<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0o7WY4_1D8LhtVB00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0o7WY4_1D8LhtVB00" width="1840" height="1228" ></figure>Housing is a national crisis but a critical one in Santa Barbara. To preserve the charm and special character of our community, we have developed a process of delay and denial for new building projects, especially for new housing. Getting approval for any new project is costly, prolonged, and problematic.The mindset in our community toward housing is changing as the development of a master plan for the revitalization of State Street has shown. Likewise, the efforts to house our lower-income workers are indicating a new attitude.The production of housing is not an isolated challenge as the Community Environmental Council’s ecological Principles for the Downtown Core underscore. This Ecological Framework advocates an integrated development model that lays out an urban environment emphasizing the relationship between housing, mobility, shade trees, stormwater management, biodiversity, climate resilience, and the health, happiness, and inclusivity of people.Key city staff, in consultation with local architects, developers, and environmentalists, have created a Better Buildings Pilot Program. Although still being finalized, it will test whether a flexible, incentive-based, more predictable development framework can accelerate downtown housing production while incorporating defined community benefits. Central to the program is the principle that housing can be climate action, particularly through paring reduced vehicle dependency and greenhouse-gas emissions with a strengthened walkable, compact, parklike downtown.Applicants would earn points by voluntarily incorporating defined community benefits into their projects. Examples are adding affordable units above the required number, including larger family-oriented units, making units all-electric, planting native landscaping, improving stormwater management, and building paseos and pedestrian connections. Then there are construction impact offsets: adaptive reuse of existing structures, choosing low carbon concrete (concrete is the biggest carbon emitting construction material-eight percent of all planetary greenhouse gases) and using mass timber construction. Points are attached to all these benefits. In exchange for providing these community gains, the applicant would apply the accumulated points to receive additional residential density, increased height without separate height exception hearings (keeping the 60-foot City Charter maximum), elimination of parking minimums, and reduced plan check turnaround times. Local developers have said, “more units, more height, flexible parking requirements, and a streamlined permitting process are what make their projects’ economics work.”This program, per the draft document, “is intended to directly advance the City’s climate resilience, housing, mobility, and ecological objectives by incentivizing development projects that function as integrated ecological infrastructure.”This five-year pilot embodies nimbleness, flexibility, and the courage to experiment while still complying with State and City Charter requirements. All components and outcomes are to be measurable including urban heat mitigation, stormwater capture, expanded tree canopy, biodiversity support, multimodal connectivity, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved public spaces.The balance between accelerated new housing and ecological and climate gains will be tracked on an ongoing basis so that adjustments to the Program can be made for optimum results. This has the potential to be a big win for our community. </div></body>

Block Source: Santa Barbara Independent

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

Housing is a national crisis but a critical one in Santa Barbara. To preserve the charm and special character of our community, we have developed a process of delay and denial for new building projects, especially for new housing. Getting approval for any new project is costly, prolonged, and problematic.

Linking Needed Housing and Climate Resilience Gains

NewsBreak

Housing is a national crisis but a critical one in Santa Barbara. To preserve the charm and special character of our community, we have developed a process

Linking Needed Housing and Climate Resilience Gains

Comments