Conservative commentator trims his Montecito empire
Elijah Brumback
One of Comedy Central’s 100-greatest stand-up comedians has sold one of his Montecito real estate holdings for $11.5 million.
Dennis Miller, who came to fame via Saturday Night Live in the 80s, cashed in on the property after almost five years on the market, Variety reports.
The Emmy winner and his wife purchased the 3.7-acre property situated in the Glen Oaks neighborhood in 1993. After a long renovation, the pair listed the property for $17.5 million in 2010. A handful of price cuts later and — voila.
Built in 1895, the 9,000-square-foot mansion has eight bedrooms, nine full baths, three half baths as well as a guest house with three bedrooms and two baths.
The lusciously-landscaped grounds include a massive pool, jacuzzi, sunken trampoline, a tennis court and a tree house. But wait, there’s more. Near the pool is a stacked stone fireplace and cabana with a full kitchen, bar and barbecue.
These days, Miller broadcasts conservative commentary on Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News. Santa Barbara’s shoreline serves as a background for the show.
According to Variety, the Millers also own another 4.3-acre Montecito hideout bought in 2006. In less glamorous Carpinteria, the comic also owns a 6,000-plus-square-foot, Nantucket-styled home picked up in 2003 for $11.8 million. Perhaps one the best jokes around is that the property was listed in December for a boastful $22.5 million.
PB Cos. close to deal
A lot more housing could be coming to Camarillo soon. San Luis Obispo-based development firm PB Cos. on Feb. 4 got the green light from the Camarillo City Council, when it approved a general plan amendment for a new, 129-unit mulitfamily development on Camino Ruiz Avenue. The property is just off Highway 101 near the Courtyard By Marriott.
Developer and PB Cos. co-founder Ryan Petetit said the company expects to get a residential plan development approved in late March. PB Cos. is also in negotiations with at least two publicly-traded homebuilders to purchase the development known as Mission Oaks, he said.
Boys & Girls Club snags bargain
The Port Hueneme City Council on Feb. 2 voted to sell the city-owned athletic center on Pleasant Valley Road to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme for $1.
The council members voted 4-1 for the sale, with Mayor Sylvia Munoz Schnopp casting the no vote, according to media reports.
Councilman Doug Breeze floated the idea with the stipulation that if the building isn’t used as a Boys & Girls Club, ownership would revert to the city.
Now the city is off the hook financially for the center, which has been rundown in recent years.
Simi sides with seniors
On Feb. 2 the Simi Valley City Council bulldozed another roadblock in the way of a 250-unit senior apartment complex at Smith Road and Kuehner Drive.
The council voted to rezone the 9.2-acre site from commercial recreation to residential high density, which allows the proposal to move forward.
Roshawn Helmandi of Hamid Helmandi Properties is the developer behind the project.
Opponents say the development is too far from doctors’ offices and grocery stores. Advocates contend the development would help solve the city’s senior housing shortage.
Impact Hub drops in
The Santa Barbara startup community will soon have a new place to incubate ideas. At a Jan. 30 StartupSB event at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum Impact Hub, a global network of entrepreneurial coworking spaces, announced its intention to open a new 12,000-square-foot collaborative office and meeting space at 1117 State St. downtown.
Impact Hub will offer memberships that include workspace, programming and other events. The space is expected to be developed over the next eight months.
