Board grants preliminary approval to Aliso Elementary kindergarten building, flags design and flood‑protection details

The Carpinteria Architectural Review Board voted July 31 to recommend preliminary approval of a new single‑story kindergarten building at Aliso Elementary School, while asking the school and design team to provide additional detail on landscape work near the creek, stormwater management, and design cohesion with historic campus architecture.

Planning staff presented a combined preliminary and final package for a 6,467‑square‑foot classroom building that would replace five portable classrooms and consolidate kindergarten into four permanent classrooms. The proposed building would be elevated to 15 feet above mean sea level to meet municipal flood‑damage protection requirements (the base flood elevation on site is 14.25 feet) and would include two ramps providing access to an internal courtyard. The project would remove seven portable structures and reconfigure a portion of the parking lot, reducing net parking by five spaces while meeting school parking standards.

Architects and school representatives said the design draws materials and forms from the campus' historic 1934 Spanish‑revival buildings — tile roofs, white plaster walls and bluish trim — and includes four small cupolas to reference traditional schoolhouse forms. Board members praised the intent to match campus character but asked for refinements: several commissioners called the proposed cupolas and some massing elements "heavy" and suggested exploring lighter proportions; others requested clearer civil and drainage plans showing how runoff will be routed away from Franklin Creek; and committee members asked to see how the Division of the State Architect review and city public‑works approvals will be coordinated.

During discussion the applicant confirmed the portables on site had already been removed. Staff recommended that, if the board finds the project consistent with design criteria, it recommend final approval to the planning commission subject to the ARB comments. The board moved to grant preliminary approval with the expectation that the noted issues will be resolved in subsequent submittals and state/city reviews.

Votes at a glance
Motion: Preliminary approval with comments regarding design cohesion, creek‑buffer landscaping, stormwater/drainage and coordination with State and Public Works reviews.
Outcome: Preliminary approval (voice vote recorded in meeting).