The California Coastal Commission last week approved Santa Barbara County’s rezones of three properties just outside of Carpinteria city limits for high-density housing, to the disappointment of city officials and some members of the public who for years have argued against putting high-density housing on the agricultural side of Carpinteria’s urban-rural boundary.
Santa Barbara County and the property owners for all three parcels — the Bailard property at 1101 and 1103 Bailard Ave., Van Wingerden 1 at 4098 Via Real and Van Wingerden 2 at 4711 Foothill Road — also agreed to increase the minimum number of affordable units to just over 32%. Van Wingerden 1 and 2 were originally zoned agricultural and Bailard for single-family residential, though there currently is a small farm on the Bailard property.
Because the county’s proposal was modified to include roughly 32% affordable units (an increase from the Board of Supervisors’ previous agreement of 20%) the rezones will go back to the supervisors for a final vote…