The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved an Orcutt development project that will bring 99 new apartment units to the area.

The commission quickly approved the project in a 4-0 vote during its weekly meeting on Wednesday in Santa Maria.

The Orchard Terrace project, at the site of a former school at 1331 E. Foster Road, is deemed 100% affordable, and the apartments will be spread out among four buildings. Two of the buildings will be three stories, while the other two will be two stories.

The project was originally in front of the Planning Commission in 2021 and was proposed as a single three-story development with 61 units. The building was later split into multiple buildings and moved away from the road.

Commissioner Roy Reed noted that he remembered when the project first appeared before the commission early on in his term. He said the developers have worked to listen and accommodate input from the community.

“I can really appreciate the work that applicant has done (…) with both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors to come up with a project that is greatly improved,” Reed said.

He said the fact that there was very little response to the project compared with past hearings was a sign that the developers listened to the community.

The only public speaker for the project was Rosie Rojo, who said she serves on the Edgewood Homeowners Association board. In her comments, Rojo expressed concern about the effects the new buildings could have on the traffic around the neighborhood.

She added that the additional activity would affect the quiet nature of the neighborhood, and public utilities were already strained.

“We absolutely understand the need for more affordable housing,” Rojo said. “Our concern isn’t about who will live there. It’s about how this project will affect safety, infrastructure and the overall character of our neighborhood.”

Rojo asked the commission to reconsider the project and requested that it consider additional traffic measures to calm traffic.

Commissioner John Parke expressed support for the project, stating that it was “radically better” than when it was first submitted.

“We’ve accomplished something here,” Parke said. “More units, predominantly affordable, lots of parking, kind of amazing for affordable housing, and lot of public amenities. It is a win-win project.”

Project details state that the building will include 150 parking spots for tenants. Parking spots will be assigned based on the number of rooms in an apartment and on a “first-come, first-served” basis.

The application also presented specifics on each building.

Building A will be 7,225 square feet and have a height of 29.33 feet. The two-story building will include 10 units. Building B also will be two stories at a height of 32.50 feet. The building will include eight units.

The first of the two three-story buildings is Building C, which will have 45 units. The building will be 18,050 square feet and 40.75 feet high.

The last building, Building D, will include 36 apartment units. The structure will cover 14,595 square feet and have a maximum height of 47.25 feet.