I have been following the progress of the proposal for an eight-story (!) apartment building directly behind the Old Mission in Santa Barbara, hoping it would somehow disappear. Sadly, these plans appear to be proceeding with an aggressive push. The time has come to add my voice to our local architects and planning professionals.
There is a good reason why communities have environmental standards, and this project is the poster child for this need. Its location is set into a narrow canyon in an area prone to wildfires and debris flows. Even without the potential additional traffic through this corridor, a one-lane winding road, vehicles must slow to a crawl and avoid cyclists and pedestrians. Anyone familiar with the area knows how inappropriate the project is for this location. The Builder’s Remedy should not enable this dangerous increase in population density in an area with limited access and evacuation routes. This reason should be enough to deny the project, however due to a delay in the local Housing Element, it is plowing ahead despite local opposition.
The recently published advertisement by a group of local architects and planning professionals says it all (Independent 07/03/2025). Just one glance at the rendering is enough to horrify those dedicated local citizens who, over the last 100 years, have helped to create our beautiful city. I hope that we can, together, find a way to stop this project.
