••• La Cumbre Plaza keeps getting more downmarket (which is not to say that this isn’t a worthy cause): “Donations for Alpha Resource Center’s thrift stores will be accepted at its new donation center at 3485 State Street in La Cumbre Plaza—in the building that formerly housed the Sears Auto Center. […] In the beginning, the donation center will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but the organization said that phase two of the move will include accepting donations seven days per week.” —Noozhawk
••• The Montecito Journal has an update on the Coral Casino, including that it’s unlikely to admit guests of the adjacent hotel (nominally still a Four Seasons), as it had in the past; there’s no news about when said hotel might reopen; and once renovations at the private club are done, its Tydes restaurant—the name is a play on owner Ty Warner’s name—might allow members of the public to dine there.
••• An interview with Santa Barbara Police Department chief Barney Melekian, who is retiring soon. —Newsmakers
••• “American chef Charlie Palmer and hotel industry veteran Christopher Hunsberger have big plans for your next vacation. […] In June, the duo, who met some 20 years ago, announced their newest partnership on Appellation, a hotel brand fusing culinary and hospitality experiences into one. […] Appellation, meaning ‘to give a name to a place,’ will be a place for what they call ‘approachable luxury,’ available across several new-build hotels in destinations like Idaho with Appellation Sun Valley, and in California with both Appellation Healdsburg and Appellation Pacific Grove. (Plans are already underway for hotels in several other locations, including Napa, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, and more.)” —Food & Wine (Via Edible Santa Barbara)
••• The wooden flag pole at Santa Barbara Junior High School, cut down last year by a vandal, has been replaced. —John Palminteri
••• La Casa de la Raza, on the Eastside, has a new Sunday market with “collectibles, antiques, multi-cultural items, clothing, and one-of-a-kind gifts. Many of the sellers are local residents, and some are up from Los Angeles.” It’s 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. —KEYT
••• “Penny-on-the-Dollar Sales Tax Increase to Go to Goleta Voters […] Measure Could Raise $10 Million Annually for Street Repairs and Other Needed Improvements […] about 40 percent of it likely paid by out-of-town shoppers at the city’s big-box stores.” —Independent
••• “A UC Regents committee approved a new 540-unit residential project for the UC Santa Barbara campus to house faculty and staff at a May meeting after years of planning and debate. The project will include 180 two-to four-bedroom for-sale townhomes, 360 one-to three-bedroom rental apartments, and retail space and parking facilities.” —Noozhawk
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Is the downmarket” comment about LC plaza real or opinion? Alpha drop off location replacing Sears seems like a good solution to a longtime vacancy. I see it as a win. I can go to Bristol, Macys, or target and drop off donations and so can others. Would the logic apply if Ross, Marshals, Nordstrom Rack moved into the space?
Absolutely. Full-price retailers don’t like being around discount retailers because they want people in the mood to spend, not save. People who are giving away stuff they don’t use much aren’t exactly a retailer’s ideal clientele, either.