Tenants of 1605 Bath St. were given three days’ notice that part of the property would be converted to luxury apartments.
A letter sent on May 22 from Sandpiper Property Management to the residents of the historic Queen Anne style house, announced that the property’s parking lot would be excavated and compacted to make way for eight new accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, the following Monday.
Residents were frustrated that the notice came on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, which left them with no one available to reach for information. The tenants are also concerned that the 8 new ADUs and the removal of 8 parking spaces will add 16 cars to an already cramped block.
The permit for the ADUs, which was signed last June and issued by the city on May 4, 2026, has not been posted on the property to notify the tenants or the broader neighborhood of the construction, residents said. Some of the planned structures will not only block the tenants’ views, but are so close to existing windows that it would prevent tenants from using them for escape in the event of a fire or other emergency, the residents said.
Sandpiper did not return three News-Press calls and an email.
“While eight new ADUs are legally allowable by the county laws, it seems ‘extreme’ that they are able to push a project like this without more public discussion, especially given the parking and noise impacts to our community,” said Elizabeh Floyd, a tenant of six years, in an email to the News-Press.
Following the removal of a tree, one tenant, Cameron Saavedra, went to the ER Tuesday night with breathing complications that stemmed from his pine allergy. He said the tree that was cut right outside his home resulted in sawdust drifting inside and covering some of his belongings.
In response to the construction, the tenants drafted and signed a joint letter to Sandpiper Property Management outlining their immediate concerns regarding the construction. The letter also requested information regarding permits and plans, a liaison for tenant communication, a temporary parking plan, and rent abatement for “the loss of parking, noise, and disruption.”
The letter stated that if the requests are not met by this Saturday, the tenants will make use of the services of the City of Santa Barbara Rental Housing Mediation Program and the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County.
However, upon delivering the letter to Sandpiper Property Management founder Justin Egerer, Egerer stated that he had “No contractual or legal obligation” to give the tenants a 30 day notice of construction, according to Saavedra.
“He allowed zero working days for us to contact his company or the city,” Saavedra said. “I assume this was deliberate in tying our hands. I went three months without being able to contact Sandpiper so this type of communication is par for usual.”
Floyd stated that the tenants of 1605 Bath St. have faced other problems; a sewage rupture that flooded the laundry area, forcing tenants to call the city; malfunctioning heaters; and the replacement of the foyer’s banister, which cracked every step of the staircase, leaving exposed nails.
Saavedra has also sent multiple maintenance requests —some as far back as 10 months ago — to Sandpiper which have gone unanswered, ranging from a shoddy breaker to broken and missing window fixtures. As a result, most issues he has addressed himself. He also says that Egerer only returns calls with his caller ID blocked and no number displayed.
In 2021 the Santa Barbara Tenants Union organized a protest that rallied activists and Sandpiper tenants outside the Sandpiper office following discontent surrounding disability accommodations, rising rent, and faulty structures.
“This situation feels like a microcosm of a larger issue in Santa Barbara: in the effort to create more housing, we’re creating new problems for the people who already live here,” said Saavedra in an email. “Tenants deserve to know what is happening to their homes. We deserve transparency, safety, and a process that doesn’t leave us cornered with no recourse.”
