San Marcos Ranch LLC Housing Development
Summary
SCH Number
2025110250
Public Agency
Santa Barbara County
Document Title
San Marcos Ranch LLC Housing Development
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
11/7/2025
Document Description
The project is a request for a “use by right” approval of a 956-unit housing development pursuant to Government Code Section 65583.2(c). 720 of the units will be market-rate units located on Parcel 1, and 236 will be affordable units located on Parcel 2. The affordability levels of these units are as follows:
• 30% AMI = 72 units
• 50% AM = 22 units
• 60% AMI = 22 units
• 80% AMI = 118 units
The number of bedrooms and approximate unit square footage are as follows:
Market-Rate Unit Summary
Unit Type Unit Sq. Ft. No. of Bedrooms No. of Units Total Sq. Ft.
A 773 1 288 222,624
B 1,020 2 432 440,640
Affordable Unit Summary
Unit Type Unit Sq. Ft. No. of Bedrooms No. of Units Total Sq. Ft.
1 BED 457 1 115 52,555
2 BED 708 2 61 43,188
3 BED 930 3 60 55,800
The residential buildings are three stories in height and will be designed in the Goleta farmhouse style. Site amenities on Parcel 1 include a clubhouse, fitness center, pool, spa, barbecue patio, lounge areas, turf area, and community garden. Site amenities on Parcel 2 include a community room, fitness center, covered patio, fenced dog run, tot lot, and pedestrian walking loop. There will also be instructor-led adult educational, health and wellness, and skill building classes (such as financial literacy, computer training, home-buyer education, GED, resume building, ESL, nutrition, exercise, health information/awareness, art, parenting, on-site food cultivation and preparation, and smoking cessation), and health and wellness services and programs (such as visiting nurse programs, intergenerational visiting programs, and senior companion programs), free of charge to residents on Parcel 2 on an ongoing nature for a term of fifteen years. A portion of Parcel 1 is being developed and then dedicated to the County as a public park. The public park will be developed with a pergola-covered patio with picnic table seating, a passive turf area, and a concrete pathway.
The applicant is requesting the following concessions and waivers under the State Density Bonus Law:
Concessions:
• Increase in allowed height from a maximum of 35’-0” to a maximum of approximately 40’-0”.
Waivers:
• Waiver of 40% open space requirement in the DR Zone. The project proposes approximately 34% of the site as open space.
• Waiver to allow a portion of the side setback at the southwest corner to be used for vehicle parking.
• Waiver to allow a reduction in the front setback for the buildings along South San Marcos Road from 20 feet to 10 feet to accommodate a new right-turn pocket to San Marcos Road.
The applicant is requesting a vehicular parking ratio, pursuant to State Density Bonus Law, of: (A) zero to one bedroom: one onsite parking space, (B) two to three bedrooms: one and one-half onsite parking spaces. 1,447 parking spaces are proposed (1,150 on Parcel 1 and 297 on Parcel 2). 360 bicycle parking spaces are proposed on Parcel 1, and 120 bicycle parking spaces are proposed on Parcel 2.
Grading will consist of 60,596 cubic yards of cut and 62,190 cubic yards of fill on Parcel 1 and 9,126 cubic yards of cut and 8,589 cubic yards of fill on Parcel 2. The following native trees will be removed on Parcel 1: nine coast live oak trees, one California sycamore tree. The trees will be mitigated with 32 coast live oak trees, two California sycamore trees, six Catalina ironwood trees, six California buckeye trees, and six western redbud trees. The parcels will be served by the Goleta Water District, the Goleta Sanitary District, and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. Access will be provided off South San Marcos Road and San Simeon Drive. The properties are a 27.37-acre parcel and a 5.7-acre parcel zoned DR-20/30 and DR-30/40 and shown as Assessor's Parcel Numbers 065-040-041 and 065-030-012, located at 4960 Hollister Avenue and 125 South San Marcos Road in the Eastern Goleta Valley Community Plan area, Second Supervisorial District.
Contact Information
Name
Willow Brown
Agency Name
County of Santa Barbara
Job Title
Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Andrew Fuller
Agency Name
San Marcos Ranch LLC
Job Title
Applicant
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Goleta (unincorporated)
Counties
Santa Barbara
Regions
Countywide, Unincorporated
Cross Streets
Hollister Avenue and South San Marcos Road
Zip
93111
Total Acres
5.7
Parcel #
065-040-041 & 065-030-012
State Highways
101
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Ministerial
Type, Section or Code
15268
Reasons for Exemption
CEQA Guidelines Section 15268 exempts ministerial projects from the requirements of CEQA. The determination of what is “ministerial” can most appropriately be made by the particular public agency involved based upon its analysis of its own laws, and each public agency should make such determination either as a part of its implementing regulations or on a case-by-case basis. Each public agency should, in its implementing regulations or ordinances, provide an identification or itemization of its projects and actions which are deemed ministerial under the applicable laws and ordinances. Pursuant to Santa Barbara County Land Use and Development Code Section 35.39, housing developments located on sites that were rezoned under the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update and meet certain standards are allowed as a “use by right” and are subject to ministerial review and approval.
The project is exempt from CEQA as it is allowed as a use by right pursuant to Government Code Section 65583.2(i) and Government Code Section 65589.5 for multifamily residential housing. The subject properties were rezoned to accommodate the County’s 2023-2031 Regional Housing Needs Allocation for very low- and/or low-income households. Housing developments on sites that were rezoned and include at least 20% very low- and/or low-income units are allowed as a use by right and are not subject to any discretionary reviews or approvals, or environmental review under CEQA. 24.7% of the units qualify as very low- or low-income units, and therefore the project qualifies as a use by right and is ministerial.
County Clerk
Santa Barbara
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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