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Staff Hearing Officer approves garage conversion to accessory dwelling unit at 306 Palisades Drive
Summary
The Staff Hearing Officer approved converting an existing detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 306 Palisades Drive. The decision was made without a public hearing and is final for the city's coastal zone; no public comments were received.
The Santa Barbara Staff Hearing Officer approved a proposal to convert the detached garage at 306 Palisades Drive into an accessory dwelling unit on Feb. 19, 2025. The project was reviewed under Santa Barbara Municipal Code §28.44.110 and was decided without a public hearing.
The project would convert an existing 382-square-foot detached two-car garage with a 219-square-foot storage room to an ADU and provide two replacement uncovered parking spaces within the driveway; no new square footage would be added. The Staff Hearing Officer said the lot is in the city's coastal zone and noted the decision is the final action of the city for that non-appealable jurisdictional category.
Staff determined the project is exempt from further environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines cited in the staff report. In summarizing the decision, the Staff Hearing Officer said, "I visited the site, reviewed the staff report and approved the project, subject to the findings in the staff report and the conditions of approval outlined in the staff report." No public comments were received on the item.
The project will be permitted under the findings and conditions listed in the staff report; the staff record indicates public comment was solicited in writing but none was received. The staff report relied on the municipal code provision for ADU review by the Staff Hearing Officer and the CEQA exemption cited in the record.
Project documents and conditions of approval referenced in the hearing will be used to issue building permits and to confirm compliance with the identified conditions.
