The first step in relocating beloved senior living community Friendship Manor from Isla Vista, where it has been for more than 50 years, to downtown Santa Barbara was approved Monday.
Friendship Manor’s board has been searching for the perfect place to move for over 20 years, according to project planner and board member Eva Turenchalk. When UCSB sought to purchase the vacant lot next to it, proposing student housing, the board decided the time was now. Two hundred senior residents will be relocated to a new four-story, 156 unit building at 701 North Milpas Street.
“We’re really excited to be bringing Friendship Manor to the Milpas Corridor,” Turenchalk said. “We think the services and the area are going to be something our residents really enjoy.”
Under State Density Bonus Law, 10% of the project’s units are required to be low-income. However, Turenchalk said that the entirety of the project will be affordable. The goal is to keep rent costing the same as it currently does in Isla Vista, where Friendship Manor Residents pay between $900 and $1,100 per month, including all meals and utilities.
The project comes as low-income seniors continue to be the fastest growing population segment on the affordable housing wait list. According to data from the Housing Authority, over 1,000 seniors are on the list. All 200 residents will be relocated, but the new Friendship Manor will have a few less units than the original in Isla Vista.
The new and improved Friendship Manor will be built around a central courtyard, walled in by three flat sides of the apartment building. It sits at the corner of North Milpas and East Ortega Streets, adjacent to Santa Barbara Junior High.
Turenchalk said the move is set for 2029. At a Monday Architectural Board of Review (ABR) meeting, project planners made early progress as the ARB passed the design.
“I’m delighted to see this use on this property,” said ARB member Richard Six. “I think it’s a wonderful idea to have such a community populate and use upper State Street.”
ARB members did have some qualms with the flat, simplistic design of the four-story building regarding its neighborhood compatibility. Board member Will Sofrin said it would look “overpowering and aggressive” on Milpas. Other board members said the blank white walls needed more detail.
The project staff requested to waive the construction of story poles to mark the new height of the building, citing their expense. Some board members saw this as a red flag—a way to hide the height of the project.
“I think the community has the right to know that a fifty foot plus elevation is going up on that street,” said board member Dennis Whelan. “The community can weigh in on compatibility from that alone.”
Still, the board approved the design 3-1, recommending that the staff come to its next meeting, which will be with a staff hearing officer, prepared with their findings.
