The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors — the county’s top elected decision-making body — took on a full slate of housing and homelessness matters at its July 14 meeting, ranging from financing deals for affordable apartments to a status report on people living without shelter across the region.
Affordable and workforce housing
The most consequential item for renters was the board’s action on the CP Land Investors LLC housing development in the county’s Second District, which covers the Carpinteria and Montecito area. Supervisors approved an Agreement to Provide Affordable Housing and a Rental Restrictive Covenant — a legal document recorded against the property that legally locks in below-market rents for a set number of years, so the units can’t quietly convert to market-rate later. For residents, this means a portion of the new homes at this project are guaranteed to stay affordable to lower-income households well into the future, rather than depending on the goodwill of whoever owns the building.
The board also approved a Subordination Agreement with the State of California Housing and Community Development Department (State HCD — the state agency that funds and oversees affordable housing) for the Patterson Point project, also in the Second District. A subordination agreement rearranges the order in which lenders get repaid if a project runs into trouble; here, it clears the way for state housing money to flow to the development. In plain terms, this is a routine but necessary paperwork step that keeps an affordable project financed and moving.
On the workforce housing front — homes aimed at middle-income earners like teachers, nurses, and first responders who often earn too much for subsidized housing but too little to buy at market prices — supervisors approved an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) for county-owned land at 117 East Carrillo Street in downtown Santa Barbara. An ENA is a short-term deal that gives one developer the sole right to negotiate with the county on a project for a set period, without committing either side to build. For residents, this is an early signal that a county parcel in the heart of downtown could become housing for the local workforce, though nothing is finalized yet.
Homeless services and housing
Supervisors held an hour-long hearing on the 2026 Community Services Department Homelessness Update, a yearly presentation on how many people are homeless in the county, what services they’re receiving, and how programs are performing. The board received and filed the report, meaning they formally accepted it as the record without taking further action. For residents, this is the county’s main public accounting of where the homelessness crisis stands and where tax dollars are going.
The board approved an authorizing resolution and a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA — a formal written understanding between government agencies) with the California Department of State Hospitals for Good Samaritan Shelter’s Life House II project in northern Santa Barbara County. This partnership supports housing and services connected to the state hospital system. For the North County, it means additional shelter and support capacity through a well-established local provider.
Supervisors also approved a contract funded by Opioid Settlement Funds (OSF — money the county received from legal settlements with drug manufacturers) to pay a nonprofit to conduct homeless outreach. This is a subrecipient agreement, meaning the county passes settlement dollars to an outside organization to do the work. For residents, it means street-level outreach to connect homeless individuals with services will continue, paid for by settlement money rather than the general budget.
Bond financing for Step Up Housing
The board held a required public hearing on the California Municipal Finance Authority’s plan to issue tax-exempt bonds — a type of loan repaid over time — on behalf of Step Up Housing, a nonprofit that provides housing for people with mental illness and those coming out of homelessness. This hearing is a step required by federal tax law before the tax-exempt bonds can be issued; the county isn’t putting its own money or credit on the line. For residents, it means Step Up can borrow at lower interest rates to acquire or build supportive housing, stretching each dollar further.
Zoning and code updates
Supervisors held a hearing on amendments to several county planning rulebooks: the County Land Use and Development Code (LUDC), the Coastal Zoning Ordinance (CZO), and the Montecito Land Use and Development Code (MLUDC) — the detailed rules that spell out what can be built where, how tall, and under what conditions in different parts of the county and its coastline. Changes to these codes ripple through to every property owner and builder, since they set the ground rules for permits, additions, and new construction. Residents in the coastal zone and in Montecito should watch these updates closely, as they can affect what’s allowed on their own lots.
Other business
In other action this cycle, the board approved a First Amendment to a hospitalist and outpatient services agreement with Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, a health-services contract that required a supermajority four-fifths vote. Supervisors also met privately with legal counsel over anticipated litigation involving Diani Building Corp., a closed-session matter that does not yet have a public resolution.
What’s coming up
Several of this week’s actions — particularly the Carrillo Street workforce housing ENA and the zoning code amendments — set up future decisions. The Carrillo Street negotiation must still produce a specific project and return to the board for approval, and the code changes may require additional readings before taking effect. Residents can attend in person at the County Administration Building’s board hearing room or participate remotely; watch the county’s meeting agendas for the next round of hearings.