Fess Parker Submits Revised Plans for Santa Barbara Hotel

SANTA BARBARA — Actor-turned-developer Fess Parker has submitted scaled-down plans for a waterfront hotel.

Debated for more than a decade and the focus of a ballot measure in November, the 150-room hotel as now planned would be influenced by Spanish architecture, instead of being what was previously described as a property with a “commercial and institutional” look.

“Santa Barbara is a special place . . . and we’ve tried to present an architectural project that is a credit to the city and us,” said Parker, best known for his role in television’s “Davy Crockett.” “It will be a very handsome building, reflecting the time of yesteryear.”

The hotel’s overall size has been trimmed to 223,750 square feet, about 20,000 less than the original plan for the 3-acre site.

City Community Development Director David Davis will examine Parker’s revised plans. If approved, the hotel could open in 18 months to two years, Parker said.

Last year, voters defeated Parker’s effort to bypass the planning process and develop a 225-room hotel on the site.