The Santa Barbara ballot measure to allow leases of city property longer than 50 years appears to be passing with 67% of the votes as of Tuesday night.

The measure, listed as Measure A2026 on the primary election ballot, needs 50% of votes plus one to be approved. 

If approved by voters, the measure would amend the City Charter related to how Santa Barbara manages leases on city-owned property.

It would allow the city to enter leases without the current 50-year limit and also change the level of approval necessary. Leases of city-owned property that are longer than five years could be approved without an ordinance process at the City Council.  

That would give the city more flexibility on using city property, City Administrator Kelly McAdoo told Noozhawk. 

She also said development teams have voiced their concerns with a 50-year lease limit that it “wouldn’t make a development like that feasible for us.” 

The possibility of a lease term change was significant for AB Commercial, the Paseo Nuevo redevelopment team, Noozhawk reported in February.  

Adding the measure to the primary election ballot was unanimously approved by the City Council in February and cost the city $130,000 more than if it was placed on the November ballot.

The city submitted an argument in favor of the ballot measure, and no argument was submitted against it.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story and other election results.

The Santa Barbara County Elections Office will release additional election results later Tuesday night, as staff process ballots received from polling places, mail and drop boxes. It will then release updates in the coming days as additional ballots are processed and counted. The county needs to certify the June 2 election results by July 2.