A Rivian car dealership is coming to Santa Barbara, but it will need to do more to match local architecture before getting approved.
The Santa Barbara Architectural Board of Review met on Jan. 20 to discuss revisions to plans for a 42,000-square-foot car dealership at 6210-6290 Hollister Ave., which would include a service center, a sales area and a customer lounge.
The site was the former spot of a Chrysler dealership that closed in 2010. The property is located near the Santa Barbara Airport.
Rivian, an electric car company, submitted plans for the project in 2018 and was granted approval by the board. According to a representative for the company, the previous design was a traditional dealership model with a full showroom, a building in the back for storage and parts, as well as parking.
“Rivian would effectively be looking to reconfigure what was previously approved into effectively one building,” Dobbins told the board. “All of our operations would happen within the confines of the space.”
The new building would include a customer area, a space for two display vehicles, storage areas, and a washing area. Dobbins said combustion cars would not be serviced on the site.
During the questions to the representatives, board member Richard Six expressed concern about the design and told the team he did not get the layout. His main concern was where customers would drop off their vehicles, which he said he couldn’t see on the plans.
“I don’t see any functions that would normally be required for a dealership,” Six said, “and I’m very concerned. All I see is a wide standard parking lot. So, I don’t get it.”
Six also said he appreciated Rivian’s branding for this type of building, but it would be in Santa Barbara and should reflect local architecture.
Board member Dennis Whelan agreed with Six and said similar buildings are not strictly Spanish Colonial Revival but do try to incorporate some elements.
“It’s perfectly elegant, and I fully realize that you have your branding issues,” Whelan said, “but I couldn’t support a building such as this in what can be an introduction to the city.”
He added that he would like to see some elements of the Santa Barbara style included in the design.
The board did not make any decisions on the building design but recommended that the building designer look at local artists who have designed warehouses with colonial revival themes.