The developers behind a proposed 443-unit rental housing development on the southern portion of La Cumbre Plaza (the former Sears store and auto center) brought an updated set of plans before the City of Santa Barbara Architectural Board of Review on November 10, where the project received a strong slashing from boardmembers who said the design needed much more work in order to fit Santa Barbara’s long-held Spanish-style aesthetic.
Project applicant Dave Eadie of Kennedy Wilson real estate, landscape architect Scott Baker, and RC Alley of AO Architects presented the updated plans and a tentative parcel map for the project, which includes hundreds of units to be built on a 9.4-acre site, along with a common outdoor areas, a multi-use path along Arroyo Burro Creek, and a 10,000-square-foot amenities building.
An earlier version of the project came before the city’s design boards in March and April of this year for a pre-application review. Since then, the developers have made changes to the plans in response to comments made by members of the Architectural Board of Review and Planning Commission. Alley, the lead architect, said the overall vision was improved to address comments that the first version was too complicated.