City Approves Two Big Redevelopments

In the past two weeks, the Santa Barbara Planning Commission has approved two major downtown redevelopment projects ​— ​one on the 400 block of East Haley Street and the other on the 200 block of East De la Guerra ​— ​which cumulatively would quintuple the amount of developed square feet there from 8,400 to 43,000. The existing one- and two-story structures would be torn down to make way for new three- and four-story developments. These developments are part of the city’s Average Unit-Size Density program, which is designed to encourage the development of smaller housing units by allowing greater densities and reduced parking requirements. Together the two projects will provide 54 new rental units.