The battle between Eastside residents and the Salvation Army continued Monday night when the Eastsiders swarmed an Architectural Board of Review (ABR) hearing on the nonprofit’s plan to build homeless housing on Alisos Street — one woman even threatened to take the issue to the Santa Barbara Superior Court. The ABR members ultimately found the Salvation Army’s design deficient and voted for the architect to revise it before coming back.
The hearing came one week after the Salvation Army held a community meeting at the Eastside Library to explain the project and answer neighbors’ questions; it had quickly spiraled into 150 attendees chaotically spewing opposition. Many of residents at that meeting came to the Monday hearing. Flyers on doorsteps and car windshields throughout the Eastside announced the ABR meeting to rally more protesters. Of the 20 or so public comments, only one was in support.
The conceptual review hearing, the first step in getting the project approved, only allows board members to review the aesthetics of the design and how well it fits in with the neighborhood. The proposed use of the house is beyond the ABR’s control, but that didn’t stop residents from lashing out against it anyways.