While the Santa Barbara City Council earlier this week denied an appeal contesting the development of a new property in the Mesa neighborhood, the project left the council feeling uneasy about approving new, large houses on the blufftop.

The council voted 4-2 to deny an appeal of the construction of a two-story house and associated structures at 2339 Edgewater Way. Neighbors had appealed the project’s approval by the Santa Barbara Planning Commission.

Councilwomen Kristen Sneddon and Wendy Santamaria voted against denying the appeal. Councilman Mike Jordan abstained from the vote, stating that he lives near the house.

Sneddon had concerns about the development and the other large blufftop houses in the neighborhood. She questioned the Single Family Design Board‘s decision to approve the projects.

“The whole reason (the Single Family Design Board was) formed was to prevent McMansionization, and these, to me, are the example of what should not be on the bluff,” Sneddon said.

Alexandra Hack, the neighbor appealing the project, said she had concerns with the development’s scale. She wanted to protect the unobstructed fire access to her home next door and retain a utility connection.

Santa Barbara Fire Marshal Ryan DiGuilio said emergency access would be available for both properties. The development would have a 16-foot driveway, which would allow fire engine hoses to meet the farthest edge of the property from the street.

Hack also had concerns about utility connection because one proposed utility pole would have to be relocated.

Jarret Gorin of Vanguard Planning, who represented the owners of 2339 Edgewater Way, said they would coordinate with neighbors to not cut off their power.

The property did experience a slope failure and part of the bluff collapsed in winter 2023. Gorin said the owners have since completed a stabilization project on the property. The house would be 38 feet from the bluff’s edge. 

However, other neighbors — beyond the appellant — also had concerns about the development.

Kelly Boker said the building’s scale and the removal of privacy foliage would be invasive to their home. She called the project “vastly out of proportion and out of character” for the Mesa neighborhood.

“The fact that the size of the construction and pool on a bluff that has already been compromised is even being considered is mind-boggling,” Boker said.

Harmon said she shared the concerns about development on the bluffs, but it was hard to make a ruling on overall bluffs development on a case-by-case basis.

“To me, that’s a recipe, frankly, for more disaster to not look holistically at the bluff face, and instead to start doing it piecemeal on a parcel-by-parcel basis, not in accordance with any set standards, but rather just a gut feeling that I think some of us certainly share,” Harmon said.

She added that the issue needed to be looked at from a policy level, not through appeals.

Councilman Eric Friedman said he understood where neighbors were coming from, but that the council didn’t have the technical evidence to override the Santa Barbara Planning Commission’s approval.