Tag archives: Montecito Planning Commission
Santa Barbara County is a place where we value inclusivity, compassion, and support for all residents, regardless of gender, faith, ethnicity or political affiliation. There is still more that unites us; we are stronger together. Beginning today, we will be even more vigilant to ensure the safety of all people, especially the most vulnerable. Immigrants […]
On November 1st, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission unanimously approved Rosewood Miramar’s mixed-used housing development plan. Initially a vocal opponent of the plan, All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church ultimately reached a compromise with the Miramar, which involved reducing the scope of the project. “I stand before you today to say that All Saints withdraws any […]
I’d like to clarify a couple of points regarding my recusal from last Friday’s MPC hearing. I did give an ex parte declaration at the beginning of the meeting as is required. I gave some specific names and also at the end said that I had also spoken with a great many neighbors, especially some […]
Befuddled. I rarely use this word, but found it the most appropriate to describe what I witnessed at the MPC meeting regarding the Miramar project. Talk about Amateur Hour(s). There are a lot a great people in Montecito, who earned their place, with pure intent, and who want nothing more than to preserve the beauty […]
Mr. Hazard, let’s begin with your 1st point (MJ Vol. 30_40, October 3-10, 2024) that the Rosewood expansion will provide “Workforce Housing for Employees.” Yes, affordable Housing is GREAT but only when it’s available to the community at large, not for self-serving interests taking advantage of a poorly written bill; SB-330. So 26 affordable housing […]
On Wednesday, October 16th, the Four Seasons Biltmore received preliminary approval from the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) for its updated development plan. The plan includes adding private hot tubs for the bungalows, renovating the guest houses, building a new pool, and renovating the outdoor dining deck. Ahead of the vote, the MPC requested that the […]
The October 18th Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) meeting, scheduled for the purposes of discussing the Rosewood Miramar’s proposed expansion for mixed-use housing, abruptly ended when Commissioner Sandy Stahl recused herself halfway through, causing the commission to lose its required quorum. The mixed-use housing development plan being considered, in advance of next week’s scheduled County Planning […]
Friday, October 18 was a dark day for those who care about the principles of integrity and fairness in Montecito. This was the day the Montecito Planning Commission utterly failed in its mission to faithfully abide by its legal and ethical obligations in representing our community. Their unfinished hearing amounted to a self-inflicted wound that […]
On October 9, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission (CPC) heard the Rosewood Miramar’s Mixed-Use Housing Development plan, which includes affordable housing for Miramar staff, new retail shops, a cafe, and luxury housing split between the existing East and West parking lots. The hearing emerged after Caruso’s team sent a letter to the CPC citing […]
I was dismayed to see the Journal’s front-page headline stating that the Miramar “short circuits local process and heads to county,” accompanied by a fabricated image of the project. The Miramar has done nothing except recognize, along with the County, that the law leaves the jurisdiction of this matter with the County rather than with […]
In October 2023, five years after re-opening under the ownership of Rick Caruso, the Rosewood Miramar officially declared its expansion plans, first presenting to the Montecito Association Land Use Committee and later the Montecito Board of Architectural Review. The proposed plans include new affordable housing units for staff, luxury apartments for long-term rent, and additional […]
On the eve of Supervisor Elect Roy Lee’s term, it’s positively mind-blowing to see how fast our County apparatus and its various apparatchiks can push various and controversial First District projects forward. Allow me to explain: Rules and process matter because without them Special Interests can – with the help of favoring Supes and the […]
If you live in or near Montecito or you consider it a part of your life, you likely appreciate what makes it such a special place. And while the credit for much of Montecito’s beauty and otherwise special qualities goes to Mother Nature, some of what we all treasure about this community, what makes it […]
Last week the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) received an annual maintenance report on the Debris Flow Mitigation Project. Pat McElroy, a rep for the citizen-led group The Project for Resilient Communities (TPRC), which spearheaded the installation of the six steel debris flow nets that were placed in the canyons above Montecito in 2018, told the […]
The announcement of the new restaurant operation team comes on the heels of the dismissal of multiple appeals made by Coral Casino members against Warner’s application to amend the Coral Casino’s land use permit. The Coral Casino operations team was in front of Montecito Planning Commission in April, asking for amendments to two of its […]
Several neighbors living by the Music Academy have filed appeals to the Montecito Planning Commission’s approval of the Academy’s proposal to revise its Conditional Use Permit. Last month, the MPC voted 3-1 (with Commissioner Sandy Stahl dissenting) to approve the proposed revisions, which include changes to events at the Academy’s property, located on Fairway Road […]
On the heels of receiving approval of changes to operations at the Coral Casino by the Montecito Planning Commission – and subsequent appeals to those changes from five Coral Casino club members – Biltmore and Coral Casino owner Ty Warner’s team was in front of the Montecito Board of Architectural Review last week, asking for […]
With a hopeful intention of reopening later this summer, the Coral Casino operations team was in front of Montecito Planning Commission last week – asking for amendments to two of its 92 conditions of operation of the Biltmore Hotel and Coral Casino Development Plan, which were originally approved in 2005. The proposed amendments include reducing […]
Also at the SB Board of Supervisors hearing, local realtor and longtime resident Sandy Stahl was appointed to the Montecito Planning Commission, filling the vacancy left by Susan Keller, who was removed from the commission in January after nearly a decade of service. Stahl has been a resident of Montecito since 1982, and has been […]
I must add my protest to Susan’s arbitrary removal from the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC). As a 20-year resident of Montecito, who recently had an issue important to us and our neighborhood before the MPC, Susan Keller was one of two commissioners who took the time to listen to us, actually visit the site, and […]
