Santa Barbara Architecture
Taking Sides on Future Path for Downtown Santa Barbara Real Estate Projects
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Real Estate News, Santa Barbara Architecture
As more and more larger multi-unit Santa Barbara real estate development projects get presented to the City of Santa Barbara for approval, discussions abound over the future development path the city is taking with these luxury condo projects. In layman’s terms, the debate is clear and simple.
Side A: Wants to have strong height restrictions in place and preserve the “beauty” of Santa Barbara
Side B: Wants to avoid urban sprawl and therefore would like to build inward with less height restrictions than what currently exist
In my view, the politics of this debate have not been too prevalent as far as topics of conversation go up until about 2005, when some of these major “projects” actually reached completion and they were there for the public to visibly see in full view. Now that more than a few of these major developments have popped up that are on the larger side and with several others in the works, the topic has began to be heated here within Santa Barbara. Nick Welsh, from The Independent, has written a great up to date article about the latest “Height Wars” that will most likely fill many topics of conversation here in Santa Barbara.
Further Reading: The New Expansion of Luxury Townhomes and Condos in Santa Barbara CA.
View: Current Listings of High End Townhomes and Condo Projects
Kevin Schmidtchen - Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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How Green is Your Santa Barbara Home…and Realtor?
Categories: Green Living, Santa Barbara Architecture
As the Santa Barbara real estate market has slowed in the last 18 months, it makes sense that some Realtors are trying to stand out with niche marketing efforts. One of these niches seems to be Realtors marketing themselves as eco-friendly and green. While I am 100% supportive for anyone with an eye on environmentally conscious action (real estate or otherwise), make sure your Realtor is not using ”basic green talk” as cursory knowledge of green building simply as a marketing ploy in a tougher market.
Again, I loudly applaud any Realtor that is going out of their way to learn about solar, energy-efficient appliances, geo-thermal pumps, earth friendly design and products, improving indoor air quality, tax credits for energy saving improvements from a homeowner etc. I think intuitively that people who share strong values of being environmentally and socially responsible will often align themselves with others that share the same beliefs. If these beliefs are then shared amongst parties involved in a real estate transaction, all the better.
For myself as a Realtor, I try to promote all that I can about green building and am always trying to learn more and understand what truly constitutes green with respect to real estate. Our industry needs to follow suit with a lot of other industries that are now making strides with sustaining our environment. Example: If a client buys a home that has older wood floors that can be easily sanded and refinished, doing this is in my eyes is potentially more green than buying new Bamboo flooring. At first thought, many people respond that Bamboo is a rapidly renewable material and therefore promotes green development. Yes, but if this is shipped all the way across the world from China, the “greener decision” would probably be to just sand the old wood floors.
As a start for everyone, some of the most basic green actions you can take as a homeowner are using non-toxic paint, trying to used locally sourced materials if you are remodeling (hopefully recycled), adding insulation, installing quality good windows, and using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs.
Kevin Schmidtchen - Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to comment below with any thoughts.
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Santa Barbara, CA Rated Amongst the Best Mid-sized Downtowns in California
Categories: Downtown Neighborhood, Restaurants, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Architecture
When people think of well thought out downtowns, obviously Santa Barbara comes to mind. Recently, the California Planning and Development Report voted Santa Barbara as #2 in mid-sized (pop. of 75,000 - 290,000 people) downtowns, only trailing Pasadena. The report states that Santa Barbara is a California icon that fits numerous criteria of being a delightful urban place that is both manageable and pleasant with a sense of place and a feeling of vibrancy.
For many locals, Santa Barbara downtown could fit on any of these sorts of lists because of simply its overall “feel”. Santa Barbara downtown is blessed with numerous open public spaces and parks, a fairly uniform 2-4 story building height creating an open non-claustrophobic feel, abundant venues for culture and art, boutique shopping experiences, fine restaurants ranging from gourmet steak houses and Italian tratorrias to vegan and organic take-out, uniform Spanish/Mediterranean architecture and much more.
State street is and always will be the hub of downtown, but in the past several years there has been an abundance of mixed-use buildings in the city center combing townhomes with professional offices and commercial spaces. The size of these building range anywhere from 4,000 sq ft. to 40,000 sq. ft. and are mostly all located within 1-2 blocks of State Street. This type of anti-sprawl development ultimately leads to a vibrant walkable downtown. One of Santa Barbara’s pleasures is to stroll through outdoor paseos and wonderfully landscaped plazas. Known famously as “The American Riviera”, Santa Barbara is a gorgeous mid-sized town sitting on the beautiful Pacific coastline.
Further Reading: Information About The Downtown Neighborhood, Articles About The Downtown Neighborhood
Kevin Schmidtchen - Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to comment below with any thoughts.
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Santa Barbara Races Ahead on Energy Efficient Real Estate Construction Guidelines.
Categories: Green Living, Real Estate News, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Architecture
I recently read this article in The Independent (An excellent free local paper in Santa Barbara providing well written weekly updated information on local News, Events, People, Arts, Real Estate etc.) that should excite anyone that is concerned for our future generations. The guts of the article are about:
1) Santa Barbara City Council being a leader in energy efficient standards
2) The commitment in Santa Barbara to reduce energy use and greenhouse emissions for all new residential real estate construction as well as retrofits
3) Architecture 2030 Challenge
“Some say governments move too slowly and that bureaucracies can impede progress, but just recently the Santa Barbara City Council and staff bucked the stereotype and moved to approve a potentially momentous change in the building code. With broad support from developers, architects, contractors, and the environmental community, the city increased the energy efficiency standards for all new construction. Importantly, the project moved from conception to implementation in just over a year, beginning with a lecture by architect Ed Mazria — the founder of the Architecture 2030 Challenge — and concluding with the city approving its new ordinance in October. Upon review by the California Energy Commission, the ordinance will become effective in early 2008.” Click here for the entire Article written by Megan Birney.
Learn More About Santa Barbara.
Kevin Schmidtchen - Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to comment below with any thoughts.
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Ellen DeGeneres Sells Montecito Estate for $20 Million.
Categories: Montecito, Real Estate News, Santa Barbara Architecture
After purchasing her Montecito estate just over 1 year ago for $15.75 Million, Ellen Degeneres is on the move. A buyer has closed on her property in November 2007 for a reported $20,000,000. The beautiful George Washington Smith Mediterranean-style Montecito estate was built in 1926 by George Washington Smith, a famous architect that has designed several outstanding homes in Santa Barbara and Montecito CA. The estate had been thoroughly renovated in 2004 and consists of a four-bedroom main house including a 1,300 sq. ft. master suite, a wine cellar, a billiards room, a library, and an office. The 4-acre estate also includes a guesthouse, a studio, tennis court, a pool and spa. Gorgeous gardens and patio areas line the entire property.
Search Property in Montecito.
View a Map of the Montecito Area.
Learn More About Montecito.
Kevin Schmidtchen - Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to comment below with any thoughts.
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