A sheriff’s substation is coming to Montecito, and it’s set to be fully funded and housed by the Rosewood Miramar Beach resort.
After the community got frustrated with slow response times from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the Montecito Association worked to raise community funds for a substation on San Ysidro Road. Then, the Miramar stepped up and offered to fully fund the substation themselves, and house it at the Rosewood Miramar at 1759 S. Jameson Lane.
Jacqueline Duran, a member of the association’s Board of Directors, said they wanted to increase law enforcement presence in Montecito after a number of break-ins. Recently a Nevada man broke into Ty Warner’s Montecito mansion and was charged with attempted murder, assault, kidnapping and residential burglary.
“Just having the sheriff, having that location in town, will benefit everyone,” Duran said. “Personally I like to believe that it will deter some of that crime. I think it will be good for everyone who lives in Montecito and works in Montecito.”
The closest sheriff substation to Montecito is at 5775 Carpinteria Ave. in Carpinteria, and the department headquarters is at 4434 Calle Real in the eastern Goleta Valley.
Duran also believes that the substation will benefit law enforcement as they will have a place between the stations in Goleta and Carpinteria to write reports.
The Montecito Association began fundraising earlier this year and received numerous donations including a $30,000 grant from the Montecito Community Foundation to cover computers and IT security. Duran said they were getting ready to sign a lease at 539 San Ysidro Road before executives from Miramar stepped up.
“They have been communicating with the sheriff and their deputies, and everyone agrees it’s the best solution because the community won’t have to spend any money on this,” Duran said.
Duran said the grant and the donations the association received will be returned.
Some of the Montecito Association directors expressed that they wanted to see the substation closer to the Upper Village. However, Lt. Rich Brittingham said that the San Ysidro location wouldn’t be the most convenient because they would be in the upstairs office space and the building is shared with other tenants.
“At this point to get to what we need for this community, the deal we have going at the Miramar makes the most sense for everyone,” Brittingham told the Montecito Association. “That will definitely cut response times down.”
Philipp Posch, executive vice president of hospitality at Caruso, which owns the Rosewood Miramar, told the Montecito Association on Tuesday that they’re still working to iron out a few details with the Sheriff’s Office, but they have submitted permits to the county.
Posch wouldn’t commit to a timeline but did say once they get the permits approved, they should be able to get the substation up and running fairly quickly.
“We’re trying to get this done here very quickly and very soon over the next couple of months, but it really just depends,” Posch said. “Once we get the permits, the actual work is probably another couple of weeks. We’re all eager to get this done.”