The Santa Barbara Mission is a historic part of the city and a proposed eight-story apartment building nearby has locals upset for many reasons.
"I think it's a horrific idea to have anything that would come up behind it and spoil the view of the mission which has been here since the 1700s," said resident Roz Brown.
Brown was one of several residents who shared concerns about the proposal to build a 255-unit apartment building at 505 E. Los Olivos, directly behind the mission.
"My first thought was, oh no, the traffic!" said Mandy Sikich.
Sikich visits Mission Park with her dog every day and says the area is already congested with cars from locals and tourists.
"Kind of feels like maybe not the best spot to increase traffic that much," Sikich said.
If approved, the development would include 51 low-income units and 434 parking spaces beneath the apartments.
The development falls under the state’s “Builder’s Remedy,” allowing developers to bypass regional zoning codes if a city doesn’t have a state-approved housing element. Santa Barbara’s housing element was certified in February 2024, while plans for 505 E. Los Olivos were submitted in January 2024.
"At this time, because the projects are incomplete, the city has not reviewed them for compatibility with our development standards," explained Eli Isaacson, Santa Barbara Community Development Director.
Isaacson says the developers had until November 18 to submit edited plans to the city.
The companies behind the development, SoCal Industrial Equities and The Mission LLC, were contacted by phone and email for this story but neither responded.
