Montecito residents are eager for the pedestrian undercrossing at Butterfly Lane to reopen, which is expected to be later this week, according to a Caltrans rep. The under passing has been closed entirely since December 2021, which has allowed for the construction of walls and stairways compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Construction […]
Twenty years ago, in 2002, Nikki Katz (née Simon) recognized that families enduring a pediatric cancer battle needed so much more than thoughts and prayers; they need tangible, meaningful, year-round support. Thus a small idea sparked into a big dream, and the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation (TBCF) was born. When Katz was a young professional […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Board meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on the crime highlights in Montecito for the last month, which include a washed up panga boat on Butterfly Beach; $10,000 of vandalism by a well-known guest at the Rosewood Miramar Resort; assault at a juvenile party on Middle Road; […]
On Wednesday, September 7, in a 4-1 vote, Roots Carpinteria, a cannabis retail store, secured approval for a Coastal Development Permit to operate on Santa Claus Lane. The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission made the decision. Luis Castañeda, director of retail operations for Roots Carpinteria, was happy with the Commission’s decision. “We are very grateful […]
After much community debate, including in the pages of Montecito Journal, City Administrator Rebecca Bjork sent a letter to stakeholders late Wednesday discussing the fate of the parklets on Coast Village Road. As of October 28, 2022, the City is requiring new rules for parklets, mainly, that they will be limited to a maximum of two adjacent parking spaces in […]
In April, Montecito restaurateur Gene Montesano – with the help of general manager Leslee Russell – took over a Coast Village Road staple: Montecito Deli. The new-and-improved “Montesano Deli” has brought fresh changes to the space and the menu, and this weekend, the market next door is set to open. The duo of businesses, Montesano […]
In a six-hour meeting last week, the Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) completed their review of the 101 Highway project through Montecito, sending their recommendations and comments to the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission (SBPC). This was the final hearing in a series of three conceptual reviews at MPC. SBPC will consider the project at two […]
Last Friday morning, a group of 30 business owners, property owners, employees, and restaurant patrons gathered at the conference room of Montecito Inn to discuss the fate of parklets on Coast Village Road. A recent letter sent to the Santa Barbara City Council signed by over 25 Coast Village Road business and property owners sparked […]
Just days before school goes back in session following summer break, Montecito Union School is busy getting classrooms rearranged in order to accommodate what will ultimately be two years of construction in order to modernize campus infrastructure. The project, which is 15 years in the making, includes improving infrastructure and accessibility in Building D (over […]
Recognizing that leaks can be a major water-waster, the Montecito Water District recently checked every customer’s meter for the faucet icon that indicates a potential leak on the property. More than 800 faucet icons were identified and the District has mailed notices to these customers so that they are aware of their potential water waste. […]
Earlier this week, the County Board of Supervisors took final action to amend the county ordinance to require all cannabis cultivation facilities to apply for and obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), effective January 31, 2023. “The CUP requirement caps a year-long effort by the Coalition and the community to strengthen controls of cannabis cultivation […]
At a Montecito Association Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting last week, project reps from the Highway 101 team gave an update on the project as well as timelines for two parallel projects, one of which is slated to begin construction this fall. The meeting was in advance of a highly anticipated hearing next week […]
The Community Services Department is currently accepting applications to fill two Hot Springs Trail Assistant vacancies in Montecito at the Hot Springs Trail. “This position is important in promoting better relations between trail users and residents near the trail, and a part of the County’s responsibility protecting the public safety of both groups,” said First […]
KULE has officially opened in the Montecito Country Mart. This is the brand’s third store and its first location on the West Coast. After a successful six-month pop-up at the Brentwood Country Mart in 2019, KULE’s signature stripes are back in California. Their new “stripy store” also features limited edition KULE glassware made by the […]
January through June statistics are in, and the Santa Barbara South Coast real estate market is showing a stabilization, marked by increased inventory, fewer sales, a higher number of days on market, and fewer multiple offer situations. Median sales price remains high: $2.2M for the month of June, which is a slight bump from May’s […]
Last Friday, July 22, the Montecito Fire Protection District Board of Directors was given a presentation by Chelsea Richer of Fehr & Peers, a consultant company hired by the District to conduct an in-depth study of the District’s evacuation plan. The study took hundreds of hours over 10 months to complete and provided the District […]
The sheriffs have released the name of the victim from the homicide on the 900 block of Park Lane in May – 96-year-old Violet Evelyn Alberts. As part of the coroner’s investigation, detectives worked to locate a next-of-kin for the decedent to no avail and transferred the case to the Santa Barbara County Public Administrator’s […]
Lifestyle guru Jenni Kayne has opened a second store in San Ysidro Village, located adjacent to her original apparel-focused Montecito store. Kayne has created a line of home goods in the same welcoming palette of timeless neutrals and grounded earth tones for which she is known; the store features furniture, including couches, beds, benches, outdoor […]
At this month’s Montecito Association board meeting, Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor thanked attendees of the Fire District’s emergency preparation meeting, which took place last week at Westmont College. The meeting had various presenters, including Wildland Fire Specialist and Fire Behavior Analyst Nic Elmquist, who reported that 90% of the western United States is in […]
