Tag archives: Land Use Committee

Housing and Flooding Discussed at Land Use 
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   November 14, 2023

At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting, chair Bill Babbitt introduced Cindy Chvatal, who will be working with the committee regarding affordable housing requirements and initiatives in Montecito.  Babbitt explained there are three different ways the state of California is trying to add to affordable housing supply: the Housing Element and RHNA (Regional […]

Proposed Expansion from Rosewood Miramar
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 10, 2023

Rosewood Miramar reps were in front of the Montecito Association Land Use Committee on Tuesday presenting on a newly proposed project to add more employee housing as well as 12 new resort shops plus a café, and 15 market-rate apartments that would be available for long-term rent. The employee housing would be located on what […]

Summerland Signage Woes 
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   December 13, 2022

Also at the Land Use Committee meeting, representatives from the Summerland Citizens Association (SCA) reported to the committee that they are spearheading an appeal of a portion of developer John Price’s new Fuel Depot project at 2285 Lillie Avenue in Summerland. Specifically, the SCA is appealing the gas station’s sign on the back side of […]

The Montecito Association Wants YOU Do you care about your Montecito village community? We’d love to have you on our team!
By Sharon Byrne   |   September 20, 2022

Whether you’re new to Montecito, or have been here for decades, you probably adore the bucolic scenery, laid-back vibe, and rural feel here.  Well, that didn’t just happen all by itself. A heck of a lot of people who cared deeply spent decades shaping the community we experience in Montecito today. The Montecito Association was, […]

Construction Coming to Montecito
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   August 16, 2022

At a Montecito Association Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting last week, project reps from the Highway 101 team gave an update on the project as well as timelines for two parallel projects, one of which is slated to begin construction this fall. The meeting was in advance of a highly anticipated hearing next week […]

Upcoming Road Projects
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 12, 2022

At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting earlier this week, reps from several agencies shared their upcoming schedules related to road construction work in Montecito.  Last week bids were opened on the sewer main relocation at Olive Mill and San Ysidro, which is preliminary work in anticipation of the two roundabouts that are […]

Land Use Committee Meets
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 10, 2022

On Tuesday, May 3, the Montecito Association Land Use Committee met via Zoom to further discuss the parking issues at the Hot Springs Trailhead, which we’ve covered extensively over the last several weeks.  On the call were 30 members of the community, including members of the Land Use Committee, as well as representatives from the […]

Gas-Powered Generators Being Installed; 101 Widening to be Reviewed
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 14, 2021

At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use & Transportation Committee meeting, the group heard from Carla Leal of Cox Communications, who reported on new gas-powered generators being installed in Montecito. The project, which aims to install 49 generators throughout the Montecito area, stemmed from a decision issued by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) earlier […]

Fire Smoke Drifting In; Housing Bills Facing Opposition
By Sharon Byrne   |   August 31, 2021

In the past few weeks, you may have noticed a smoke smell in the air and greyer skies. That’s wildfire smoke drift coming into the area. If you watch the Purple Air site (purpleair.com), you can zoom in or out to monitor air quality conditions in our area and across the state. Our Air Pollution […]

Land Use Discusses Highways 101 & 192, and Walking Paths
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 15, 2021

Kirsten Ayars, rep for the Highway 101 widening project, reported on Tuesday at the Montecito Association Land Use and Transportation Committee that recent attempts at deterring the double crested cormorants in the construction area at Sheffield Drive have been negatively affecting neighbors, and that plans have shifted in order to deter the birds while not […]

Montecito Association Tackles Multiple Land Use Issues
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 14, 2021

The Montecito Association Land Use Committee met earlier this week, and took a look back at the major land use projects the committee worked on in 2020. “We recognized early on after the debris flow that there would be multiple large scale projects to tackle,” said MA Executive Director Sharon Byrne, adding that the projects […]

BOS & Land Use Committee Discuss Short-Term Rentals
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 3, 2020

On Tuesday, September 1, the Board of Supervisors considered revisions to an ordinance pertaining to short-term vacation rentals (STRs) in unincorporated Santa Barbara County. The last ordinance drafted was in 2017/2018, but was quickly denied by the Coastal Commission, which cited the failure of the ordinance to protect existing overnight accommodations in the Coastal Zone. […]

Two More Significant Projects
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   June 4, 2020

On Tuesday, June 2, the Montecito Association Land Use Committee tackled two significant projects in the works for Montecito: the Randall Road Debris Basin and the development project proposed for the Montecito Sanitary District, both of which are in the comment period of their respective environmental documents. The Land Use Committee held a Q&A session […]

Latest on Randall Road Debris Basin
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 7, 2020

On Tuesday, May 5, the Montecito Association Land Use Committee met virtually via Zoom, with special guests Tom Fayram and Jon Frye from Santa Barbara County Flood Control. The Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Randall Road Debris Basin project was released earlier this week, and is available to view online. The 45-day comment period […]

Land Use Committee Discusses MSD Plans
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 9, 2020

On Tuesday, April 7, the Montecito Association Land Use Committee met via Zoom to discuss an upcoming project in Montecito: a proposed project by the Montecito Sanitary District that includes a new 5,000-sq-ft Essential Services building with a new 17-space parking lot, lighting and landscaping, multiple solar canopies, and a new recycled water treatment system, […]

Montecito Association Meets Remotely
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 19, 2020

On Tuesday, March 17, the Montecito Association Board of Directors met via teleconference. The Board discussed a proposed project by the Montecito Sanitary District that includes a new 5,000-sq-ft Essential Services Building with a new 17-space parking lot, multiple solar canopies, and a new recycled water treatment system, as well as demolition of the existing […]

Land Use Discusses Trails and Debris Basin
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 12, 2020

At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting, Bucket Brigade founder Abe Powell and Montecito Trails Foundation president Ashlee Mayfield presented an update on the network of community trails that the two groups are committed to building and maintaining. “Trail repair was a top priority in a poll we took following the debris flow. […]

Land Use Committee Discusses 2020 Goals
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 6, 2020

Chris Sneddon, Deputy Director of Transportation for the County of Santa Barbara, was back in front of the Montecito Association Land use Committee on Tuesday, reporting that several changes have been made to the San Ysidro Roundabout project over the last several weeks. The project is set to be back in front of Montecito Board […]

New Utility Poles in Montecito Proposed
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 9, 2020

At the Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 7, representatives from Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) outlined draft amendments to the Montecito Land Use & Development Code related to a proposal to install advanced gas meters throughout the Montecito community. Advanced gas meters, which are often referred to as smart meters, transmit gas […]

Notable Commercial Sale
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 5, 2019

In August, the Old Firehouse building at 1486 East Valley Road in Montecito was purchased by an unnamed investor with ties to the Santa Barbara area. The property was listed for $16 million, and closed for $13,000,000. Francois DeJohn, Kristopher Roth, and Caitlin McCahill Hensel of Hayes Commercial Group represented all parties in the transaction.  The 6,357 square-foot […]