Here's a community post from Lanny Ebenstein: This past Friday, one of the broadest coalitions ever assembled in Santa Barbara submitted 11,252 signatures to the City Clerk's office to place an initiative on the ballot that would permanently reduce building heights in Santa Barbara. The coalition supporting the building heights limitation charter amendment includes for the most part liberal though not progressive Democrats to moderate Republicans. Individuals who support the Save El Pueblo Viejo proposal include Sheila Lodge, Harriet Miller, Marty Blum, Bill Mahan, Dale Francisco, Joan Livingston, Judy Orias, Cathie McCammon, Connie Hannah, Betsy Kramer, Dianne Channing Joe Rution, Gil Barry, Bendy White, Don Sharpe, Mary Louise Days, Louise Boucher, Beebe Longstreet, Gerry DeWitt, Jim Westby, Michael Self, Steve Forsell, and Elly Langer, among others. Organizational endorsements include the Citizens Planning Association, League of Women Voters, Allied Neighborhoods Association, Pearl Chase Society, and Santa Barbara Safe Streets.
From the perspective of many proponents of the initiative, the issue of the proposed charter amendment includes affordable housing. The current approach is not working, resulting as it does in high-end supercondos and low-end subsidized or government housing, with nothing in-between for working families and others who wish to own their residence without, as some Save EPV opponents advocate, 60-year restrictions on resale pricing, among other constraints and limitations. What is perhaps most interesting about the advocates and the opponents of the Save EPV initiative is that, for the most part, Save EPV proponents are individuals who have lived, worked, and been involved their whole lives in Santa Barbara, and Save EPV opponents are more likely to be individuals who have moved to our community more recently, though there are undoubtedly exceptions.
Smaller buildings are affordable by design. In addition, the truly substantial development intended by some, perhaps most, Save EPV opponents should be mentioned. At a recent forum before the Board of Realtors on this subject, one prominent local Save EPV opponent, an architect, noted several times the beneficial example of San Luis Obispo, which has raised its building height maximum from 60' to 75'. To be clear, as is evident from discussion on Blogabarbara and elsewhere, some "smart growth" advocates (the primary opponents of Save EPV) would like to see 6 or more floors on construction in Santa Barbara.
Passage of the Save EPV charter amendment would permanently forestall development above 3 and 4 stories in the city. Height maximums would become 40' in El Pueblo Viejo and 45' feet in the rest of the city. This would be down from the current citywide maximum of 60'.
The lines on the Save EPV charter amendment initiative could not be more clearly drawn. Opponents wish to see buildings taller than 40' in El Pueblo Viejo and taller than 45' elsewhere in the city. Proponents wish to see 40' and 45' become the maximums, consistent with the historical development of Santa Barbara. In the event that the Save El Pueblo Viejo initiative qualifies for the ballot (which should be known by about September 15--6,480 valid signatures are required), it promises to be one of the most interesting and consequential initiatives in Santa Barbara's history.
Labels: City of Santa Barbara, Height Limitations, Height Limits
