The Board of the Pearl Chase Society supports Measure B because it will help protect the historic charm that has made Santa Barbara such a beautiful place in which to raise our families. We wish to preserve our small-town character by refusing to exchange our mountain and ocean views for tall and overly dense buildings.

We feel that the recent appearance of large and expensive projects in our downtown is not compatible with what makes Santa Barbara so special. They establish a new kind of development that appears overwhelming, overbuilt, and unaffordable to middle-income wage earners. While the recession has slowed new building, we know that economic recovery will soon occur. If Measure B is not in the Charter, the developers will be emboldened to maximize their projects and Santa Barbara as we know it will be lost to intense development.

Measure B is not retroactive and will not affect our existing buildings should they be damaged by an act of God. Those that exceed the new height limits will be given legal nonconforming status and can be rebuilt pursuant to the City Ordinance.

We believe that Measure B is compatible with affordable housing. We continue to support sustainable growth and low-income housing, and note that Santa Barbara has over 4,000 affordable units that are all less than 40′ high.

Vote yes on Measure B. Please help us protect the city we love.-Sue Adams, president, Pearl Chase Society

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Why did more than 11, 500 registered voters in Santa Barbara sign a Petition to

Get Measure B (known as Save El Pueblo Viejo) on the ballot once they became informed?

Please see the details of this ballot measure for yourself at: saveelpuebloviejo.org.

Concerned citizens want preserve the heart of downtown Santa Barbara for the long term. Our footprints, large or small, will remain long after we do, and the size and weight of what we build now will be standing long after we are gone. With Measure B in place, tourists and locals will still be able to appreciate a walkable, pedestrian-friendly downtown Santa Barbara.

In addition to studying the measure and arguments, please drive down Chapala Street to see the projects that fueled the fire for Measure B. Look at all the sides of these buildings.

See for yourselves why Measure B garners support from diverse members of our community who see the need to prevent massive, out of scale buildings in our historic district: Save Santa Barbara’s unique qualities for generations to come. Vote Yes on Measure B. Thank you for considering my point of view.-Berni Bernstein

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