New Apartments Proposed in Goleta

A small, vacant lot at the Calle Real and Los Carneros roundabout in Goleta may soon hold 14 one-bedroom rentals in a project submitted by RRM Design Group under a pair of state Housing Accountability Act provisions. The mixed-use proposal for 6491 Calle Real sits at the southeast corner of the intersection and will also hold 585 square feet of commercial space. The project uses the Housing Accountability Act and Senate Bill 330 to increase the density at the half-acre lot and to go through the city process with no more than five public hearings, a press release from the city stated.

The project achieved its extra housing — amounting to 26.4 units per acre instead of the maximum 20 per acre normally allowed in Goleta — by meeting a 20 percent low-income standard. The deed-restricted inclusionary units are not counted in the density number. For the fraction remaining — the lot is 0.53 acres — the developer is to pay an in lieu fee to meet the inclusionary standard.

Sited across the roundabout from the Islamic Society, whose building is 35 feet tall, and up the street from the offices of the Santa Barbara CHP, the project will also have 20 parking spaces and a total of 16 bicycle spaces. The parking lot now on the plans would need to seek a waiver from the city’s “parking lot heat island” standards, which require either shade from trees or a light material on the ground.

Once part of an orchard in the 1960s, the site lies 750 feet north of Highway 101. City staff stated air filtration equipment would not be required for the units. HEPA filters were added to housing projects to the south of the highway, such as Cortona and Villages at Los Carneros, but staff said this new development is further from the highway.

At 37 feet two inches, the height of the building will come under review, as it is two feet over the maximum 35 feet for a lot zoned Office Institutional in Goleta. RRM is acting on behalf of the owners; according to the Secretary of State’s office the project owner is 6491 Calle Real Partners LLC, managed by Santa Barbara real-estate broker Jason Jaeger.

The project will come before the city Planning Commission for a major conditional-use permit to change the zoning to mixed-use and multiple units. The project gets its first vetting from city officials at a Design Review Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 25.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the project falls under the Builder’s Remedy; it does not as the development will meet objective standards. The correct address is 6491 Calle Real, and the project will seek a waiver regarding the heat island rules.