Months after a landslide sent a Riviera home sliding down the side of a hill, the City of Santa Barbara approved funds to remove the house and repair the section of the hill around it.
On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council approved a plan to allocate $1.4 million from its General Fund disaster reserves to remove the home from the side of the hill.
The council also voted to enter into an agreement with the property owner to remove the house and detached garage from the hillside. According to Clifford Maurer, the city’s Public Works director, the agreement was needed because the home is located on private property.
According to Maurer, the council’s approval will allow the city to proceed with plans to remove the home and garage.
“Our city attorney’s office has been working with … the property owner and their attorney,” Maurer said, “and I think we’re very close to a deal that’ll work for both of us.”
The house, which belonged to Jan Luc, was condemned by the City of Santa Barbara in May.
The home, at 1037 Las Alturas Road, began sliding down the hill in March. Luc lived at the address with her two sons.
In the aftermath of the collapse, Luc was helped by neighbors, who helped set up a GoFundMe campaign to provide aid to the family. The fundraiser ended up earning $26,557 for the family, who were living in a motel at the time.
Once the city officially obtains the agreement, it will begin construction to stabilize the hill — a process known as soil nailing.
The process will help prevent the point from further eroding and sliding in the future.
In addition to securing the soil, the city also will be moving a sewer pipe that was located near the landslide. Maurer said the pipe was not affected in the initial landslide, but the continuing slide damaged it, and the city rerouted it.
According to Brian D’Amour, a city engineer, construction on the sewer line is set to begin on Dec. 2 and will take about two weeks. The new sewer main will be installed between Terrace Road and Las Alturas Circle.
Construction will take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
During construction, Maurer said there are no plans to close Las Alturas Road, which he added is an important road for people who live in the Riviera. However, there may be disruptions since part of the road was damaged and only one lane is open.
Maurer said the city hopes to begin stabilizing the hill within the next month.
Once construction begins, he believes it will take about two months if the weather is good, and said the city is motivated to finish the repairs as soon as possible.
Maurer also stated that residents should not worry about the status of the hill or other parts of the Riviera, which show no sign of damage or slides.
“In its current configuration, there’s no reason to be concerned or alarmed, but its current configuration, it’s not sustainable over time,” Maurer said. “It’s too vulnerable, and that’s why we’re doing the repair.”