Montecito Inn black awning controversy settled

The debate on whether the Montecito Inn awning should be allowed to be black is over. The Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the appeal.

The Historical Landmarks Commission voted on April 18, 2018, to approve the awning submission on the condition that it would be a dark green awning, with the logo of the restaurant, Frankland’s Crab Co., on it.

The Commissions vote was split 4-to-4. Commissioner Lenvik states that the commission should not be so strict about small details like the color of an awning. Commissioner Orias said that a color other than black might be a commercial advantage.

Commission Mahan stated that since the Montecito Inn is a historic resource, which it is within the commission’s purview to decline black as an awning cover since it is not a pre-approved color.

Owners of the Inn appealed the action to the City Council stating that there are a lot of other black awnings on Coast Village Road.

“With so many black awnings in the area…we, unfortunately, have no other conclusion to come to other that we are indeed being discriminated against by the City based on the age of our building,” said Danny Copus, Owner/General Manager, in a written letter to the City Council.

During the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Councilmember Eric Friedman re-iterated what Commissioner Lenvik about how the City should focus on bigger issues.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve the appeal of the black awning at the Montecito Inn on Coast Village Road.