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The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors passed a set of zoning ordinances and amendments on January 27. The county says these amendments, which are phase two of three, will modernize the permitting process while still protecting the county’s characters and natural resources.
Changes include increasing the height limit to 45 feet for residential areas with a density of 20 units per acre, creating exceptions to design reviews for some ADUs (accessory dwelling units), and increasing the required open space for some projects.
The new ordinances will grant the planning director, not planning commissions, the power to grant time exemptions.
