Carpinteria ARB grants final approval to 72‑room Hotel Harmony on Via Real

Acting Chair O'Connor and city staff presented a final review of Project 161822 on Feb. 12, 2026: the proposal would demolish a single‑story, 5,678 sq ft church and build a two‑story, 72‑room hotel with a 22,460 sq ft footprint and 44,191 sq ft total floor area on a 2.6‑acre site at Via Real and Highway 101. Staff noted the project received planning commission approval on April 3, 2023, and a time extension in December 2024, and that a CEQA mitigated negative declaration with mitigation measures for wetlands, biological and cultural resources, hydrology, noise and monitoring was prepared and adopted.

Staff and the applicant presented elevations, materials and a rooftop line‑of‑sight exhibit showing parapet screening for rooftop equipment. The project team said the rooftop installations would be screened and that photometric plans and directed fixtures were intended to limit spill light. The applicant confirmed the hotel brand will be an independent Hotel Harmony (previously proposed as a Fairfield Inn by Marriott) and that, for feasibility reasons, the…