Paul Wellman

Chapala One, 60 feet tall and almost a block long, nestles up next to Mission Creek at the corner of Chapala and Gutierrez streets. It bears 46 homes on its top three stories, above street level shops. Fans say it’s smart growth that will save the countryside from suburban sprawl, and that it fits in with Santa Barbara’s historic tradition of wonderful tall buildings such as the much-celebrated Granada.