Outrage over plans to flatten beloved Santa Barbara arts district to build a luxury hotel

A beloved California enclave known for its eccentric charm could be demolished to make way for a sprawling 250-room luxury hotel, sparking outrage among locals.

The proposal for the 101 Garden Street hotel, located in Santa Barbara’s “Funk Zone,” was approved by a 4-2 vote during a heated hourlong meeting of the Santa Barbara Planning Commission in February.

However, another meeting in November will determine whether or not the project for the 11-acre property will progress past the proposal stage.

Since then, locals, who define the area based on its unique display of quirky houses and colorful art installations, have raised concerns about the colossal proposal. They cited concerns such as the housing crisis, the area’s affordability and its irreplaceable charm.

Locals, who define the area based on its unique display of quirky houses and colorful art installations, have expressed concern about the colossal proposal

The hotel has no public space and won’t be a good neighbor, critics claim (photo: a clothing store in the Funk Zone)

“I assume you all have a house to live in, right?” Jill Johnson, owner of Loveworn, a clothing boutique in the Funk Zone, said this in a speech to the City Council.

“I just spent two months looking for a tiny house for myself, and I have a thriving business in the city and I can’t even find a place to live…”

Some have argued that the massive hotel would redefine the neighborhood and change its aesthetic to better align with some of the coastal city’s most exclusive resorts.

“What we know: The second largest hotel in the city of Santa Barbara will be built on land zoned for housing during the height of our housing crisis, by relying on outdated environmental reports and specifically excluding any community benefit, despite it located in the heart of the Funk Zone,” Brittany Zajic, president of Keep the Funk, a nonprofit that is appealing the project, told the City Council.

The hotel has no public space and will not be a good neighbor, claimed Zajic, who accused the project of being “disingenuous” to the original site plan – a decades-old idea that emerged in 1983 and included a housing and community space.

The plan was only surfaced in 2019 by landowners and Newport Beach-based Dauntless Development representative Shaun Gilbert.

But after hearing growing concerns about the proposal, Gilbert offered a counterargument that could offset locals’ overarching concerns.

Gilbert wanted to work with the developers to blend in with the Spanish Colonial style associated with the area and its rare charm.

In addition to style compliance, Gilbert also noted a $500,000 donation to affordable housing to “close the gap” and provide a variety of affordable housing options.

“These affordable homes and the donation to the Housing Trust Fund will help offset housing demand,” Planning Commissioner Sheila Lodge told council in support of the development.

Art on display at Santa Barbara’s beloved Funk Zone

The Funk Zone area with wineries and restaurants, Santa Barbara, California

City Planning Commissioner Sheila Lodge urged locals to support the proposal as it had already been approved and only city councilors will vote at the upcoming November 19 meeting. (Photo: Stearns Wharf off the coast of Santa Barbara)

Lodge then urged locals to support the proposal as it had already been approved and only councilors will vote at the upcoming November 19 meeting – with no further public comment.

“I’m sure it’s happening all over California. Rents are very high for entrepreneurs and the cost of living,” said Tatum Becker, a Funk Zone employee.

“It’s just kind of crazy and inaccessible to people. But also: why would you want to visit a place where no soul and no people live?’

DailyMail.com has contacted Shaun Gilbert and Dauntless Development for comment.