[ From: "Santa Barbara Raises, Then Lowers Height Limitation Visibility," By Lara Cooper, NOOZHAWK, 02/12/2009 ]

... The Santa Barbara City Council and Planning Commission... discussed putting an amendment on November’s ballot that would compete with a citizen-led initiative that began last year.

More than 11,000 signatures were gathered in support of the Save El Pueblo Viejo initiative, which would restrict height limits to 40 feet in downtown areas and 45 feet elsewhere in the city. Currently, buildings are allowed to reach 60 feet in commercial zones. City officials Thursday weighed whether to put an alternative charter amendment on the ballot, which would allow projects to be considered case-by-case, allowing building heights to range from 45 to 60 feet, for community priority, affordable housing and rental projects.

The SEPV initiative, and the proposed charter amendment, both have mixed reviews at the city. The Architectural Review Board did not support the SEPV initiative, saying that having a uniform roof height would lead to a more “homogenized city.” The Historic Landmarks Commission, however, did approve...

The issue becomes even murkier because Santa Barbara is in the middle of updating and consolidating its General Plan, which has been ongoing since 2005. In spite of budget uncertainties, John Ledbetter, the city’s principal planner, said he felt optimistic that the adoption goal of spring of 2010 could be met. But a November ballot will force the issue of height limits earlier.

“The process has taken too damn long,” said Commissioner John Jostes, a sentiment that drew the agreement of other officials.

Nearly all of the session’s public speakers encouraged the officials to put the charter amendment on the ballot.

“The era of two-story Santa Barbara is over,” said housing advocate Mickey Flacks, who said the initiative proposed by SEPV opposed sustainability.

Others agreed.

“We have an obligation for stewardship,” said Detlev Peikert, principal of Peikert Group Architects. Peikert said the SEPV initiative would encourage sprawl.

The issue was more divided between council members and commissioners, several of whom signed off on the SEPV initiative.

“The big buildings are changing the character of the city,” Commissioner Harwood White said.

A founding member of Save El Pueblo Viejo, White said he stands by the voters’ initiative. He said multifamily zoning has been “trashed” and that it should remain modest in size, emphasizing rentals, “not mansionized condos.”

Commissioner Bruce Bartlett emphasized a need to see the bigger picture.

“We’re raising our salaries and lowering building heights,” he said. “I think our focus should be on different things.”

Councilman Das Williams said he was “dismayed with how political this process has become. I work in other communities, and the bad rap for Santa Barbara is that we allow aesthetics to trump other ethical considerations.”

Mayor Marty Blum said that she didn’t want to put an alternative to the SEPV initiative on the ballot. “I think growth in Santa Barbara should be small,” she said. “It always has been.”

The alternative charter amendment item will go before the ordinance committee on March 3 andthe City Council will take it up later next month.

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NOOZHAWK: Raising then Lowering

Labels: building heights, zoning