The Music Academy of the West is one step closer to transforming a vacant former clothing store into a hub of music education and performance.
The Santa Barbara Planning Commission unanimously approved the music academy’s project at 901 State St. to exceed the zoning height limit of 45 feet to allow for a nearly 60-foot-tall tower.
The project will include a new performance hall, private recording studio spaces, dressing rooms, practice rooms, teaching studios, a student lounge and a rooftop event space.
“I’m so excited for this project,” Commissioner Devon Wardlow said. “I think this is a really great complement to the broader goals of what we’re trying to do with State Street.”
The building footprint will mostly remain the same, except for the addition of a new tower facing Canon Perdido Street, where there is currently a trellis and palm trees.
The tower will be 59 feet 11 inches tall. It will have a rear stairway and elevator that will serve as a service entrance.
Architect Michael Holliday said there will be few changes to the exterior, aside from repainting, refinishing and removing a small entrance on the lower right side of the building that faces State Street.
“Just a kind of refreshed version of what it currently looks like along State Street,” Holliday said.
The music academy opened in the 1950s at 1070 Fairway Road. It acquired the former Forever 21 location in downtown Santa Barbara in June 2025.
“We’re so excited about this,” said Shauna Quill, president and CEO of the Music Academy of the West. “We’ve been dreaming about what it would be to have a bridge to downtown from Montecito, and the pace at which the enthusiasm has come to support this project is really wonderful.”
Quill said they are looking to host several free and paid events, featuring everything from mommy-and-me classes to lectures and artist residencies.
Additionally, they plan to coordinate events during times State Street is already active, such as the Saturday farmers market.
“The hope is, with the exception of some holidays, that we’re really activating the space year-round,” Quill said.
Commissioner John Baucke said he was excited to see the music academy finding a way to reuse a vacant downtown building.
“We’ve had these big spaces that were vacated on State Street, and the big challenge has always been what to do with them,” Baucke said. “I’m very, very happy to see yourselves and other institutions of Santa Barbara committing to downtown.”
The project will return to the Historic Landmarks Commission for final design approval later this year.
