Dashing the hopes of a young couple expecting a baby in January, the Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday told a Samarkand family the planned expansion of their home could ruin the character of the neighborhood.
The council sided with the critics of Kris and Samantha Zacharias' plan to add a bedroom and bathroom to the front of their house on Stanley Drive, so Mrs. Zacharias' mother could move in and help with child care.
"This neighborhood is famous for preservation," said Councilman Brian Barnwell. "We run into neighborhoods in transition. This neighborhood is not in transition. I am a defender of neighborhoods and I believe in preserving the neighborhoods."
The Zachariases' proposed addition, which stretched about 4 feet into the required 20-foot setback from the street, had infuriated many residents of the Samarkand neighborhood, known for its wide setbacks and open feel of the street. They appealed an earlier city approval, in a 6-0 vote.