SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—A recent Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report determined the root of the housing problem is a lack of new development. The rise of short term rentals and an increasing number of second or third homes left vacant has made the problem worse. The Regional Housing Needs Allocation process in California determines how much housing each local jurisdiction needs, but housing expert Yawar Charlie says these processes are outdated. “ Santa Barbara in particular is a bit archaic when it comes to planning, zoning, permitting, fast tracking development. It’s cost prohibitive oftentimes for developers to build new housing, low income housing, especially because they're still being charged those luxury rates and it still takes a long time,” said Charlie. Charlie says Santa Barbara needs both public and private sectors to join hands to work on the housing crisis. That means identifying government land that could be used to develop more housing, and finding ways to fast track the permitting process. Accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs, are one way to address the lack of inventory. “Rent is cheaper, but you're definitely sacrificing space. But because I do travel quite a bit, it kind of works out for me. Just because I’m here about, like, four days a week,” said David Mendoza, who lives in Santa Barbara.
David Mendoza says he’s lucky because he pays under market value for his studio, which he was able to get through a friend who owns the home it’s attached to. Many people are forced to pay market value because there's a lack of affordable units. “It costs about $1,000,000 to build what one would consider a low income or affordable housing. And that's just too much,” said Charlie. Besides high price points, Charlie says there are a lot of locals pushing back against affordable housing construction. “They don't want “those people” in our neighborhood. They're afraid that it will change the landscape. They're afraid that that the more low income housing you have, it could affect their property values. It can affect crime.” said Charlie. The California Department of Housing & Community Development defines affordable housing as 30% of a household's income. In a statement Wednesday Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps said the government needs to make its underutilized land available.
She stated, “One solution to our affordable housing crisis is staring us in the face: government needs to put some skin in the game by making its underutilized land available — of which there is plenty. I strongly support the Grand Jury’s recommendation that local governments identify publicly owned properties suitable for affordable housing. Using underutilized government land is far cheaper and easier to get done faster. I've championed this initiative in the County and we are making progress. I look forward to working with cities, the state, and school districts to turn underutilized land into homes for our community."
Santa Barbara County Grand Jury Report offers solutions to address Santa Barbara County housing crisis News Channel 3-12.
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