New Luxury Units Not ‘Workforce Housing,’ Says Sneddon

Housing costs have grown so astronomical throughout the South Coast that new luxury apartments in downtown Santa Barbara — going for as much as $5,250 a month for a two-bedroom unit — now fall within the definition of “workforce housing” for purposes of securing City Hall bonus density incentives designed to promote the creation of new rental units. That’s the case for the brand-new Casa Anatega building, located at the architecturally sensitive intersection of Anacapa and Ortega streets.

The new building, developed by Michael Rosenfeld and Austin Herlihy, offers 30 units of rental housing on top of a ground floor of still-to-be-determined retail or commercial space. Designed by architect Brian Cearnal, the building offers thick white stucco walls with enough Moroccan tile work, customized wrought-iron fixtures, and panoramic window views of the Riviera to qualify as Architectural Digest’s playmate of the month. The roof is covered with low-lying succulents designed to capture rain and funnel it through customized copper spouts into Moorishly tiled planter boxes nearly five feet high.

While the architecture will win both praise and awards, the rental rates are starting to induce heartburn even though tenants don’t start moving in until February 1. “This is another example of how the AUD [Average Unit-size Density] program is not meeting the intended purpose of creating workforce housing,” stated Councilmember Kristen Sneddon. “We need meaningful housing. We need it to be addressing the needs of the missing middle, not giving away limited space to incentivize luxury units.”