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Victor Maccharoli- The Santa Barbara City Council and neighbors of the historic El Encanto Hotel took a tour of the property Monday.

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Politics may decide El Encanto’s fate

By JOSHUA MOLINA — April 28, 2009

In a normal year, today’s project involving Santa Barbara’s Historic El Encanto Hotel might be a slam dunk victory for the hotel’s owners, the Orient Express Trains, Hotels and Cruises.

But in an election year, often called the “silly season” among hardcore city watchers, anything can happen. That’s why today’s clash between neighborhood residents, two prominent activist organizations and the out-of-country developers who own the El Encanto, has all the makings of a high-drama, emotionally charged spectacle.

“I sincerely hope we can find a solution everyone can live with so we can all enjoy sitting on the patio of the El Encanto watching the sun setting,” Mayor Marty Blum told the Daily Sound on Tuesday.

The controversy centers on a plan to rebuild the historic El Encanto, which is nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara’s Riviera. The hotel has been closed since 2006, but the owners have been navigating the city’s planning department, with the hope of building 92 high-end cottages that they could rent for upwards of $500 a night.

The city’s planning commission approved the project, but neighbors have appealed the decision to the city council. They oppose a plan to place a utility distribution center on the northwest corner of the site, at 1900 Lasuen Road.

The homeowners contend the facility, which would help heat and cool the buildings – rather than having heating and cooling systems in individual cottages – would be too noisy and disrupt the neighborhood.

They also oppose the location of a so-called “back of house” facility for the hotel, which would hold laundry services, staff lockers, storage, and offices.

“They are taking all that stuff that they don’t want their guests to see and putting it out by the residents,” said Marc Chytilo, an attorney representing the homeowners who have appealed the project’s approval.

Chytilo, a savvy environmental land-use attorney, said the city is guilty of letting the project skate through the planning process without adequate scrutiny and review. The city’s judgment, he said, may be clouded by a desire to see the hotel open and rake in badly needed hotel bed tax revenue.

“Environmental review has largely been an afterthought,” said Chytilo, who also has the support of the Citizens Planning Association and the Allied Neighborhood Association.

But equally formidable on the other side of the debate is attorney Doug Fell, who is representing the Orient Express.

Fell said that the complaints are largely coming from a few isolated neighbors in the area, but that there’s little reason for them to be concerned.

“We wouldn’t allow this if we thought it was going to make our clients, our customers, unhappy,” Fell said. “We are not going to be able to charge $500 or $600 a night if we don’t have a good, environmentally friendly facility on this site.”

Fell said that the El Encanto is a historic resource for the city and that the residents should be more flexible with site design because there will not be any noise impacts to them. Moving the heating and cooling system, he said, is just not a possibility because of the site constraints.

“There’s no place for it to go,” Fell said. “You don’t have an El Encanto Hotel anymore.”

Chytilo fired back that if Fell is so positive that the utility distribution facility will not make any major noise that Fell should “go ahead and put it under one of the guest rooms.”

Chytilo also fired away at the Riviera Association, which supports the project and does not side with the homeowners, saying the neighborhood group has discredited themselves over this project and has “convicted themselves to obscurity.”

He also questioned the tactics of Fell and his advisers, saying that rather than genuinely addressing the concerns of the residents, that they have “taken a very aggressive and hostile” attitude toward the public.

Today’s council vote will be unpredictable. The outcome of the vote could have ramifications for mayoral candidates Helene Schneider and Iya Falcone, who are locked in tight race for mayor. Both of them will likely try to read each other’s position during the council meeting to see where their opponent stands.

Schneider told the Daily Sound that the “the appeal is complex,” and that “I am holding my comments until the hearing.” Falcone did not return Daily Sound calls.

But Das Williams, a consistent voice for neighborhoods during his six years on the council, said he too has concerns about the utility distribution facility, but hoped the two sides would reach a compromise.

“These issues seem reasonable to deal with,” Williams said. “It seems like the applicant and the neighbors haven’t been able to get together to work it out.”

Chytilo said he hopes the council will do the right thing for the residents and put politics aside.

“This project provides a good opportunity for council members and candidates to identify where their allegiances are,” Chytilo said. “This is a chance for the city to show leadership.”

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El Encanto Noise : 4/29/2009

Has a noise study been done?

Reality Chick

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Molina as Das publicist... : 5/2/2009

...deja vu--how's this for objectivity: "Das Williams, a consistent voice for neighborhoods". I'm sorry, Josh, from which planet did you just land? only time MY neighborhood sees THE DAS is when he's running for an office....so, I guess that would be every 12-18 months or so, since he's never satisfied to stay in any one place for too long.

Not in my neighborhood

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