A private Montecito club got approval Tuesday to change its operations after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors denied appeals from five club members.
The Coral Casino Beach & Cabana Club at 1281 Channel Dr. received Montecito Planning Commission approval in April to open the Tydes restaurant to the public, and restrict the pools and other facilities to members and their guests.
That means no more access to the latter for hotel guests from the neighboring Four Seasons The Biltmore Santa Barbara.
Five club members appealed the decision, but later reached an agreement with owner Ty Warner’s management company.
Kim Seefeld, one of the appellants, said they were asking for “reasonable protections” for the privacy of the club. Changes to the project description were negotiated over the past 46 days, she said.
The revised project description makes it clear that other club restaurants won’t be open to the public, and that non-members won’t be able to access the rest of the building.
On Tuesday, the supervisors voted 3-0, with two members absent, to approve the club’s amended application and deny the appeals.
Warner took over management of the Coral Casino in 2021 from Four Seasons, which still operates the nearby Biltmore hotel.
The hotel and club have both been closed since March 2020, and there has been construction occurring for months at both properties.
Bill Medel, a representative for Ty Warner Hotels and Resorts, said both parties will “walk away from this very satisfied” after the negotiation.
Having the county’s final approval for changing operations means the club can start hiring employees, including former workers from before the closure, Medel said.
He said in April that the club would ideally reopen this summer, but he did not give an estimated date at Tuesday’s meeting.
First District Supervisor Das Williams, who represents Montecito, said “the feelings were very intense” with this proposal, “and I know why they would be intense for folks on both sides for how long things have been closed.”
Williams, Steve Lavagnino and Bob Nelson approved the amended application, while supervisors Laura Capps and Joan Hartmann were absent for this item of Tuesday’s agenda.