City of Carpinteria, California September 9, 2025 Hon. Patricia Kelly Presiding Judge of the Superior Court

Santa Barbara County and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria own land that is surplus to their operational requirements, some of which could be used for affordable housing. City of Carpinteria Response: Disagree. The City owns approximately 130 acres of land, over three-quarters of which are dedicated for public parks and open space. Several of the City’s larger public open space properties are also subject to deed restrictions or conservation easements which significantly restrict the types and intensity of development that may occur on them, ensuring their permanent protection for public open space and/or conservation purposes. The remainder of City- owned lands, which cumulatively comprise approximately 10 acres, are used for the City’s three downtown public parking lots, the City Hall campus, a parcel fully developed with a flood control detention basin, and a single parcel presently developed with a 100% affordable housing development (i.e., Atrium Court Apartments). The three public parking lots are heavily relied upon by residents, employees, and visitors to the City’s downtown core and adjacent public recreation and open space areas. The city hall campus (approximately 4.8 acres) contains city administrative offices, council chambers, public works incorporation yard, sheriff sub-station, a public skatepark, and surface parking lots to support those uses. 5775 CARPINTERIA AVENUE • CARPINTERIA, CA 93013-2603 (805) 684-5405 • FAX (805) 684-5304 www.CarpinteriaCA.gov The City has, in the past, worked with affordable housing providers to make surplus City- owned lands available at little or no cost to facilitate production of affordable rental housing in Carpinteria (e.g., Atrium Court Apartments, Dahlia Court Apartments Expansion). However, having previously dedicated those limited surplus lands to such uses, the City has exhausted that resource. In light of the above information, the City does not own any remaining lands that are surplus to its operational needs.

The process for issuance of a permit for affordable housing development projects in the County and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria is costly, time consuming, and complicated. Page | 2 City of Carpinteria Response: Disagree partially. The City is located entirely within the California Coastal Zone,1 which necessitates most development to obtain a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) in accordance with the City’s certified Local Coastal Program (LCP). The LCP is certified by the California Coastal Commission, and contains both objective and subjective policies that prioritize protection of sensitive coastal resources. Projects requiring a CDP must be reviewed for consistency with these policies and in most cases, require discretionary review and approval, which can add additional time, cost, and complexity to projects. Despite these factors, the City has made diligent efforts to streamline and reduce costs for project applicants, including but not limited to, affordable housing developments. The City offers opportunities for pre-application consultations with planning staff and submittal of conceptual review applications as a means to allow prospective developers to receive feedback and direction from staff and/or decision-makers prior to a formal project submittal. The City also routinely reviews and processes project applications in a shorter timeframe2 and at a lesser cost relative to staff time or permit fees than our neighboring jurisdictions. Additionally, as of late 2023, the City established and staffed a dedicated Long-Range Planning division that is tasked with implementing the 2023-2031 Housing Element programs. A recent LCP Amendment rezoned approximately 20 acres of land to accommodate the City’s RHNA shortfall and provide a ministerial permitting process for qualifying housing development that includes at least 20 percent low-income units and meets applicable objective standards. Other Housing Element Programs will similarly seek to offer streamlined permitting processes and/or reduced costs for certain types of housing projects. The City’s Coastal Land Use Plan / General Plan (CLUP/GP) is also currently undergoing a comprehensive update which will consider re-designating additional lands for multifamily residential development, and that will further allow for streamlined development, as any projects consistent with the new CLUP/GP will be able to rely on the environmental review conducted by the City.3 Therefore, while the City generally agrees that affordable housing development in California, and particularly in the Coastal Zone, can be costly, time consuming, and complicated, Carpinteria continues to seek opportunities to reduce costs, and simplify and streamline the approval process for affordable housing. See also response to Recommendation 2d below.

There are insufficient funds available to develop needed affordable housing. City of Carpinteria Response: Agree. The City’s FY 2025-2027 Budget anticipates increased expenditures for day-to-day municipal operations as revenues remain flat, making it increasingly unlikely the City will have discretionary funds to utilize for housing development projects. Generally, City planning and building staff have observed dramatic increases in construction costs in recent years, further straining the already limited funding stream for affordable housing in the City. The City has recently contracted with a grant consultant to assist the City in seeking and applying for available grants across many fields, including affordable housing funds. While this partnership is brand new, City staff look forward to the opportunities this may bring in the coming years.