One of Santa Ynez’s most popular shops has popped up in Montecito’s Upper Village, located in the space once occupied by George Meta Jewelry near Montecito Village Grocery. Owned by Pearson and Spencer Turnbull, the company, which features its own brand of goods along with other lifestyle and clothing brands, opened in downtown Santa Ynez […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting earlier this week, reps from several agencies shared their upcoming schedules related to road construction work in Montecito. Last week bids were opened on the sewer main relocation at Olive Mill and San Ysidro, which is preliminary work in anticipation of the two roundabouts that are […]
Considered one of the highest honors of the year in Santa Barbara County, this year’s Person of the Year Award nominations are in progress, with a deadline scheduled for next Friday, July 15 at 5 pm. The Santa Barbara Foundation, along with co-sponsors Montecito Bank & Trust, Noozhawk, The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, Cox […]
Last week, nearly a dozen homes on East Mountain Drive were given notice by the County of Santa Barbara to remove encroachments in the public right-of-way within a 10-day period, refueling an ongoing battle between homeowners, the County of Santa Barbara Public Works Department, and users of the Hot Springs Trail. On Tuesday, Santa Barbara […]
Montecito resident Ivy Moliver has created a new collection of luxury leather goods, called Ivy Cove. Moliver serves as the Managing Director and partner of Superior Leather LTD, and says the Ivy Cove brand represents the culmination of her fashion journey across the runways and leather tanneries of Europe, producing quality goods out of Asia […]
In a quiet off-market sale that closed last week, QAD’s 28-acre blufftop site in Summerland has reportedly sold to the University of California for over $100M. Once utilized in off-hours by nonprofits in the area for large-scale events, the property boasts impressive coastline views and was fairly open to the public for sunset viewing. Speculation […]
At last week’s Montecito Association (MA) meeting, the Board discussed what has become a hot topic in many communities across the country: fractional home ownership via Pacaso, a Bay Area-based company that buys homes and then sells fractional interests in them to second-home buyers. After the sale – in which the company makes a profit […]
On Friday, June 17, community leaders marked the opening of the new freeway carpool lanes and project completion with a community celebration featuring local transit riders alongside Congressman Salud Carbajal, State Senator Monique Limón, Supervisor Das Williams, Carpinteria Mayor Wade Nomura, and local neighbors. This is the first completed segment of the Highway 101: Carpinteria […]
Earlier this week, Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club owner Ty Warner gave members an update for his plans on reopening the exclusive beachside club, which has been closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. It is anticipated that the club will reopen in the first quarter of 2023, after improvements […]
At a board meeting last week, the Montecito Water District (MWD) Board of Directors adopted an updated drought ordinance after regulations were put forth by the State of California. This new drought ordinance (Ordinance 97) replaces Ordinance 96, which includes the District’s current water conservation requirements. Ordinance 96 conservation requirements are still in effect, and […]
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the Santa Barbara City Council voted to establish and form the Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District (CBID), an idea that has been in the works since November 2020, brought forth by the Coast Village Association (CVA). The resolution came after a tallying of votes cast by Coast Village […]
Nearly a year after one of Montecito’s longest running businesses, Glamour House, closed its brick and mortar in the Upper Village after 18 years, Kismet, the new business that took over the space, is going strong, offering lingerie, loungewear, and pajamas to Montecito shoppers. Owner Lindsay Eckardt has more than 15 years in the beauty […]
An accomplished communications professional, author, and outdoors aficionado has been tapped to lead the Rotary Club of Montecito. Tony Morris assumes the two-year presidency on July 1. Morris is a lifetime learner whose passion to speak to people, verbally and in written form, began early. By the time he was a teenager, Morris was writing […]
Two months after closing – and attempting to sell – her longtime Montecito stationery store, Letter Perfect, owner Leslie Person Ryan is prepping to open a new iteration of the shop, Farm to Paper, in downtown Summerland, just steps away from the small, open-air farm cart she operates on Lillie Avenue. The shop is located […]
The Montecito Planning Commission had its first opportunity to look at the freeway widening project through Montecito last week, with a conceptual hearing held last Wednesday. The project had previously been seen by Montecito Board of Architectural Review in September, February, and March. Project planner Chris Schmuckal gave Commissioners a background on the regional transportation […]
Last week the Cold Spring School District celebrated its building project with an enthusiastic groundbreaking ceremony. “It brings me great joy to see the hard work and dedication from the past and current Board and Administration finally come to fruition. It has taken the District sixteen years to get to this point,” said superintendent Dr. […]
Less than six months after opening in Coast Village Walk on Coast Village Road, Montecito’s first “meatless” market will close its doors on June 3, according to owners. The concept was the brainchild of Tim Morton-Smith and his wife, Kamren, who found themselves buying plant-based items mostly online instead of in local stores; the goal […]
Three existing crosswalks on San Ysidro Road will soon be outfitted with flashing lights, thanks in part to a grant from the State of California. San Ysidro Road at Manning Park, Mimosa, and Sinaloa will be outfitted with the new pedestrian-activated flashing lights in June, according to Public Works traffic engineer Gary Smart. “We don’t […]
Last week we outlined Montecito Water District’s (MWD) Strategic Plan, which includes collaboration with Montecito Sanitary District (MSD) to bring recycled water to Montecito, as well as a possible merger between the two special districts. MWD and MSD Planning Committees met jointly last month for updates on two collaborative projects that are being co-funded by […]
Local artist, photographer, and art dealer Bobbi Bennett is once again partnering with Coast Village Road’s Allora by Laura owner Laura Dinning for a trunk show and reception. The installation includes Bennett’s fashion-editioned, deconstructed surfboards. Both vintage and new surfboards from top name brands including Rip Curl, Dennis Williams, Rockin Fig, and Channel Islands will […]
Rosewood Miramar Beach has welcomed Kendall Conrad as the property’s inaugural Rosewood PlaceMaker. Serving as an extension of the brand’s “A Sense of Place” philosophy, wherein each property is designed to immerse guests in the destination, the PlaceMakers program taps the beacons of Rosewood’s communities to harness local culture through bespoke experiences. As the inaugural […]