Back to Riviera Development Activity
Select one of the three buttons above and get up-to-date information on development happening in your neighborhood.
- To view a list of building permit (BLD) activity in the neighborhood for the previous six months, click on Recent Building Permit Activity.
- To view a list of residential Zoning Information Report (ZIR) applications, click on Recent ZIR Applications.
- To view a list of pending and approved projects (MST) in the neighborhood for the previous six months, click on Pending & Approved Projects.
The following information was derived from the original General Plan for the City of Santa Barbara.
Neighborhood Boundary
Area: approx. 634 acres
North: the top of Mission Ridge
South: Alameda Padre Serra
East: Sycamore Canyon Road
West: Mountain Drive
Schools, Parks and Places of Interest
The Riviera is served by Franceschi Park and a portion of Hillside (Orpet) Park. Marymount School (Private) is located in this neighborhood, as is the Riviera Research and Development Park, the Riviera Theater, and the El Encanto Hotel Facility.
Neighborhood Profile
This is one of the most popular residential sections as it affords sweeping views of the City, harbor, ocean, Channel Islands, and the Mesa Hills. The General Plan protects this single-family neighborhood with densities of one and three dwelling units to the acre, and current zoning conforms with these designations. Approximately 25 percent of the land in the Riviera is undeveloped, and although it is often steep, there is potential growth, especially in the eastern portions. Care must be exercised in the future to encourage the use of special development techniques.
Most of the Riviera is primarily in single-family use. Notable exceptions to this are the remaining portion of the old college campus on Alameda Padre Serra, now in instructional and office uses, the adjacent garden apartments, and the El Encanto Hotel. The El Encanto Hotel, if continued at its existing level of activity, does not present an inordinate burden to the existing street facilities. However, should the remaining old college campus be sold for use as a medium-density residential development, the traffic needs of the area would be difficult to serve. The campus may represent a very difficult problem in developing in a low-density residential standard. If proven so, then the General Plan would suggest that the best use for such a parcel would be as a place of employment in the research or administrative field.
The access problem, due to the limited possibilities of improving Alameda Padre Serra as a high-volume traffic carrier, indicates how important it is to maintain the low- density character of the area. This contention is supported by topographical features, the existing development, and the stated attitude of the people who live there.