Welcome to Noozhawk Asks, a new feature in which you ask the questions, you help decide what Noozhawk investigates, and you work with us to find the answers.
This week’s question: Please look into the neighborhood impacts of the City of Santa Barbara’s efforts to alter zoning standards, densities and changes in character, etc.
— Ted Tedesco, Santa Barbara
No one wants a monstrosity to go up next to their house, right?
Santa Barbara’s Planning Commission considers the neighborhood impacts of development projects, while larger policy directives are made by the City Council.
One of the more controversial planning policies right now is the Average-Unit Density program, which offers incentives to developers to build smaller, more affordable residential units.
The City Council has debated slowing down the applications, and concerns weren’t helped when the first AUD project opened its doors, since The Marc, at 3885 State St. near La Cumbre Plaza, is not as affordable as the city was hoping — one-bedroom apartments start at $2,900 per month.
Santa Barbara is also working through a Zoning Code update that will make changes to the city’s land-use rules. Proposed changes include requiring more parking for restaurant and food-service businesses and excluding nonindustrial uses within some manufacturing zones.
If you want to find out the specifics, the draft will be presented at the council’s May 31 Ordinance Committee meeting.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.