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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Santa Barbara County submitted its Draft Housing Element Update for 2023-2031 to the State on March 31, 2023. A copy of it can be
found at https://www.countyofsb.org/3177/Housing-Element-Update . Completion of the Housing Element comes after the County presented the draft to the public on January 30, 2023, kicking off a 30-day public comment period. During that time more than 430 comment letters were received. The County diligently worked through the comments and updated the County’s Housing Element.
The public comment process was beneficial and provided several changes to the County’s Housing Element. These include new programs and approximately 19 additional sites that the Board of Supervisor’s can consider for rezones/future housing, seven of these new additions are County owned sites. An interactive map showing all of the proposed sites can be found at https://sbcopad.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9375e0705e864eada0ff535c23ba99ac .
“Our team combed through all of the public comments and we were encouraged to find several additional sites to add to the Housing Element. Everything from employee housing opportunities in Montecito to affordable housing opportunities on County owned property was added during this review period. The County has worked hard to find sites that meet the State’s guidelines to ensure that the County has identified viable sites that can be built during this 8-year cycle and add the much-needed housing the people working in this county so desperately need,” said Director of Planning and Development Lisa Plowman.