The owners of the Sears parcel at La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara want to build up to 550 rental apartments at the site — and they want to move ahead right away.
Mark Carney, a partner with the law firm of ReickerPfau, which represents the family-owned parcel, told the Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday that it would look to move ahead with a development agreement on the parcel, which covers the former Sears building, the upper parking lot, and part of the lower parking lot.
“We all agree that the highest and best use of this property is housing,” Carney said.
The problem for Carney and his multigenerational owners of the 9.45-acre property, nine of whom sat inside the council chamber on Tuesday, is that City Administrator Paul Casey also wants to create a specific plan for the area, a document that would examine La Cumbre Plaza as a whole.
The shopping center has multiple owners, including separate owners of the Sears property, and the actual interior mall, including Macy’s.
In order for the property owners to build 550 apartments, the agreement would have to be processed under the city’s high-density housing ordinance, which drastically reduces parking requirements; the trial program is set expire long before the city and developer could come to terms on an agreement, so a separate understanding would need to be worked out.
Carney, in his comments to the council, compared the situation to the story of “Brigadoon,” where an American man falls in love with a woman in the Scottish town of Brigadoon, which only appears every 100 years.
Carney said Tuesday was the council’s one opportunity in 100 years to build rental housing on a large scale to meet Santa Barbara’s needs. If the council doesn’t move forward with a development agreement, Carney said, the owners would be forced to sign a lease, or multiple leases with retail and commercial tenants for the Sears building, and Santa Barbara would lose its opportunity for housing.
Members of the council made multiple motions and expressed confusion over the issue on Tuesday, and eventually voted 6-1 to direct Casey and Community Development Director George Buell to return to the council at a later date with a proposal for both a specific plan for the overall area and a development agreement for the Sears site.
(Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo)
Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon voted no, saying the mall needs to be looked at as a whole first because a major housing project at the Sears site would dramatically affect the rest of the plaza.
A development agreement would be a contract between the city and the property owners to guarantee that an application for development could move forward according to terms of a negotiated deal.
The city would essentially guarantee that housing could be built, including a maximum number of units at the site, in exchange for the developer offering public benefits and amenities as part of the project.
A specific plan could create an overall plan for development, from the type, location, and intensity of uses, to the design and capacity of infrastructure.
More than 500 new housing units at the site would dramatically reshape the city and overhaul traffic flow and circulation. Sears occupied the building for decades before it gave noticed and moved out of the space earlier this year.
“It’s such a large area,” Sneddon said of the overall 31-acre site. “It’s too important. It’s a real opportunity to look at the bigger picture.”
Sneddon pleaded with Carney to work with the city on an overall development agreement, rather than sign new commercial leases.
“I am sincerely hoping you won’t walk away from this opportunity,” Sneddon said. “I see this as an opportunity for the project you are proposing to be integrated into the community.”
Sneddon initially had backing from colleague Eric Friedman, who wanted a specific plan only, before he changed his mind.
“Santa Barbara is not a small town anymore,” Friedman said. “It’s not sleepy. But it’s definitely not Orange County or Los Angeles.”
Friedman eventually backpedaled and said he could support city staff looking into a hybrid approach of both a development agreement and a specific plan — as long as there’s a public meeting first. He said that if the city could hold a special meeting earlier this year for a controversial 40-unit tiny-home proposal, it could at least do the same for a 550-unit development agreement.
Most of the rest of the council was enticed by the allure of housing.
Councilman Oscar Gutierrez said: “I am a strong believer in that we need more housing.”
Gutierrez responded to Friedman’s concerns about public outreach by asserting that the public can weigh in after news organizations writing about this issue post the stories on social media.
“Social media will gauge public interest,” Gutierrez said.
Councilwoman Meagan Harmon gave her full support to the housing proposal.
“Housing is so important to our community,” Harmon said. “I am really loathe to let this opportunity pass by.”
For Friedman, whose 5th District includes La Cumbre Plaza, the evening came with lots of hand-wringing. He initially made a motion for just a specific plan, then withdrew his motion to support a substitute motion, which included a hybrid approach, then almost changed his mind again.
When Mayor Cathy Murillo called for a roll call vote, Friedman paused again for a noticeable moment of silence, forcing Murillo to interject “you said you were gonna vote for it.”
Friedman responded sternly, “give me a second,” before supporting the majority.
Councilman Randy Rowse summed up the meeting, before his vote.
“I think it’s a little muddy tonight, quite frankly,” Rowse said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
