Nearly a decade after Carpinteria sought proposals from private developers to turn the city’s old railroad depot site into a boutique hotel, plans for the Surfliner Inn are now just days away from a Planning Commission vote.
The five-person commission on Monday will vote on the controversial project that some Carpinteria residents have fought hard to keep from being built.
Supporters have said the project will bring much-needed revenue to a city that is facing possible budget cuts and steadily dwindling savings. By the development team’s estimates, the inn could bring in $1.8 million annually between taxes and the property’s lease agreement with the city.
Opponents have said it would fundamentally change the city’s downtown character — arguing it is too large — and dramatically affect available parking in an area that already feels a parking squeeze.
City staff has recommended that the commission approve the project and its associated permits on Monday.
The meeting will be held at Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. It is set to start at 7 p.m.
The Plans Before the Planning Commission
The project is split into two parts: a 36-room inn at 499 Linden Ave. with 46 parking spaces; and a new 95-space public parking lot (proposed Parking Lot #4) at 399 Linden Ave., on the oceanside of the railroad tracks.
The city owns both parcels.
Currently on 499 Linden Ave. is a 113-space public parking lot — Parking Lot #3 — that, if the Surfliner Inn moves forward, would be reconfigured to accommodate the 28,290-square-foot inn.
The 399 Linden Ave. parcel is currently partially developed. There is a dirt trail between Linden and Holly avenues on that site.
That dirt trail would be removed and replaced under current plans by new parking spots, a formal, 10-foot-wide trail and public restrooms.
The plans for 499 Linden Ave. also include a public cafe, a visitor center, a rooftop bar and lounge and a swimming pool on the eastern portion of the existing lot, at the intersection of Linden Avenue and Fifth Street.
City staff said 15% of the rooms would also be designated as lower-cost visitor accommodations.
The height of that inn would range from 25 to 29 feet at the roofline, and 37 feet, 1 inch accounting for architectural elements associated with the inn’s stairs and elevator.
City staff is also recommending the commissioners approve a modified plan for Parking Lot #4. That plan includes revised circulation, now with inbound-only access from a relocated driveway on Linden Avenue and outbound-only access through Elm Avenue to Dorrance, preventing any left turns out of the lot toward the railroad tracks.
If both aspects of the project move forward, the city would gain 28 parking spots.
Both parking lots would remain open for public use.
Read the full project plans here.
The History Behind the Project Parcels
The city first looked into developing both 499 Linden Ave. and 399 Linden Ave. for public use sometime around 2012.
The Carpinteria City Council in 2015 decided it wanted to build an inn and restaurant on Parking Lot #3, hoping to bring tourism to the area and increase the city’s revenues by building the inn and renting the lot.
It put out a request for proposals in 2017. The Theimer Group and Mian Group responded. The City Council chose the Theimer Group, which would later become 499 Linden Ave. Managers LLC, in 2018.
The Carpinteria Planning Commission, City Council, and Architectural Review Board reviewed the project under conceptual review in November 2020.
The city signed a lease disposition and development agreement with 499 Linden Managers Ave. LLC in 2021.
Under that agreement, the city would lease the land to the developers for 55 years for 5.5% of appraised fair market value. The city would also receive 4.5% of gross income revenue.
Opponents of the Surfliner Inn put a measure to rezone Parking Lot #3 on the 2022 ballot so it couldn’t be developed. It narrowly failed.
The development team submitted formal project plans in September 2023.
The Carpinteria Architectural Review Board gave preliminary approval to the project plans in December 2024.
The project’s draft Environmental Impact Report came before public review earlier this year.
A February meeting was filled largely by project opponents, who called the inn too big for Carpinteria’s downtown and said the inn and the new parking lot would cause traffic problems.
