A four-story mixed-use development project proposed for the center of downtown Santa Maria was approved by the City Council after a public hearing on Jan. 16.
The project, which will be built on an existing lot at 101 North Broadway, will include a 3,300 square-foot ground floor for commercial uses, with storefronts facing Broadway, and three floors of 27 residential apartments above, according to the city staff report. A parking lot with 27 spaces will be integrated into the project, and the apartments will be a mix of one- and two-bedroom units.
The building itself will be designed in a Spanish mission style, with a smooth plaster exterior and brick veneer applied to the stairway towers and ground floor details, according to the staff report. Dark bronze balconies and storefronts will be added, and high arches will be included on the ground floor.
“The project we created is dynamite for the corner,” Developer Ben Nikfarjam said at the hearing. “It really covers the future vision of the Downtown [Specific] Plan.”
Santa Maria’s Downtown Specific Plan, which was recently set into motion, is an in-depth project aimed at revitalizing and redeveloping the core of Santa Maria into a bustling and safe downtown. The plan, though still in its early stages, will include structural and cosmetic changes to areas around Main and Broadway streets, and sets guidelines for all future downtown development.
Because of these regulations, Nikfarjam was required to seek a downtown permit and approval from the City Council despite his use of private funding.
Nikfarjam most recently presented the project to the City Council in October 2017, where council members expressed concerns for the lack of parking in the area—Nikfarjam’s original plan included only 12 parking spaces and 31 apartments. Council members voted unanimously at the October meeting to further review the project.
At the Jan. 16 hearing, Nikfarjam presented a revised project proposal. Several parking spaces, which Nikfarjam said would be available for commercial use during the day and for tenant use at night, were added to the plan. To do this, according to the staff report, Nikfarjam narrowed the ground floor from 4,100 to 3,000 square feet. He also reduced the number of residential units to 27, so that each tenant would have a parking space.
Most councilmembers and public speakers at the hearing showed overwhelming support for the project’s design and potential uses.
Still, Councilmember Mike Cordero said at the hearing that he was concerned about the project’s uniqueness and large size. Community members, Cordero said, would blame future councilmembers if the project doesn’t work out as planned.
The City Council later unanimously approved the project.
Neda Zayer, Santa Maria’s principal planner and leader of the Downtown Specific Plan, said city staffers were excited to hear of the project’s approval.
“It does meet the vision of the downtown plan,” Zayer told the Sun. “We hope this project will be a catalyst for more development like it downtown.”
This article appears in Jan 25 – Feb 1, 2018.