The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to accept California Coastal Commission changes to the County’s Coastal Zone, increasing the minimum percentage of affordable units from 20% to 32% for three Carpinteria Valley high-density housing parcels.

The item was unanimously approved during the board’s weekly meeting in Santa Maria in a 5-0 vote. 

Because the California Coastal Commission in November voted to modify Santa Barbara County’s initial affordable proposal — included as part of its 2023-2032 Housing Element — up from 20%, it had to come back to the supervisors for a vote.  

Under the rezone changes approved Tuesday, developers for the three Carpinteria Valley sites — the Bailard Avenue parcel at 1101 and 1103 Bailard Avenue, Van Wingerden 1 at 4098 Via Real and Van Wingerden 2 at 4711 Foothill Road — must have to, at minimum, 20% of units for very-low and/or low-income households, and 12% for very low-, low and/or moderate-income households.

The changes will also extend the income-restricted housing to the life of each development instead of the previous proposal of 90 years.

The board approved rezones for 28 sites in South County unincorporated areas in 2024, including four sites in the Coastal Zone: three in the Carpinteria Valley and one, Friendship Manor, in the Isla Vista area. 

The three Carpinteria Valley parcels, all located just outside city limits, do not have active housing proposals attached. 

Initially proposed for the Bailard Avenue site at 1101 and 1103 Bailard Avenue was a 169-unit multifamily housing project from the Santa Barbara County Housing Authority and developer Red Tail LLC. 

That project fell under the state’s Builder’s Remedy standards, meaning the developer could surpass certain zoning standards in exchange for offering affordable units.

Santa Barbara County Director of Planning and Development Lisa Plowman confirmed to the board Tuesday morning that the Housing Authority and Red Tail planned to pull their previous Builder’s Remedy proposal and present a new one once the site was officially rezoned. 

“I think it is very unlikely that they wouldn’t pull it,” Plowman said. “There’s a much longer process in front of them with a Builder’s Remedy application than there would be under the rezone.” 

Any new housing application will still go through the county’s planning bodies once it is submitted, Plowman said. 

Some Carpinteria residents have opposed building high-density housing in that area. There is one main road in and out of that area, and putting a high-density housing project up there would clog up the nearby neighborhood and cause issues in emergencies, Valley residents have argued.

Opponents also say the development will have a negative effect on the city’s agricultural area by creating more parking issues and impacting city resources, while supporters have argued the Valley desperately needs housing. 

The Carpinteria City Council has sent multiple letters to the county since the Red Tail project was first proposed, arguing that a high-density project does not belong in that area because it is on the rural side of the urban-rural boundary. 

The parcel was originally owned by the Carpinteria Unified School District and zoned as single-family residential, though there is a small farm, the Bailard Farm, on site. 

Public commenter Karl Sonkin on Tuesday expressed concern about how more cars in the area could affect traffic if another natural disaster like the Thomas Fire occurs. He stated that evacuating is already difficult and believes a high-density housing project at that spot will exacerbate the issue.

“I think that the supervisors may want to reconsider approving matters that don’t allow the people of Santa Barbara County to have a say in what gets built there, or how it gets built there,” Sonkin told the board.

District One Supervisor Roy Lee expressed support for the 32% affordable housing, but said he understood Carpinteria residents’ frustation. Lee’s district includes Carpinteria and the surrounding areas.

Alongside other councilmembers, Lee — who served as a city of Carpinteria councilmember 2018-2024 — has repeatedly spoken out against putting high-density housing in that spot.

However, he said on Tuesday that it is important to build more affordable units in the county. The county is also required to build more housing by the State of California, he also pointed out.

“The state is forcing us to do this,” Lee said. “I don’t like it. My district hates it. But I believe we can work towards a better project, (or) projects. So right now, we’re working with the city and the developers to address the worst aspects of these developments.”