A proposal has been brought forward to put 131 Condominiums in the Santa Barbara Waterfront area. Approximately 40% of those condos have been proposed to be “affordable housing” with the others being at “Market Rate.”
The project is in the preliminary stages and raises some interesting points about the city’s vision of the area from the Freeway to the Beach. At one point the developer, Bill Wright, had proposed a hotel for the largest site, but that idea was abandoned.
For more about this proposed project please read 131 Condominiums Proposed in the Santa Barbara Waterfront area.
This article makes several different points. I do believe that there is a need for affordable housing so that the working class in the retail shops, resteraunts and such will be able to live and enjoy the city they work in. I also agree that if you build housing, you need to have some kind of shops or otherwise to help support it. The one problem I do see is that Santa Barbara is very quickly running out of room to expand, if not close already, I fear that if they keep trying to squeeze any more in, the city and surrounding area will lose its charm and appeal that attract tourists and others to it.
Posted by: Jim at April 10, 2004 09:03 AMWhat is it with the idea that every project must include "affordable housing" that no one can really afford without assistance or concessions from other hard working people who pay taxes and mortgages to live in less preferred locations??
If people can't afford a home, what is the implied right that they have to live at the Santa Barbara Waterfront?
I don't get it - maybe they should work harder and save more so they can afford to live in that luxurious area if that is important to them, or live someplace less luxurious that truly is affordable?
Why are hardworking taxpayers, who cannot afford to live on the waterfront themselves, always having to make concessions so that lower income people can live in a beautiful preferred location?
Posted by: Randy at April 21, 2004 11:11 AMI get ill everytime I hear that "affordable housing" must be built with every development and that hardworking mortgage paying taxpayers must take up the slack.
Has anyone ever heard of Manufactured Housing? If we truy want to do something affordable - dedicate some land for manufactured housing that people really can afford without concessions. And it doesn't have to be on the prime real estate on the waterfront of Santa Barbara or environmentally sensitive areas in Goleta or elsewhere.