Hotel project appeal may mean the end of the Press Room bar in Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A hotel project on land where the famous Santa Barbara Press Room bar sits, will likely mean the last beer will be poured at some point during the development phase.
The project cleared all city hurdles including the Planning Commission with an approval. It is now being appealed to the full City Council on Tuesday. If the appear is denied, the project can move forward.
The footprint for the hotel connects the 700 block of State Street with the middle of the block on Ortega Street in what is viewed as an "L" shaped plan.
That's where a proposed 66-room hotel is on the drawing board, along with a restaurant, bar and parking.
A film about this issue, the little bar in the way of a development project, was aired in the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2023. Recently, it won a top honor in the Burbank International Film Festival.
It is called "Locals Only, the Big Little Pub."
Bowline Films released a condensed review piece and in it, the Press Room owner James "Raf" Rafferty said, "when we open, I tried to explain what local is. Local is a community center where you an get a job, if you're missing for a couple of days we go knock on your door, that's what this place is. It's a little room but it has the soul of a big pub."
The six-minute film clip will be part of the presentation to the Santa Barbara City Council during the meeting Tuesday which begins at 2 p.m.
The names on the appeal are Gareth Kelly (the film maker) and Steven Johnson.
Their issues include a complaint that the project does not include any housing and they said it will increase the need for housing.
The site has met all the criterial for the City’s Zoning and Building Ordinances, and there is no requirement for additional housing for this project, or to pay a housing impact fee.
As part of the community feedback, a petition of support for the project has more than 15,000 names.
At the Planning Commission, the application is identified as 710 State St Partners L.P., Adam Geeb, Managing Member and the applicant is Kevin Moore.
