The ‘State and Hope’ for Housing in Santa Barbara

A line 150 people long stretched into La Cumbre Plaza on Wednesday evening as Santa Barbarans took turns squeezing into a packed room to view diagrams of the 642 new rentals to be developed on the parking lots and building currently housing Macy’s department store. They weren’t there to place applications to rent — groundbreaking won’t likely be feasible until Macy’s lease ends in 2028 — but to buttonhole the developers, architects, and city councilmembers on hand to field questions during the open house.

Many had expected the project’s team to present concepts and plans that evening and to be able to engage in a question-and-answer session. Instead, the father-son developers — Jim and Matthew Taylor — hosted a table laden with sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres in a room lined with sketches, plans, maps, and the architects and engineers involved. They plan to transform one of the three properties that make up La Cumbre Plaza into a mix of residences, local retail, restaurants, and public open space. The latter could include, amid stores and cafés, a space for outdoor films, a farmers’ market, trees, and seating.

Their 8.79 acres stop short of Pottery Barn and Lure restaurant on the mall, and extend to State Street, Hope Avenue, and the mall road past Chipotle. The plan is for a lower frontage at six live-work spaces along State Street, with the multi-story residences rising in the central parts of the acreage. Two levels of underground parking are proposed.