Funk Zone Hotel Project opponents lose an Appeal before the California Coastal Commission
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A 250-room hotel project approved by the City of Santa Barbara is going forward after an appeal was rejected in front of the California Coastal Commission.
The commission is meeting in Santa Barbara at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort this week.
The hotel is a project by the Wright Family H. Limited partnership. The appeal was filed by the group Keep the Funk and citizen Steven Johnson.
Among the issues are concerns about onsite soil and groundwater contamination that could be “exacerbated by project activities and the site’s vulnerability to flooding and sea level rise,” according to the report in front of the commissioners.
The City reviewed showed it “had sufficient evidence to conclude that the project conformed with the flood and coastal hazard policies.”
The City and the Wright Family confirmed that all of the hotel units met the definition of moderate-cost, visitor-serving accommodations.
The project will also have a 238 space underground parking structure, 29 parking spaces above ground, six affordable housing units, a 208 square-foot market, meeting rooms, a fitness center, a swimming pool, two spas, a courtyard, and a roof deck. The project also includes restoration of an on-site drainage area.