Carpinteria ARB recommends final approval for Aliso Elementary kindergarten building, urges longer‑lived landscaping

The Carpinteria City Architectural Review Board on March 12 recommended final approval of a new single‑story kindergarten building at Aliso Elementary School, while asking the school district to substitute longer‑lived groundcovers and provide clearer landscape maintenance plans.

Megan Musaf, planning staff, told the board the project would remove seven portable classrooms and replace them with a 6,467‑square‑foot building with a maximum height of 27 feet, 10 inches. She said the design has been approved by the Division of the State Architect and the planning commission, and staff’s recommendation was “to recommend final approval to the community development director.”

The board’s review focused on design refinements since preliminary ARB review. Musaf described a reduced Koopala footprint but a slightly taller roof pitch intended to reduce perceived bulk, a change from tile to standing‑seam metal roofs with a small brass finial, added cornices and corbels, tile accents on the west elevation and terracotta‑colored window grills. The plans also include a slight reconfiguration of the kindergarten parking area to add ADA‑compliant parking, a net removal of five parking spaces, and updated planting selections.

Vice Chair Okconor and other members praised the architecture but pressed the district on landscaping and long‑term maintenance. Okconor said the project’s maintenance description was thin, characterizing it as effectively “mulch and weed whipping,” and urged the district to budget for care beyond seasonal upkeep. Board members said some proposed groundcovers are unlikely to age well near heavy use by children.

Board member Little moved for final approval with a recommendation that the two proposed groundcover species be replaced by longer‑lived varieties; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote (tally not specified in the record). Staff indicated the ARB may forward comments to the community development director and work with the district and the landscape architect on substitutions that would not add cost.

The board’s action was procedural: it recommended final approval to the community development director rather than issuing a final permit on the spot. The project team said portables will remain in use until construction is complete and that the design changes reflect responses to prior ARB feedback and to state review.

Next steps: staff will forward the ARB recommendation and any suggested plant substitutions to the community development director for final administrative action; the transcript does not specify a deadline for that decision.