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RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTOMayor Wade Nomura
The city of Carpinteria wants to participate in more discussions about the proposed Bailard Avenue Housing Project.
In February, the Santa Barbara County South Board of Architectural Review discussed concerns about the 169-unit apartment complex.
The apartment complex is the Redtail Multifamily housing development, better known as the Bailard Avenue Housing Project. It is a proposed project containing seven large buildings. The plan calls for six buildings with market-rate apartments and one with affordable housing units.
The buildings are between two and three stories, offering one- and two-bedroom units. Amenities would include a playground, dog parks, a pool, community rooms and outdoor kitchens There are also plans for 276 uncovered parking spaces and 32 bike racks.
“One of the potential benefits we were hoping to see was the housing element,” Carpinteria Mayor Wade Nomura told the News-Press Friday.
But he said the actual amount of affordable housing would be “a drop in the bucket.”
“It also leans toward a for-profit model as opposed to housing assistance,” Mayor Nomura said.
The area is a 6.97 acre plot of land at 1001-1003 Bailard Ave., which falls just outside of the city boundaries, putting the control in the hands of the county rather than the city.
“Originally the city and the county were brought in by the school district to see which organization would want to go forward with the development and the county took exclusive development of the property without working with the city,” Mayor Nomura said. “So it was hard for us to get our foot in the door at that point. We were told we would be working with them but we are still waiting for that.”
Chris Boyd, part of Save the Bailard Farm Coalition, was quoted in Coastal View as saying that the project isn’t a low-cost housing development, despite what developers would like people to believe. He described the program as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Mayor Nomura discussed the project further with the News-Press.
“The impacts of the proposed project do not conform with density and they are putting in more units that go beyond our regulations of size,” he said. “It would put a burden on our infrastructure. The only way they can access the property is through Carpinteria. There is no connection from the countryside. There would be an impact on traffic and infrastructure.”
Project applicant Brent Little was quoted in the Coastal View as saying that developers realized the entry to the proposed development has some challenges, but “we frankly have no other option.”
“The bottom line is a plea to see if we can come back to the table and discuss this with the two agencies involved and come up with real viable solutions that benefit both parties involved,” said Mayor Nomura.
The proposal is still in conceptual stages but will ultimately come before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for approval.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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