The Lower Riviera

309 acres
1,100 dwellings per acre

The Lower Riviera includes the hills below Alameda Padre Serra Blvd. between Old Mission and Canon Perdido streets. It is primarily residential, mostly single family, at around 3 units per acre, but with pockets of more intensive duplex and multifamily housing up to 12 units per acre in some places.

The area around Grand Avenue developed as university housing when UCSB occupied a small teaching collage above Alameda Padra Serra (where I attended kindergarten as a private Christian school). In this section single family homes were converted to multiple unit apartments. Due to the narrow streets and limited off-street parking (intended for single families) traffic is now problematic.

The city's current plan for Grand Ave is to leave the housing structured as it is, but to increase inspection to elliminate any off-the-books subdivisions. Additionally the city will encourage more off-street parking facilities such as underground garages for new developments.

The Lower Riviera is served by Roosevelt Elementary, Hillside (Orpet) Park, the County Bowl, and St. Francis Medical Center (closed since 2003).