A controversial property owner’s latest project on hold

The Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously to keep Dario Pini’s latest project from moving forward. The project involves a new rental property on Santa Barbara’s west side. The Architectural Board of Review had already approved the project; however, some neighboring residents addressed city council Tuesday night, urging for an appeal.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the council voted to send the project back to the ABR with recommended changes. There’s also an important condition,
Pini will not be able to get a permit for this project until he has resolved his existing legal matters with the city.

Pini owns a number of properties throughout Santa Barbara County, many of which have posed problems over the years, with multiple code violations, overcrowding issues, among other things. Ultimately, his history is what’s really at play.

This latest project is a two-story home with an attached two car garage set to be built at 1911 Chino Street. Pini bought the property in 2011. There’s an existing single family, two-bedroom home in front. This new unit would be in the back.

Besides the second story obstructing views, neighbors are mainly concerned about the property getting overcrowded.

Pini tells NewsChannel 3, that’s not the case. He says it’s a family home with four bedrooms, four-bathrooms, the perfect fit for a family. He also addressed concerns about parking, indicating that they have off-street parking that fits the city’s requirements. As for maintenance, Pini says he has about 40 people working for him to address all issues.

NewsChannel 3 Reporter Shirin Rajaee reports.