••• The Santa Barbara Public Library plaza will finally open with a party on November 3. —Edhat
••• Regarding the former St. Anthony’s Seminary property at 2300 Garden Street, which sold at auction in June, the Independent points out that the buyer was a “limited liability corporation called 2300 Garden LLC, incorporated in Delaware. The recorded document shows an address that belongs to Jennifer and Jerold Myers of Grandview-on-Hudson, New York.” Jennifer Myers declined to comment to the Independent (or to me last month). The article doesn’t mention the rumor I’ve heard from a couple of people: that the plan is to open a Sufi retreat of some kind. Of course, that’s just a rumor until it’s confirmed.
••• It would be much preferable to what’s happening at nearby 505 E. Los Olivos Street, where “a Los Angeles County developer has proposed building 255 apartments in an eight-story building,” which is a disaster for that part of town. “The developer, under a separate entity, is also behind a 30-unit project nearby on Grand Avenue, which is currently in court.” —Noozhawk
••• President Biden and his family are vacationing in the Santa Ynez Valley, and contrary to a published report (since redacted), they will most likely not be dining at the fictitious Pretentious Boar & Ale House. —Noozhawk
••• The story behind the new Tilly Timms souvenir store on State Street. —KCLU
••• In one post, Noozhawk gathered together two stories about Montecito homeowners mistreating their Moody Sisters cottages. One on Middle Road “had been deemed a landmark by the Board of Supervisors. According to court documents, the cottage was destroyed by homeowners Laurie and Charles Corson last year. It also alleges Laurie Corson was driving the bulldozer that destroyed the building.” (You don’t get a lot of opportunities to level a landmark….) The Corsons claim “the building posed a risk to the neighborhood.” And then there’s the cottage on Periwinkle Lane where owner Richard Scibird “installed a black metallic roof and changed it from the original height,” irking neighbors who prize the street’s historic charm. Scirbird, a real estate agent who can hardly claim ignorance about how things work around here, subsequently “agreed to include painting the house to a more neutral color and changing outdoor light fixtures to a style that is closer to the Moody theme.”
••• The Historic Landmarks Commission agreed that Franceschi House [at Franceschi Park] should be torn down, but members didn’t love the proposed design, and instead “suggested that the city make the viewing area larger and more circular, and to create a connection between all of the areas of the site to allow easier access for people with disabilities.” —Noozhawk
••• “The driver of a Mercedes-Benz sedan lost control of the vehicle and crashed on [Alameda Padre Serra] on Sunday, striking a fire hydrant before reportedly fleeing on a skateboard.” —Noozhawk
••• “A special [California Highway Patrol] midweek Maximum Enforcement Period spanning from Ventura County to Santa Cruz [last] Wednesday led to 531 citations, with 385 for speeding and multiple verbal warnings. […] Some 36 tickets went to drivers exceeding 100 mph, according to the CHP. Officers arrested seven people for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.” —Noozhawk
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Our council people, legal and planning/ building need to put a stop to these oversized settlement style housing projects being proposed in these Santa Barbara locations. Not appropriate!! Enough is enough!
If people want an old house preserved in amber… buy it.
All in favor of throwing the drivers in jail and the cars in crushers?
This apartment monstrosity near the Mission is a result of the developer using CA’s Builders Remedy. Which is a result of a city and its planning department being wholly incapable of performing their duties. The entire department and building process is a clown car of bureaucratic nincompoops. They are either corrupt, or completely incompetent and incapable of the most basic duties.
Fire them all. Every single person. And start over.
Agreed!
I believe the Corsons tried for years to give away their Moody house for free, but the city made it so difficult for someone to move and install it that multiple deals fell through.