De la Guerra Plaza’s future

Project planner responds to criticism of revitalization details

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

When Brad Hess met with the Historic Landmarks Commission earlier this month to give an update on the proposed De la Guerra Revitalization project, the last thing he expected was to be met with criticism about features that had already been approved.

He was just there to talk about two items that hadn’t yet been reviewed: a planned pavilion to be built between the Santa Barbara City Hall and the News-Press building and landscaping at the entrance to City Hall.

Of course, there’s no way he could have predicted what speakers would say during the public comment period. He just never expected some HLC members to join in that criticism.

Now, in an exclusive interview with the News-Press, Mr. Hess, the project’s principal planner, is responding for the first time to that criticism, which included harsh comments about one of the project’s proposed features: a bubbler fountain.

“The bubbler — please spare me,” Rosanne Crawford said during the public comment period at the HLC meeting. “This is not a modern building. This is not a park. This is De la Guerra Plaza.

“The bubbler is absolutely atrocious. It’s hideous.”

Some HLC members agreed.

“The water feature, I cannot support it,” Commissioner Ed Lenvik said. “It does not belong here. It does not fit the historic