Paseo Nuevo Housing Plan Divides Santa Barbara Planners and Residents
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — The new look to downtown Santa Barbara could soon take shape, as developers and city planners weigh a transformative redevelopment plan for the Paseo Nuevo Mall, a project that could bring hundreds of new homes to the city’s core.
The Santa Barbara City Planning Commission reviewed the proposal Thursday, it has many moving parts. At the heart of the plan are The Georgetown Company and AB Commercial, working with architectural firm Gensler on a concept that reimagines the mall as a mixed-use hub stretching from State Street at Ortega to Chapala Street
“This is huge,” said Duncan Paterson, Design Principal and Studio Director at Gensler. “In the retail world, things are changing immensely, the days of department stores are over, and that’s what’s prompting this.”
The redevelopment would add 233 market-rate units and 80 affordable units, though the exact pricing has not been finalized. A grocery market is also proposed for the corner of State and Ortega Streets, alongside reworked parking and pedestrian corridors designed to bring more energy and residents into the downtown corridor
“We’re right in the historic core, and we want to take a cue from adjacent and nearby historic buildings,” Paterson said. “Retailers need foot traffic. They need residential. They need these other things to survive. Now it’s a very different world than 20, 30 years ago.”
Under current city rules, building heights are capped at 60 feet. But with the inclusion of affordable housing, developers are seeking state density bonuses that could allow structures up to 75 feet high.
Paterson noted that the design team has taken care to “make sure that everyone on the pool deck can still see unobstructed to the ocean,” acknowledging the balance between density and aesthetics that’s central to Santa Barbara’s character.
Still, not everyone is convinced the current design is the best fit.
Rob Fredericks, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara, urged planners to refine the proposal.
“Packing 80 units into this narrow portion of Lot 2 strains good design and limits light and open space,” Fredericks said. “A range closer to 50 to 60 homes would deliver better quality and neighborhood compatibility, a building that the community can take pride in.”
Former city planner Pat Saley echoed those concerns, asking why alternative configurations hadn’t been more deeply explored. “Why can’t the whole project site, including the inline stores, have some of the housing?” she asked, suggesting that approach could avoid exceeding the city’s charter height limit.
Some residents, however, say it’s time for Santa Barbara to embrace taller buildings. “With the issue of density, there’s really only one good option, which is to go up,” said Cameron Gray, a downtown resident who supports the project’s direction.
The plan’s supporters argue that mixed-use density is key to revitalizing downtown, particularly with the former Macy’s and Nordstrom buildings sitting empty for years.
If this project goes through, the building where the former Macy’s store is located on State and Ortega Street would be reconverted for the first time in more than 35 years.
Two public open houses will give residents a chance to see the renderings and weigh in on the plans:
Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 12 to 1:30 p.m.
Both sessions will be held at 707 Paseo Nuevo, near the vacant Nordstrom building which, while not part of this project, may also be eyed for future housing and retail.
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