Smarter Regulation, Better Results

Removing Red Tape

Santa Barbara is a city with high standards, and those standards matter. Our planning process exists to protect our neighborhoods, our environment, and the unique character that makes this community special. Unfortunately over time, layers of well-intentioned rules, regulations and overlapping review processes have created a system that is increasingly difficult to navigate. Today, building a home, renovating a restaurant, or converting an underused commercial space into mixed use or housing can take years of approvals and carry enormous costs before construction even begins.

When projects face long timelines and uncertainty, the cost of development rises dramatically. Those costs ultimately get passed on to residents through higher housing prices, higher rents, and higher prices for goods and services.

We can do better.

Santa Barbara should focus on smart regulation rules that protect our community while also allowing responsible progress.

• Streamlining permitting and review timelines

• Reducing duplicative layers of approval across departments

• Encouraging adaptive reuse of existing buildings

• Making it easier to convert underutilized commercial properties into housing or mixed-use spaces

• Providing clear and predictable pathways for property owners and small businesses

If a project maintains Santa Barbara’s architectural character and fits within our planning goals, it should not face unnecessary barriers.

In particular, we should encourage redevelopment that reuses existing structures without major exterior changes. By focusing on repurposing existing structures I believe we can speed up the permitting process. These types of projects can add housing, revitalize commercial corridors, and support small businesses while preserving the visual character of our city.

Santa Barbara doesn’t need fewer standards, we need a system that works.

By modernizing our processes and removing unnecessary hurdles, we can support housing, strengthen our local economy, and help ensure that Santa Barbara remains a place where people can live, work, and build a future.