Builders got a green light to put up seven new apartments with eight parking spots on an empty lot in Guadalupe.
On Sept. 22, City Council members approved the affordable housing project at 855 Pioneer St., which was proposed by the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County. However, some concerned residents believe there isn’t enough parking to accompany the Dunes Vista Apartments.
Public commenter Edward Zarati said his biggest hesitation about the project is vehicle congestion and public safety.
“My concern on Pioneer is that I drove through there prior to the meeting, … and there’s a ton of cars on the street,” Zarati told the council. “Parking is not plentiful as it is.”
Zarati said he witnessed residents struggling to park at other new developments nearby, too.
“I was going down the street, and I already saw people flipping each other off because one wanted a spot over somebody else,” Zarati said. “I’m not opposed to having a place for people to live, but I think we’ve already done a lot on Pioneer Street.”
City Councilmember Whitney Furness agreed, adding that she lives in the neighborhood and has observed parking issues. Although, the eight parking spaces planned at the complex are “better than no parking, in my opinion,” Furness said.
The proposal included more units than allowed by local zoning, but it’s permitted because the developer is building affordable housing under the state Density Bonus Law.
Under current city rules, a project with seven units would require 14 parking spots, half in garages or carports. But the city’s giving permission for only eight spaces, including one that’s ADA accessible.
“This is a bonus density project,” contracted Planning Director Larry Appel said at the meeting. “That means that the project, if it was built under the current zoning, it would allow up to five units, and they have asked for seven. … When you have bonus density and you offer them as affordable, you get certain incentives.”
The Housing Authority chose reduced parking as one incentive for designating all units for low-income tenants.
Milton Johns, an agent representing the Housing Authority, told council members that households may not need to park multiple cars. People are only eligible to apply if they earn 60 to 120 percent of the area median income.
“The number of cars on our projects are usually under-parked. I can’t testify in good faith that eight will be sufficient without rolling out onto the street, but what we found historically is that they are,” Johns said.
The three-story Dunes Vista Apartments will be built on a 7,500-square-foot parcel. A Spanish-style roof and white stucco siding is slated for the design, along with stone veneer.
Three one-bedroom units will occupy the first floor, one of which will house the property manager. The second and third floors will each contain two two-bedroom units.
“We realize [parking’s] going to be a problem with the neighborhood,” Appel said, “but again, we’re getting six affordable units, which we don’t get them that often. So, we’re hopefully going to be able to make this work.”
This article appears in October 1 – October 8, 2026.
