Tag archives: renovations
“Home.” It’s complicated. Home is where the heart is, and where you hang your hat. Home is where – when our best intentions go astray – the chickens come to roost. Are the words House and Home interchangeable? Only loosely. “House” is a structural term, an object subject to space, time, and mortgage amortization. “Home” […]
Montecito Union School is moving forward with some much-needed – and long anticipated – improvements to campus next summer, which will take over a year to complete. “This project has been fifteen years in the making, and has gone through a huge number of changes,” said Superintendent Anthony Ranii, who sat down with us earlier […]
It was so inspiring to see La Casa de Maria and the property coming to life because it was one of the most damaged from the 2018 debris flow. It borders San Ysidro Ranch and there were nine buildings destroyed — all the dorms and retreat center facilities. They were servicing 12,000 folks a year […]
After nearly 13 years in the making, plans for expanding and remodeling the Montecito YMCA are once again moving forward, with the YMCA’s project application expected to be submitted to Santa Barbara County by the end of the month. “We’re still here, and the project is still happening,” said YMCA executive director Mike Yamasaki, who […]
To the Ventura Harbor Boat Yard with my trusty shutterbug Priscilla, where the beloved Santa Barbara whale watching vessel, Condor Express, owned by Hiroko Benko, has been undergoing a major transformation. The 100-ton, 74-foot catamaran, which was rebuilt in 2011, still had the original engines from its 2002 launch, and had to meet new environmental […]
Earlier this summer, the Cold Spring School Board of Trustees approved a school bond measure on the upcoming November ballot, the first of its kind in 12 years. Measure L2020 is a $7.8M bond that will be used to fund much-needed infrastructure improvements and to fund a new classroom building to replace the dilapidated portables […]
Summerland residents and visitors who enjoy Lookout Park should be feeling pretty hopeful: the construction aspects of the long-anticipated improvements to the east end of the ocean view community recreational area are almost complete – but there’s still a three-month waiting period for the official opening. The project will open to the public in December […]
Last Thursday, July 23, representatives from the Coral Casino were in front of the Montecito Board of Architectural Review presenting alterations to the private club, which has been closed for several months during the COVID-19 pandemic. While rumors continue to swirl over owner Ty Warner’s ultimate plans for the Coral Casino (as well as the […]
Lotusland, the late opera singer Ganna Walska’s 37-acre botanical paradise, has just completed the biggest project in its history with the $6 million two and a half year renovation of the one and a half acre Japanese Garden. The massive project, designed in conjunction with Lotusland CEO Gwen Stauffer, Derrik Eichelberger of Arcadia Studio, and […]
It’s been nearly a decade since reps from the Montecito YMCA set out to renovate and enhance the community facility on Santa Rosa Lane. After multiple iterations, revisions, and countless community meetings, a new conceptual design is in the works, with new renderings released this week. The former, more expansive plan, which was submitted to […]
