Planning commission reviews broad package to streamline single‑family design review

Santa Barbara Planning Commission on Dec. 4 discussed a staff‑led package of ordinance and guideline changes designed to reduce the number of single‑family projects that must go through the Single Family Design Board (SFDB) and to speed permit timelines.

City planning staff, led by city planner Ellen Kokinda and acting design review supervisor Ted Hamilton Rolle, framed the package as a response to community feedback and a 2020 Novak Consulting Group report that recommended simplifying the permit process. Rolle said the proposals are intended to preserve aesthetic oversight while removing redundant review steps for projects that do not change a home’s massing or floor area.

The draft changes would exempt exterior alterations that add no new floor area and that either visually match existing development or produce a cohesive design. Staff estimated—conservatively—that the amendments would reduce the number of SFDB projects by at least 21% based on a three‑year review of 440 projects; staff said the actual reduction could be higher.

Key changes in the draft include raising several administrative approval thresholds and aligning mailed‑notice triggers so more projects can be approved by staff rather than at hearings. Examples staff identified: administrative approval for first‑story accessory buildings and additions would increase from 500 to 800 square feet, second‑story administrative approvals would increase from…