Pini Plans Clear ABR

Landlord Dario Pini’s plans to build a two-story addition to a single-family home on the 1900 block of Chino Street on the city’s Westside squeaked through the Santa Barbara Architectural Board of Review (ABR) by a vote of 4-3. Several neighbors objected that the new structure was out of character with the smaller single-family homes surrounding it and that it would intrude into the backyards of the five adjoining properties. But the real issue was Pini’s reputation as a code-busting landlord. ABR member Gary Mosel objected Pini was proposing “a boardinghouse” with too many rental units and too few parking spaces for the neighborhood. But other ABR members countered that Pini’s architect, Gil Barry, did a superb job responding to neighborhood concerns and scaling back plans. As approved, Pini can now build a four-unit addition — with four bathrooms — to the front house, which has already been expanded from two units to four.