Planning Commission approves Marburg corporate office at 2 S. Quarantina St.; coastal permit and development plan granted

The Santa Barbara Planning Commission on Feb. 13 approved a coastal development permit and development plan for a two‑story, 18,575‑square‑foot corporate office building for Marburg at 2 South Quarantina Street.

Pilar Plummer, associate planner, summarized staff’s recommendation and the project’s zoning and coastal considerations. She told commissioners the site lies in the non‑appealable jurisdiction of the coastal zone in the industrial component of the local coastal land use plan and that City Council previously allocated 12,142 square feet of non‑residential floor area to the project under a community benefit designation. The applicant combined that allocation with demolition and minor‑project credits to reach the 18,575 square‑foot request.

“Marburg is a locally owned company that provides a broad public benefit in solid waste management for the city,” Plummer said, summarizing the council’s reasoning when it granted the community‑benefit allocation.

What the commission approved - The project proposes demolition of existing onsite structures and construction of an 18,575 sq ft, two‑story office building with 102 vehicle parking spaces and 12 bicycle parking spaces. Staff said the vehicle parking requirement is 67 spaces; the applicant proposes 102. The applicant also proposes landscape improvements and replacement of removed trees. - Staff found the project consistent with zoning height limits, Code parking requirements and relevant local coastal policies; Architectural Board of Review (ABR) had reviewed and generally supported the design. - Staff concluded the project qualified for an infill exemption under CEQA (City environmental analyst’s determination) and recommended approval subject to the conditions in the staff report.

Design, sustainability and site issues - Architect Brian Cornell said the building will use mass timber construction and be oriented to maximize roof‑mounted solar. “Preliminary indications are that our solar panels will create a net‑zero building,” Cornell said. He described a recessed glazed courtyard and interior cafeteria opening to an outdoor employee seating area. - Sarah Eiza, airport capital development manager, and other staff answered technical questions during the CIP item earlier in the meeting about federal funding eligibility on airport projects; for the Marburg project, the Planning Commission focused on site design, parking, flood elevation and hazardous‑materials screening.

Neighborhood and technical concerns - Commissioners asked about utilities and whether overhead lines near the site would be undergrounded. City staff said on‑site service connections are required to be undergrounded; the larger existing utility poles serving the street frontage are not automatically removed as part of this approval and would be addressed through utility agencies and building permit requirements as applicable. - Commissioners also asked about environmental hazards on the site. Staff said prior Phase I environmental reports (2003, 2021) exist and that the project’s conditions of approval require continued coordination with Environmental Health and building permit review, including required sampling during grading. - Commissioners discussed parking and access; the applicant said the lot will be gated at night and intended primarily for employees and customers using on‑site services during business hours.

Vote and action - The planning commission approved the coastal development permit and development plan on a unanimous roll call vote. Commissioners voting yes included Peterson, Barnwell, Wisscomb, Balke, Dilucio, Vice Chair Boss and Chair Wardlow.

What comes next - The project is appealable within 10 calendar days under the municipal code. Building permit review will address flood‑elevation requirements, grading, geotechnical work and any required hazardous‑materials mitigation identified in environmental sampling.

The commission’s approval includes the findings and conditions listed in the staff report.