Some Santa Barbara residents lost their battle to stop a 90-unit housing project in the lower eastside of the city.
Several residents showed up to the City Council meeting on Tuesday to ask council members to stop the housing project, which is near the corner of Gutierrez and Milpas streets.
They said the project is not compatible with the neighborhood because the building is too high, and expressed concerns about the potential for increased traffic.
Despite these objections to the project, the Santa Barbara City Council voted 4-3 to deny the appeal.
Mike Jordan, Santa Barbara City Council member, explained that state laws intended to boost housing have tied the hands of the City Council, and therefore council members do not have the power to appeal projects that meet certain requirements.
“Unfortunately in today's world, this becomes at least in my opinion a very technical black-and-white, unemotional event,” said Jordan.
State laws require cities to approve projects that meet local zoning requirements. Stopping the project would open up the city to lawsuits by the developer and the city could lose out on state money intended to help pro-housing communities.
