Community on Board: Music Academy Hearing at the BOS

The Music Academy of the West will be in front of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors (BOS) on Tuesday, November 5th to review its request to update the Music Academy’s 2004 Conditional Use Permit (CUP).

The key project changes being requested at this time include:

1. Eliminating the on-site retail shops and reintroducing residential uses to the corresponding structures.

2. Increasing student enrollment from 150 to 175 students.

3. Re-introducing weddings and other “Significant Life Events” that had previously been eliminated as part of the prior approval, all of which would count towards the daily, any-given-time, and annual attendance caps, and towards the broad annual cap of 41 non-conservatory events.

4. Allowing greater use of amplified spoken word and non-amplified acoustic music outdoors while adhering to activity hours and sound level requirements at the property lines.

In a statement to the MJ, MAW President/CEO Shauna Quill shared: 

“The Music Academy of the West is grateful to the Board of Supervisors for adding the review of our Conditional Use Permit to their November 5^th agenda. This proposal follows the MCP’s approval of the CUP in 2023 which was appealed. Since the appeal, the Music Academy has listened carefully to its neighbors and thoughtfully revised its proposal to minimize impact on our Butterfly Beach neighborhood, while still allowing our organization to deepen its ties to the local community, allow for greater operational flexibility, and add employee housing. For 77 years, the Music Academy has nurtured the lives of the next generation of classical musicians within our gorgeous community. Our fellows across the globe have lifelong connections to Santa Barbara and we are all the more fulfilled because of the music they have shared with us.”  

The November 5^th meeting will be held at the County Administration Building (105 East Anapamu Street) in the Board Hearing Room on the fourth floor. Send any thoughts or support to sbcob@countyofsb.org by November 1^st at 12 pm.