Santa Barbara County supervisors approved ordinance changes this week to comply with new state laws on housing development.
Some multi-unit and mixed-use projects will be approved ministerially (by planning staff without discretionary review) and will use “objective design standards,” Planning & Development Director Lisa Plowman said Tuesday.
That means “no personal or subjective judgment is required to implement the standards,” she explained.
Santa Barbara County actually went beyond state requirements for some issues, such as a 90-year affordability period for some density bonus projects (rather than 55 in state law) and by-right supportive housing projects up to 75 units (rather than 50 in the state law) in certain zones.
Overall, the changes are meant to streamline permitting for some projects and promote housing development, especially for affordable housing and housing for special-needs groups.
Transitional and supportive housing is “designed to help individuals with low incomes and one or more disabilities find stable housing and live fuller lives,” county staff said in a Board of Supervisors report.
Supervisors voiced concerns about losing some local control over land use policy and development review, but recognized the need to comply with state law.
They voted 4-1 to amend housing code, with Supervisor Bob Nelson opposed.
Nelson said he was concerned about by-right supportive housing, saying the county needs to make sure those projects are in the “right place” and near services.
“You know as well as I do when we try to find the right spot for supportive housing this room is full of people saying they love the idea but this isn’t the right spot,” Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said in response.
He said the majority of people push back when supportive housing is planned for their neighborhoods.
Lavagnino said he would like the ability to require a conditional use permit or security plan for some of these projects, but “we have been usurped by the state on this, and I don’t like it any more than you do.”
Just because state law gives certain development “a by-right placement, it doesn’t mean by-right to be a bad neighbor,” County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato said.
The county still has tools to respond to developers or occupants who are bad neighbors.
“That’s always part of our power as a jurisdiction,” she said.
“We’re supposed to uphold the law whether or not we agree with the law,” Supervisor Das Williams said.
County planning commissioners reviewed the changes in January and reluctantly voted to approve them after voicing similar concerns about losing local control.