Montecito Association Meets

At this month’s Montecito Association (MA) meeting, board president Charlene Nagel announced the hiring of a new executive director: Allison Marcillac. “With well over forty applications, Allison was the standout, and we are thrilled to have her,” Nagel said.  

Marcillac grew up in Southern California, then attended Boston University for a year before completing her bachelor’s degree in international marketing at the University of San Francisco. She then moved to Italy, where she lived in Naples and Sardinia for seven years, establishing a successful marketing firm serving clients such as Coca-Cola and Parmalat. Marcillac moved back to California in 2000 and met her UCSB grad husband, Jacques Marcillac; the couple moved to Montecito in 2009 and their four children attended Cold Spring School. In 2016, they moved to the east side of town where their youngest now attends Montecito Union Elementary School.  

She has held board positions on the National Charity League Santa Barbara Chapter, the Santa Barbara High School Foundation, Cold Spring School Education Foundation, and the Cold Spring School District Board of Supervisors. She has recently held the position of executive director for the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. Marcillac said she is enthusiastically looking forward to being part of the Montecito Association and is committed to preserving, protecting, and promoting the Montecito community. “I feel very blessed to be here,” she said at the meeting. 

The MA board voted to send a letter to the Montecito Planning Commission regarding the upcoming condominium project at 1062 Coast Village Road, which was reviewed by the Land Use Committee last week. The letter shares the MA concern that the size and scale of the nine-unit project will set a precedence on the road. The height of the project is of concern for the board, as well as the project’s impact on the neighboring properties, which are residential. The undertaking, which also includes a 1,000-sq.-ft. stone façade commercial building facing Coast Village Road, as well as a subterranean garage with six commercial/visitor parking spaces, private subterranean two-car garages and private elevators, and rooftop decks, will be at Montecito Planning Commission this week for conceptual review. 

During community reports, Nagel gave an update on improvements to the Montecito Union School campus. The MUS board has voted to move forward on several campus updates as part of the school’s Master Plan. The updates include renovation of existing school buildings and infrastructure, without the need for a bond measure in 2018. The scope of the work includes expanding the south parking lot from 20 to 80 spaces, expansion of on-campus student drop-off and pick-up areas in the south parking lot, restriping and widening of San Ysidro Road to include a left-turn lane for northbound traffic entering the south parking lot, interior renovations (including ADA compliance) of the kindergarten/first grade building and main building, conversion of the kindergarten parking lot to a play area, and securing of the campus, among other items. A draft environmental impact report is currently on the MUS website, at www.montecitou.org. 

Also during community reports: MFPD Operations chief Kevin Taylor reminded the board that nine years ago this week the Tea Fire destroyed 210 homes in Montecito and Santa Barbara. “It’s a good reminder to stay vigilant until the rainy season begins,” Taylor said. 

Sybil Rosen was appointed to the MA board to take the vacancy left by Dr. Jerry Kay, who was appointed to the board earlier this year but passed away in September. Rosen has been a vocal advocate in the Montecito community for many years, attending MA meetings and getting involved in issues affecting our residents. “I’ve begged her to join the board for years, and we are so pleased she finally agreed,” Nagel said. 

The next MA board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 12, at 4 pm.