Santa Barbara Council Clears the Way for Downtown Housing Without Affordable Units

Santa Barbara Council Clears the Way for Downtown Housing Without Affordable Units

Developers can build housing inside commercial buildings in downtown Santa Barbara without having to include affordable units. The City Council vote was unanimous at 7-0. “Anything we can do to encourage our downtown property owners in that direction is a good thing,” Councilwoman Meagan Harmon said. Santa Barbara officials are looking to make it less expensive and quicker for developers to get approval if they build housing on top of retail in …