Planning commission approves Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort expansion, approves transfer of development rights

The Santa Barbara Planning Commission on May 15 approved permits for an expansion of the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort at 633 East Cabrillo Boulevard that will add rooms and building area, modify parking, and rely on a transfer of unused development rights from the approved waterfront hotel across the street.

City project planner Kathleen Kennedy summarized the project and the required approvals: demolition of one single‑story building that contains eight guest rooms and the siteʼs tennis courts; a roughly 50,000‑square‑foot addition to Building B; reconfiguration of other rooms; and a net increase from 360 to 433 guest rooms (a net gain of 73 rooms). “The project involves the demolition of 1 building, 1‑story building that has 8 guest rooms … It will increase the number of guest rooms from 360 currently to 433,” Kennedy said during the staff presentation.

The project will increase total hotel square footage to about 375,708 square feet (a net increase of about 45,928 square feet), reduce on‑site parking from 931 to 851 stalls (including a 71‑space valet allowance for events), and increase bicycle parking from 58 to 100 spaces. The applicant requested a parking modification, a development plan allocation from the cityʼs nonresidential growth management pool (small/minor categories), a transfer of existing development rights (TDR) of 43,118 square feet from the waterfront hotel parcel, and…