Design Standards

The first Work Group meeting was held on September 10 via GoToWebinar. The meeting materials are found below.

The second Work Group meeting was held on November 19 via GoToWebinar. The meeting materials are found below.

The third Work Group meeting was held on February 11, 2022 via Zoom. The meeting recording and materials are found below:

The fourth Work Group meeting will be held on October 7, 2022 via Zoom webinar.  Meeting materials are found below. 

For decades, housing project design has been directed by design guidelines for specific types of projects and areas of the City. These design guidelines often require interpretation and a judgment call to determine whether they’ve been met.

The new design standards will be “objective,” which means they’ll be measurable and verifiable (i.e., no “gray area” for interpretation). This will make the design review process more streamlined, predictable, and easier to interpret.

They will apply to areas of the City that currently allow two or more residential units (not including accessory dwelling units) and mixed-use.

The City hired Opticos Design to work with staff on the new standards. Opticos Design is researching the City’s existing design guidelines, permitting process, and regulations; interviewing staff, subject-matter experts, design board members, and developers; analyzing the City’s neighborhood fabric and rich architectural character; and applying industry-leading expertise.

The neighborhood analysis was released in January 2022 and is available here. It includes an evaluation the existing physical character of the project area, a study of current zoning standards on five lots, and a list of existing architectural styles by neighborhood and building size.

The project is guided by a Work Group consisting of members of the City’s Architectural Board of Review, Historic Landmarks Commission, Planning Commission, and local American Institute of Architects to provide input on work products and design ideas. Work Group meetings are open to the public. For more information, click here.

There will also be community outreach and public hearings as part of the City’s review and adoption process. Sign up for the Santa Barbara Design Standards bulletin to stay informed of meeting dates and draft work products.

The design standards will be available for condos, duplexes, and apartment buildings. Single residential units, accessory dwelling units, and non-residential projects will not be covered by these new standards.

In May, 2021, City Council adopted the City’s first purely objective design standards, which used the El Pueblo Viejo Design Guidelines as a reference and only apply to the few types of apartment projects that qualify for Senate Bill 35 (SB 35) streamlined approval process. For more information about the SB35 design standards and SB 35 eligibility, click here.  When the new standards are adopted, they will be available for SB 35 projects. 

This project is funded by a State Housing and Community Development Department Local Early Action Planning Grant. The City staff working on this project are funded through the City’s Planning Division budget.