PETITION FOR SUBMISSION TO VOTERS OF PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF SANTA BARBARA
The City Attorney has prepared the following title and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure.
INITIATIVE MEASURE TO AMEND THE CITY CHARTER’S BUILDING HEIGHT LIMITATIONS.
This measure, if approved by the voters of the City,
would amend Santa Barbara City Charter Section 1506 (as approved by the
voters in November 1972) to further restrict the allowed height of buildings
within the city. It would reduce the height presently allowed for buildings
in certain areas of the City zoned for commercial, manufacturing and
industrial uses from a maximum height of sixty (60) feet to a maximum
height of forty-five (45) feet. In addition, it would impose a new maximum
height of forty (40) for all buildings within the area of the City called
“El Pueblo Viejo” (as defined in Santa Barbara City Charter Section 817)
except for single family and duplex residentially zoned areas of El Pueblo
Viejo. The height limit for single family and duplex residentially zoned
areas of the City would remain at thirty (30) feet throughout the City
of Santa Barbara as currently provided in Charter Section 1506. The measure
would also allow the Santa Barbara City Council to establish by City
ordinance, reasonable methods for calculating a building’s height. To the City Council of the City of
Santa Barbara:
We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters of the State of California,
residents of the City of Santa Barbara, pursuant to Section 3 of Article
Xl of the California Constitution and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section
34450) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 4 of the Government Code, present
to the City Council of the City this petition and request that the following
proposed amendment to the charter of the City be submitted to the registered
and qualified voters of the City for their adoption or rejection at an
election on a date to be determined by the City Council.
The proposed amendment is set forth below, as follows:The people of the
City of Santa Barbara do ordain as follows:
Section 1506 of the Charter of the City of Santa Barbara shall be amended
to read as follows:
“Section 1506. Building Heights. Limitations.
It is hereby declared that the policy of the City that high buildings are
inimical to the basic residential and historical character of the City.
Therefore, building heights are limited to 30 feet in areas zoned for
single family and two family residences, and building heights in areas
zoned for residences for three (3) or more families and all other building
heights shall be limited to 45 feet except in the El Pueblo Viejo Landmark
District* where building heights shall be limited to 40 feet. The Council
may, by ordinance, set limits of heights less than these maximums. The
Council may, by ordinance, set up reasonable methods of measuring the
heights set forth in this section.*The El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District
is as defined in Section 817(c) of this Charter. Areas zoned for single
family and two family residences in the El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District
are subject to the 30 foot height limitation above. Areas zoned for residences
for 3 or more families and all other building heights in the El Pueblo
Viejo Landmark District are subject to the 40 foot limitation above.
The present boundaries of the District are shown in Exhibit A.”
NOTICE OF INTENT TO CIRCULATE INITIATIVE PETITION
Notice is hereby given by the persons whose names appear hereon of the intention to circulate a petition within the City of Santa Barbara for the purpose of amending the City Charter to reduce current maximum building heights in most areas of the City, including the historical El Pueblo Viejo area. The reasons for the proposed amendment set forth in the initiative are as follows:
1. Santa Barbara is defined by its natural beauty with sweeping scenic vistas from the mountains to the shoreline. It is equally defined by its historic character, reflected in the Spanish-style architecture of its many historic buildings.
2. To preserve and protect the area where many of the most historic buildings are concentrated, the City established the El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District which includes the downtown, central business district, civic center and nearby areas.
3. Recognizing that not only traditional architectural styles, but also traditional building scale is an essential feature of the City’s historic character, the voters of Santa Barbara amended their City Charter in 1972 to establish building height limits throughout the City. The Charter Amendment states that “it is hereby declared the policy of the City that high buildings are inimical to the basic residential and historic character of the City.” However, recent development proposals to intensify development in the historical downtown and its surrounding areas threaten to overwhelm its traditional character with building which are incompatible in height and scale.
4. The Land Use Element of our General Plan states that “building heights expressed by the current zoning ordinance be maintained and, if anything, be reduced in certain areas, such as El Pueblo Viejo. Building heights are so important to the nature of urban development that the City should consider being even more positive than simply maintaining zoning ordinances establishing the desired maximum height limit. Placing the maximum building height limits into the Charter should also be considered by the electorate.” While building height limits were placed in the Charter 35 years ago, it is now fitting for the electorate to reconsider the appropriateness of those values in relationship to the intensity of current and future development.
5. The Initiative proposes to amend Section 1506 of the City Charter to reduce maximum building heights, including those in the El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District. The revised maximum building heights are critical to ensuring that new development throughout the City is compatible with the historic character and scale of the City’s historical areas and buildings, while still allowing reasonable development and redevelopment within the City.
Signed:
William Mahan, Emeritus AIA, Chairman, Save El Pueblo Viejo;
Sheila Lodge, Mayor City of Santa Barbara, 1981-1993;
Brian Barnwell, Councilmember City of Santa Barbara, 2003-2007.
