Imagine walking in downtown Santa Barbara on a beautiful afternoon, looking up to see vibrant new apartment windows where empty offices once stood.
Each of those conversions is a win for Santa Barbara because they bring more housing, more vitality, more foot traffic for small businesses, and fewer dead zones in the heart of our city.
It brings downtown back to life.
The City Council took an important first step when it unanimously passed the new adaptive reuse ordinance, which allows older commercial buildings to be repurposed into mixed-use and multifamily residences.
The breakthrough is that if a project stays within the existing building envelope — meaning no increase in height, floor area or external footprint — the City of Santa Barbara can waive discretionary reviews and move it through an expedited approval process.
For projects that expand beyond that envelope, such as adding a new story or more square footage, adaptive reuse is still allowed but must follow the standard review process, which slows things considerably.
These projects still benefit from reduced parking, open space and setback requirements, but they require additional environmental and design reviews because they involve new construction.
In short, the fast lane applies only to conversions within the original shell, which limits how much new housing can be built quickly.
We all know how difficult it is to build or remodel in Santa Barbara. Perhaps it is time to take the next step with a fast-track adaptive reuse pilot to accelerate implementation for all adaptive reuse projects and get housing underway now.
Testing new ideas as pilots is how cities make smart progress.
If we continue at the current cautious pace of sequential reviews, overlapping commissions and drawn-out approvals, we risk losing momentum and watching our downtown stagnate.
Testing new ideas as pilots is how cities make smart progress. Downtown Santa Barbara is the perfect place to start because it is well defined, has existing infrastructure and is ready for investment.
If the fast-track pilot works, it can be expanded citywide.
The goal is simple: bring all departments to the table from the start, provide clear templates and guidance, eliminate unnecessary reviews, and aim to issue permits within six months.
1. Establish an Adaptive Reuse Fast Track Team
The City Council should direct staff to create a cross-departmental fast-track team inside the Planning and Building & Safety divisions.
When a developer submits an adaptive reuse proposal, all relevant departments, including Planning, Building & Safety, Fire, Public Works and Historic Preservation, if applicable, should meet together at the outset for a kickoff session.
The project would be flagged as an adaptive reuse fast track, aspects of the project would be discussed by all, key checklists would be distributed, and all departments would commit to working together toward a six-month approval goal.
2. Publish Standard Templates and Checklists
Developers need predictability. The city should provide objective standards outlining required documentation, available parking relief, fee schedules, unit density limits and exterior modification guidelines.
Transparency and consistency will make adaptive reuse accessible to more property owners and reduce friction throughout the process.
3. Eliminate Redundant Reviews
Any review that adds no substantive oversight or legal authority should be eliminated, streamlined or made optional.
For example, if a building already has historic status, it should not be subject to a duplicate review.
This aligns with state housing policy trends because California increasingly defines adaptive reuse as a right and eligible for ministerial approval for qualifying projects.
4. Adopt a Time Limit Guarantee
Nothing drives progress like a deadline. If the fast-track team cannot issue a permit within six months, the city should provide a written explanation for the delay. The project would then be eligible for council appeal or deemed approved after a defined period.
Firm timelines create accountability and confidence that projects will not be tied up for years.
5. Pair Fast Track with Smart Incentives
The city should consider reducing or waiving fees for adaptive reuse projects downtown, offering modest parking relief where safe, and exempting specific impact fees for conversions since they have less infrastructure impact than new construction.
All of this must comply with state and local law.
The new ordinance already exempts downtown rental projects under 40 units from inclusionary set-aside requirements, which is a solid start.
A fast-track pilot should be closely monitored, with quarterly reports to the City Council on progress, bottlenecks, and results to ensure accountability and improvement.
Santa Barbara would not be the first city to fast-track adaptive reuse, and the results elsewhere prove it works.
Buffalo, New York, launched its adaptive reuse program in 2008 and has since completed 85 projects, adding nearly 2,000 apartments and attracting almost $1 billion in private investment.
Alexandria, Virginia, a historic city much like ours, simplified its zoning and parking rules to convert 15 former offices into more than 2,300 homes, bringing new residents and vitality downtown.
These cities show that when departments align, red tape is reduced and timelines are enforced, adaptive reuse becomes one of the fastest and most effective ways to add housing and revitalize city centers.
By acting boldly and decisively, Santa Barbara can lead the region in converting underutilized buildings into housing, bringing new residents, energy and economic opportunity to the heart of our city.
The pieces are already in place; we simply need to take advantage of them.
With the right process, leadership and commitment, we can meet our housing goals and make downtown Santa Barbara vibrant, full of life and a model for others to follow.
Let us fast-track downtown Santa Barbara.
