Shoppers stroll through La Cumbre Plaza. Writer Nathan Post is concerned about a high-density housing development that has been proposed for the Santa Barbara site.
I recently wrote a screenplay — unlike anything I’ve written before. It’s a comedy and a tragedy. It’s called “The Monster’s Son.”
In the 1930s, Universal Studios came up with three prominent Frankenstein movies. In 1931, Frankenstein came to the screen. This was followed in 1935 by “The Bride of Frankenstein” and finally in 1939 by “The Son of Frankenstein.”
Many, if not most, probably do not know that Dr. Frankenstein did not intend to create a hideous, frightening creature. Victor went to great lengths to produce a beautiful creature from body parts he collected from the morgue and freshly dug graves. The creature was perfectly proportioned. It had luxuriant, black hair and pearly white teeth. He was also 8 feet tall because Dr. Frankenstein thought it would be easier to assemble if the creature was larger.
The proposed development at La Cumbre Plaza has much in common with these films. To begin with, the proposed “Neighborhood” project alone would be the single largest housing development in Santa Barbara history. The developer hopes to build 685 units on 8.79 acres of land. That is approximately 78 units per acre.
Like Victor’s monster, it was designed to stand out in a crowd. Some of the buildings will be 74 feet high, with few exceptions, taller than any building in Santa Barbara. The average height of a six-story building is 65 feet tall. The 74 feet elements will be 29 feet higher than the existing buildings at La Cumbre Plaza. The maximum height limit at La Cumbre Plaza is currently 45 feet. The maximum allowed height limit in the city of Santa Barbara is 60 feet. Santa Barbara voters approved that height limit with a 3-1 margin.
Unless you live in a city filled with high-rise buildings, 78 units per acre could be seen as a high-density development. Typically, there are nine to 10 detached single-family homes on an acre of land. For mobile homes, that number may be 15-20 units per acre (some say nine units.)
Townhomes or row houses typically contain 12-18 units per acre. Garden apartments generally contain 19-25 units per acre. I think we can assume that 19-25 units in a garden apartment is a far cry from the 78 units per acre proposed by the developer of the “Neighborhood.”
While the “Neighborhood” is a bodice-busting development, the apartments it will contain are remarkably small. The average apartment in the “Neighborhood” is 716 square feet. How small is that?
In the United States, the average apartment in 2018 was 941 square feet. In 2019 the average apartment was 900 square feet. The current average is 882 square feet.
It is a downhill battle. Holding out against this assault on humanity, the average apartment size in the southeast is 975 square feet. The average hotel room is approximately 13 by 25 feet or 325 square feet. That includes a table, two beds, a bath and a small closet. One or two suitcases are about all that space can handle.
The “Neighborhood” units are about the size of two average hotel rooms. What remains would have to accommodate a living area, dining area, kitchen, closets, storage cabinets, washer/dryer, room for opening doors, etc. You can store your bike on the — well, there are no balconies. This may be a good size for a single, but otherwise couples may be subjected to a bit more intimacy than they expected.
As if that weren’t bad enough, each unit will be allocated one parking space. I can see families attempting to move into these tiny units stacking mattresses against the wall during the day and trying to park their second or third car on the street at night.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse, the Santa Barbara City Council has embraced a housing element designed to cram as much housing as possible into La Cumbre Plaza. It is an act of desperation that the council hopes will solve the city’s housing problems. It can’t and it won’t. This housing element could saddle La Cumbre Plaza with up to 2,000 high-density housing units.
A few years ago, the owners of the Sears building were contemplating a 540-unit housing development. The owners of the Sears property have reportedly signed a ground lease with a housing development firm headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz. We could call that development “The Bride of Frankenstein.”
The remaining property belongs to the mall owner Macerich. Development of the Macerich property would plunge a final dagger into the heart of La Cumbre Plaza. Anything representing sanity on upper State Street would be lost. It could be called the “Son of Frankenstein.”
Where will we shop when the mall is gone? Lower State Street is dead, Paseo Nuevo is dead, and La Cumbre Plaza will be largely obliterated.
Somehow or another, the housing crisis has caused us to lose our collective minds and sensibilities. Do we have to destroy the quality of La Cumbre Plaza to provide housing in Santa Barbara?
A project that honors Santa Barbara’s sensibilities could be built. Some of the housing could be spread out to other areas. Paseo Nuevo could provide some space for housing. There are a lot of one-story buildings that could be made into two-story buildings. Multi-use designations could be expanded. Several properties could be repurposed.
Between January 2020 and January 2021, California lost 182,000 residents. From 2010 to 2020 California lost 1.2 million residents. Companies are leaving California in droves.
The developer of La Cumbre Plaza came to Santa Barbara in the 1960s. Santa Barbara was a tranquil town in the 1960s. His offices are located in El Paseo. One would think he had a Santa Barbara sensibility. Why else move into El Paseo, one of the most iconic buildings in town? That sensibility seems to have disappeared, at least when it comes to La Cumbre Plaza.
One thing is certain, Pearl Chase is rolling in her grave. People come to Santa Barbara because it is not like the place they came from, but boy, it is turning into that place.
The “Neighborhood” appears to be a compact, concrete high-rise environment, surrounded by a parking lot, with minimal landscaping. Each unit will have a view of the parking lot, another building, or the street. No recreational amenities have been identified that I know of. Where is the swimming pool for 700 residences? (God only knows how people will be packed into these units.)
Where is the Jacuzzi? Is there an exercise room? Is there a clubhouse or a place where residents can hold meetings or events like birthday parties? I don’t see a bit of grass for kids to play on.
There appears to be minimal landscaping to soften the concrete. If a resident wants to barbecue, what then? Will cats and dogs be allowed? If so, where are they going to take care of business?
