Carpinteria ARB grants final approval to 72‑room Hotel Harmony on Via Real

Acting Chair O'Connor and city staff presented a final review of Project 161822 on Feb. 12, 2026: the proposal would demolish a single‑story, 5,678 sq ft church and build a two‑story, 72‑room hotel with a 22,460 sq ft footprint and 44,191 sq ft total floor area on a 2.6‑acre site at Via Real and Highway 101. Staff noted the project received planning commission approval on April 3, 2023, and a time extension in December 2024, and that a CEQA mitigated negative declaration with mitigation measures for wetlands, biological and cultural resources, hydrology, noise and monitoring was prepared and adopted.

Staff and the applicant presented elevations, materials and a rooftop line‑of‑sight exhibit showing parapet screening for rooftop equipment. The project team said the rooftop installations would be screened and that photometric plans and directed fixtures were intended to limit spill light. The applicant confirmed the hotel brand will be an independent Hotel Harmony (previously proposed as a Fairfield Inn by Marriott) and that, for feasibility reasons, the previously proposed swimming pool will not be built; staff said the pool area could be turned into an outdoor patio and would be handled administratively if the applicant later elects to build or modify that space.

Board members pressed staff and the project team on several technical details. Board member Little asked whether easements and riparian setbacks were excluded from lot‑coverage calculations; the architect, Nikhil Kamuth, and staff said the 44,191 sq ft figure represents total floor area for a two‑story building (roughly a 22,460 sq ft single‑story footprint) and that lot coverage compliance had been checked against the approved plans, with exact calculation details available in the plan set. Board member Johnson and others questioned lighting specifications and neighbor impacts; project manager Kevin Cohen said parking‑pole fixtures were shown as dimmable LEDs (fixture schedule listing ~106–160W/13,204 lumens) and a 2,700K–3,000K color spectrum was proposed, with staff reviewing final levels to avoid spill on adjacent properties.

Landscape issues drew detailed discussion. The board reviewed a planting scheme, irrigation and restoration for a mapped wetland and riparian setback; staff read a submitted statement from absent board member Amy Blakemore noting that WUCOLS and WELOS irrigation calculations and assumptions (drip efficiency values) should be checked and that potted plantings proposed along a water district easement may have limited longevity. Landscape architect Charles Trowbridge and the applicant said pots were proposed because the water district prohibits permanent planting in that easement; the project team also said mechanical equipment and distances to adjacent residences (~135 ft) were shown in exhibits addressing privacy and screening.

A resident, Bill Daca of Trieste Lane, spoke during public comment raising concern that rear elevations could allow hotel guests views into neighboring backyards; the applicant committed to review the rear elevation detailing with staff. Several board members suggested changing the proposed red sign background to more muted, beach‑town tones and asked staff to check outstanding planning commission conditions (including a public works requirement under condition 75 and a lowest‑floor elevation condition 15). Board members also raised the invasive potential of certain proposed plants (African sumac) and recommended alternatives.

Following deliberation, Board member Johnson moved to grant final approval with the board's comments on signage color, lighting levels and landscape clarifications; Board member Little seconded. The board voted to approve the project with the members present voting in favor; Chair Amy Blakemore was absent. Staff said any minor changes (for example, converting the pool area into a patio) could be reviewed administratively by the planning director and that staff would circulate responses to landscape and irrigation comments for a final check by the board's landscape expert.

The board asked staff to follow up with the building official about a separate policy suggestion raised during "matters by staff" concerning fire‑safety treatment for walls at or near setbacks. The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.