Tucked between the duplexes, apartment buildings, and houses in Isla Vista are empty lots. They are few and far between these days — largely spots that weren’t developed during I.V.’s building boom of the 1950s and ’60s.
You can find one of these lots off Camino Pescadero and Picasso Lane, surrounded by apartment buildings and a sorority house, and near Chabad at UCSB, a Jewish community center. That site will soon see a three-story building, headed up by local developer Ed St. George. It will add options for students, who often live three or four to a bedroom. But it will likely also add cars to I.V.’s overcrowded streets.
The Site Plan
The project includes 24 three-bedroom units across two buildings and 37 parking spaces; 26 of those spaces will be tandem spaces, meaning two cars park one behind the other. St. George’s team plans to widen an existing private driveway, which will connect the complex to Camino Pescadero.
The project will include six affordable units — three marked for very low-income tenants and three marked for moderate-income tenants. That qualifies the project for density bonuses and concessions. Called Senate Bill 330, state law says that housing projects with some portion of affordable units are allowed to go beyond zoning regulations — the more affordable units, the more concessions a project can get.
This project is requesting a 50 percent density bonus, allowing it to add eight additional units. It’s also requesting to increase bedroom density from 29 to 72. Finally, it asks for a small height increase —39½ feet versus the maximum 35 feet…