I am genuinely disheartened by last week’s Independent publishing a disingenuous photo of the proposed development behind the Mission. I love reading The Independent, and always appreciated the publication for being honest, but the photo of a dark tower looming over a historical site is plain fear-mongering.
I read the entirety of the article and appreciate the research done on the mysterious developers, as well as the historical context of the buildings currently on the site. The rest of the article reads as pandering to a NIMBY audience. A small caption stating the photo doesn’t represent the proposed development is ignored by most readers.
Why do I care? As a young professional with family, friends, and work keeping me in Santa Barbara, it hurts that my favorite publication is being weaponized for the NIMBY minority. I may never be able to own a space in this city and this article is further hindering future developments from being approved by altering the opinions of those who hold power (I mean wealth).
I am a nurse at Cottage who can barely afford rent and groceries. I look forward to starting a small family with my partner, and I wish there was more support for any housing development in Santa Barbara. Instead, I’ve had a couple patients mention The Independent‘s cover photo this week with follow up along the lines of “S.B. doesn’t have space” and “We don’t need to be like L.A.”
The sad part is, there are some genuine arguments against the development that I agree with: the shady developers/investors from outside our community who want to remain anonymous, fire/flood hazards, archeological significance, and the obvious adjacency to a tourist destination. These points are not conveyed through this picture, it simply reads as “look what they want to do to our town!”
I implore you to remove the photo from the online article, as well as publish an apology in the next publication. Opinions are valued, facts are important.