbara Historic Landmarks Commission. “I appreciate that it is being kept to three stories.”
The commission recently gave the project design approval. Story poles were up on Monday showing the proposed height of the building, which is 44 feet and 10.5 inches.
The apartments are the latest in a wave of changes headed to Milpas Street as the city looks to approve housing development throughout the city.
It follows a 90-unit apartment project approved at 418 N. Milpas St., near a new Starbucks that opened earlier this year. An 82-unit apartment project at 711 N. Milpas St. was approved in 2023 but has yet to be built.
The unit mix is comprised of six one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units and three three-bedroom units, ranging in size from 491 square feet to 2,152 square feet
The project includes 13 vehicle spaces in a parking garage, six covered vehicle spaces in private garages and a bicycle storage room with 28 spaces.
DMHA Architecture designed the buildings.
Although the Historic Landmarks Commission gave the project design approval, some of the members said they would like to see some design tweaks, including the addition of “Milpas poetry.”
“I think this needs to have something new that we haven’t seen before,” Ensberg said. “I would like to see more art, more color.”
She noted the Eastside’s and Ortega Park’s strong connection to murals and suggested that the project could have more design features reflective of the Latino culture.
“It should be something that defines Milpas Street,” Ensberg said.
Commissioner Sheila Lodge called it a “handsome building.”
The commissioners recognized that the building height would obstruct some views of The Riviera, but that it was part of the changing landscape of Santa Barbara, which is in need of housing. The developers had the right to build four stories, but chose to build three.
Commissioner Ed Lenvik was the only one to oppose project design approval. He said he was concerned about the design of the front of the building facing Milpas Street, and its walkability. He said ground-floor residences and patios are not pedestrian friendly.
“I am concerned about the change in the character of the neighborhood when we lose pedestrian-friendly qualities,” Lenvik said. “I don’t believe the design is consistent with the community urban guidelines which suggests that pedestrian urban qualities be provided on the first floor.”
One member of the public spoke at the meeting. Paul Richardson said he was representing neighbors who had concerns about the three-story building blocking the views of people who live in nearby residences off Milpas Street.
He also said he was a member of New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church near the project. He said the church owned a portion of the land where the car wash sits.
“We want our property back,” Richardson said.
Commission staff said the title report did not indicate that was the case and that the subject was out of the purview of the commission.