The development group behind the 18-story housing project proposed for a half-acre lot at 5155 Ogan Road in Carpinteria has sued the city.

In the lawsuit filed in February, attorneys for Carpinteria Group LLC allege that the city has “chosen to block the project in every way it can.”

“This is another case in the continuing battle between cities attempting to block low-income housing projects and the housing groups attempting to build that same low-income housing,” the lawsuit alleges.

The project proposes building 130 units of market-rate and low-income housing.

City spokeswoman Juliza Briones told Noozhawk that the city believes “it has complied with all applicable laws related to this project” and that the lawsuit is “without merit — as it misstates the law and the facts.”

Carpinteria Group LLC did not respond to Noozhawk requests for comment. 

The developer’s lawsuit filed against Carpinteria accuses the city of charging project fees that are quadruple employees’ annual salaries and of not responding to a November Public Records Act request related to staff timesheets, salary information and legal counsel invoices within 10 days.

It also alleges that under a separate appeal court ruling from October, New Commune DTLA v. City of Redondo Beach, that the city’s approved Housing Element is not valid. 

Carpinteria Group LLC’s manager is Ben Eilenberg, who is also linked to the proposed eight-story, 270-unit housing project near the Santa Barbara Mission. The Mission LLC sued Santa Barbara last year over allegations also related to project development.

Carpinteria Proposal for 18-Story Housing Project

The 18-story Carpinteria housing proposal is a Builder’s Remedy project that was first submitted in December 2024, before the city’s Housing Element was certified. 

Builder’s Remedy projects can surpass some city design and zoning standards if they include a certain percentage of affordable units. 

The developer filed a formal application for the project last June. The city deemed that incomplete the following month.

Two other resubmitted applications, submitted in September and November, were also deemed incomplete.

Of the 130 units, 47 would be one-bedroom units, 46 would be two-bedroom units and 37 would be three-bedroom units. Twenty percent of the units would be designated for low-income households.

The project also includes plans for 128 parking spaces on the bottom three stories.

The proposed development would be 218 feet high — far above the city’s current maximum residential height limit of 30 feet. 

The property at 5155 Ogan Road is currently owned by Frontier Communications. Carpinteria Group LLC indicated it was in escrow to purchase when the application was filed in 2024.

The lot is partially developed; Carpinteria Group LLC is seeking a lot split, with plans to build on the undeveloped portion on the west side.