The Zaca Preserve project has been working through the county process since 2012, and this action clears the way for individual home construction to begin.
Planning appointments and procedural items
The board approved two First District planning appointments that will shape land-use decisions over the coming year: Steven Amerikaner to the County Planning Commission, and Dante Di Loreto california housing market news to the Montecito Planning Commission. Both terms run through December 31, 2026. Planning commissioners vote on subdivisions, conditional use permits, and zoning changes, so these appointments matter for any project moving through the pipeline.
In routine business, supervisors authorized the County Treasurer to make temporary inter-fund transfers between July 2026 and April 2027 to cover cash-flow gaps — a standard accounting tool that does not change overall spending. They accepted a $118,920 donation from the Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation to Animal Services (not housing-related, but on the same agenda). The board also met in closed session on one anticipated litigation matter and held its standard public comment period.
What’s coming up
The board set a hearing for June 9, 2026 on an ordinance updating the Public Works Department’s subdivision map and document review fees charged by the Surveyor Division. These are the fees developers and homeowners pay when they split a lot or record a map — small in any one case, but a recurring cost that ultimately gets passed into home prices. The Local Housing Marketing Program ordinance will also return for its second reading before taking effect,