There is both a housing shortage and a transportation crisis in Santa Barbara. Workers need affordable housing, and yet voters are furious about traffic impacts. The city can accommodate about 1,500 more housing units before it is maxed out. In order to allow more unit density, housing needs to be planned to be as near to new jobs as possible. People need to be able to walk or bike to work, shop, and play. This will require careful and strategic planning to be acceptable, and is probably most suited to be in the downtown and adjacent corridors. Downtown is the one place where this is possible.

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The City needs to authorize its remaining higher-density zoning options for projects that are tied to the future economic development of the city.  There are hundreds of new high-tech jobs coming into downtown, and the workers should be given the option of living where they do not have to commute to work and adding to the frustration of urban traffic.