Commission hears update on Anchor Rose RFP and reorganizes work groups ahead of budget season
January 16, 2026 | Santa Barbara City, Santa Barbara County, California
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The Harbor Commission received two administrative briefings Jan. 22: an update on proposals for the former Anchor Rose tenant space and action on work-group assignments ahead of FY27 budget work.
Waterfront Business Manager Cesar Barrios said three proposals were received by the Jan. 7 deadline — one for the upstairs space and two for the downstairs — and staff plan to review submissions with the RFP work group and score applicants using a grading scale. If none meet the criteria, the process may be reopened. Barrios said media interest grew just before the deadline and that selected tenants could be operating as early as June if permitting and tenant improvements proceed quickly; staff cautioned that the RFP and permit process could take 6–12 months depending on tenant improvements.
On work groups, the commission unanimously approved a motion to add Commissioner Jimas to the budget and commercial-fishing work groups, remove Commissioner Cohen from the commercial-fishing group, and add Commissioner Anderson to the strategic-planning work group. Staff noted that ad hoc work groups are limited to three commissioners and are intended for focused policy work such as leasing guidelines, budget reviews and RFP evaluations.
Staff also announced a public Harbor Commission prioritization workshop scheduled for Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Waterfront classroom (125 Harbor Way) to help set the commission’s agenda for the year using interactive polling software.
The commission will review RFP scoring with the RFP work group and return a recommendation for any finalist to the full commission before forwarding a recommendation to City Council.
Waterfront Business Manager Cesar Barrios said three proposals were received by the Jan. 7 deadline — one for the upstairs space and two for the downstairs — and staff plan to review submissions with the RFP work group and score applicants using a grading scale. If none meet the criteria, the process may be reopened. Barrios said media interest grew just before the deadline and that selected tenants could be operating as early as June if permitting and tenant improvements proceed quickly; staff cautioned that the RFP and permit process could take 6–12 months depending on tenant improvements.
On work groups, the commission unanimously approved a motion to add Commissioner Jimas to the budget and commercial-fishing work groups, remove Commissioner Cohen from the commercial-fishing group, and add Commissioner Anderson to the strategic-planning work group. Staff noted that ad hoc work groups are limited to three commissioners and are intended for focused policy work such as leasing guidelines, budget reviews and RFP evaluations.
Staff also announced a public Harbor Commission prioritization workshop scheduled for Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Waterfront classroom (125 Harbor Way) to help set the commission’s agenda for the year using interactive polling software.
The commission will review RFP scoring with the RFP work group and return a recommendation for any finalist to the full commission before forwarding a recommendation to City Council.
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