Ordinance committee forwards adaptive reuse ordinance to City Council to speed commercial-to-housing conversions

The Ordinance Committee of the City of Santa Barbara voted 2–1 to forward a proposed adaptive reuse ordinance to City Council for introduction and adoption, moving a package of incentives designed to make it easier to convert existing nonresidential buildings into housing.

Dana Falk, project planner with Long Range Planning in Community Development, told the committee the ordinance implements Housing Element Program HE‑1 to “facilitate the conversion of nonresidential buildings to housing,” and recommended the committee forward the draft, determine it is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act, and find it consistent with the general plan.

The ordinance would allow adaptive reuse projects citywide in areas that already permit multiunit residential uses, limit conversions to existing building envelopes, and require converted buildings to be at least five years old. The measure delivers four development incentives for eligible projects: removal of a separate maximum residential density (projects would be limited only by the existing building envelope), exemption from the residential open‑yard requirement, no additional vehicle parking beyond on‑site parking, and retention of existing setbacks. The draft also sets maximum average unit sizes of 800 square feet for rental projects and 1,200 square feet for ownership projects and requires active nonresidential ground floor uses on a defined portion of State Street. Projects must still meet existing rules such as inclusionary…