Padaro Lane’s Trees Might Just Get Spared

••• “Did the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum building sell?” emailed T. “No sign of a ‘for sale’ sign on the building.” Developer Ed St. George’s SBID LLC paid $3 million for 21 W. Anapamu Street in May. No clue what his plans are. He had announced in April 2025 that he was “done” with Santa Barbara and has been focusing on the Santa Ynez Valley; perhaps the 1903 building was too good to pass up.

••• LOSSAN, shorthand for the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees the rail corridor from San Diego to San Luis Obispo, has long wanted to add a second line of track along Padaro Lane in order to allow for more traffic. In June, during a community meeting, residents pushed back hard for various reasons, most of all that the new track would require removing a lot of the street’s distinctive trees. LOSSAN said it would do a tree study to determine exactly what would be involved. Well, the agency just sent out an update (underline mine):

LOSSAN’s contractors have shared preliminary results from the independent tree study for the project area near Padaro Lane. The project team brought these preliminary findings to the LOSSAN Board on Monday, September 21, 2026, to discuss the potential financial and environmental implications and get the Board’s feedback and direction before moving forward.

The Board provided feedback and expressed support for the project team to explore the feasibility of shifting the project footprint compass west of the current alignment at Padaro Lane. If feasible, this adjusted footprint—which would be closer to the existing bluffs, under the Padaro Lane overpass—is expected to reduce tree impacts, help contain project costs, and increase the distance between the project and the Padaro Lane community.

The LOSSAN Capital Projects team will return to the Board at its next meeting [October 19] to seek any approvals or authorizations needed to begin a feasibility study of the adjusted footprint.

••• The Montecito Trails Foundation reports that “for the first time since 2023, Romero Canyon and Franklin Trail are open in their entirety in the front country. […] Because of the limited scope of work authorized by the Forest Service, Old Romero Road has been downgraded to a Trail Class 1, meaning it is now a minimally developed trail. In practical terms, that means you should expect rougher tread, less brushing and vegetation clearing, fewer signs, and a more rugged, less maintained experience than the trail has had in the past.”

••• Perhaps in an effort to bolster its claim to be a museum, and therefore exempt from property tax, “Bellosguardo is thrilled to collaborate with the David Kordansky Gallery in bringing the first contemporary art exhibition to Bellosguardo since the property was bequeathed to the foundation by Huguette Clark. From September 30 through November 15, Bellosguardo will replace our traditional house tours with a contemporary exhibit” featuring 26 artists (including Tom of Finland!). “Guests will still be guided through the house by our team of docents, but they will have the flexibility to admire the individual works at their pace.” Entrance costs $100, and the art is for sale. Below: “Volition” by Tristan Unrau.

••• Direct Relief is hosting a tour of its warehouse—the nexus of its worldwide humanitarian outreach—on October 10 7. It’s free, and you don’t have to donate, but you’ll probably want to. Register here.

••• The Historic Landmarks Commission’s September 23 consent agenda includes an item about the train station parking lot (State Street/W. Montecito Street)—the booths will be stripped and unmanned, and patrons will have to use new self-pay stations.

••• Opening October 4 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara and the AlloSphere at UCSB: Falling into the Future: Kinetic Art at the Edge of the World , “a new contribution to the history of Kinetic Art in presenting contemporary perspectives on technology, through artworks made by contemporary artists living in California and around the Pacific Rim [….] These artists utilize robotics, AI, video, light (both natural and artificial), and interactivity to speak to global concerns around climate change, traditional ecological knowledge, the impact of technologies on the body, and the poetics of the mundane.” Below: “Nexus” by Chanel Khoury; “Starstruck” by Mary Heebner; and “Universe” by Manjari Sharma.

················

Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter and you’ll never miss a post.

Padaro Lane’s Trees Might Just Get Spared

Comments