Santa Barbara, CA
Samarkand
Municipal planning records draw Samarkand's boundary with unusual precision: on the north side the line sits just above Samarkand Drive and continues past Serena Road, then Highway 101 closes off the south, Mission Creek marks the east, and Las Positas Road forms the western edge. Within that footprint the neighborhood totals roughly 177 acres, holding 733 dwelling units, with about 94 percent of the land zoned for low-density single-family use at up to five units per acre and a small remaining share set aside as open space and park land. City planners characterize Samarkand as a built-out, primarily single-family hillside neighborhood with little room left for further development. A slice of Oak Park, running along the creek, actually sits inside Samarkand's mapped footprint rather than simply next to it. The name traces back to a hotel rather than a person: a hotel called the Samarkand, built with a Persian architectural theme, opened in 1920 on ground first developed five years earlier as a boys' school, and operated for roughly three and a half decades before the property changed hands in 1955. Since that sale the same site has functioned as a continuing-care retirement community serving people age 62 and up. Covenant Living at the Samarkand is the operation's current name — an institution distinct from, though descended from, the historic hotel that gave the neighborhood its name. Recreation sits close by rather than inside the residential streets themselves, anchored by a public golf course along the western edge.
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What defines it
- City General Plan boundary runs just above Samarkand Drive and past Serena Road on the north, with Highway 101, Mission Creek, and Las Positas Road closing the south, east, and west sides
- 733 dwelling units spread across roughly 177 acres, about 94% zoned low-density single-family (E-3, five units per acre max) with 6% open space/park land
- A slice of Oak Park sits within the mapped footprint on the east side, not merely adjacent to it
- Site of the 1920 Samarkand Persian Hotel, built on ground first developed in 1915 as a boys' school
- Since 1955 the former hotel grounds have operated as a continuing-care retirement community, today Covenant Living at the Samarkand, for residents 62 and older
- The retirement community's skilled-nursing program earned a spot on U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best Nursing Homes list
- Public Santa Barbara Golf Club, an 18-hole par-70 course, borders the neighborhood on the west
The Housing Stock
Samarkand's General Plan zoning caps the neighborhood at low-density single-family development — about 94 percent of the land at up to five units per acre — with little remaining room for new construction, consistent with a settled, built-out hillside neighborhood bordered by Highway 101.
Frequently asked
Is Samarkand named for a hotel or for the retirement community that's there today?
The name comes from a Persian-themed property, the Samarkand Hotel, which opened in 1920 on ground first developed in 1915 as a boys' school. That hotel no longer exists — it closed and changed hands in 1955. The site has operated as a continuing-care retirement community ever since; Covenant Living at the Samarkand is the name it operates under now, a distinct institution from the historic hotel despite sharing its name and site.
What are Samarkand's official boundaries?
The municipal General Plan draws the line just above Samarkand Drive and past Serena Road on the north, with Highway 101 closing the south side, Mission Creek marking the east side, and Las Positas Road forming the west side. Within that boundary the neighborhood holds 733 dwelling units across about 177 acres. Informal real-estate descriptions of the boundary sometimes differ from the city's official line.
What does Samarkand's zoning allow?
About 94 percent of the neighborhood is zoned low-density single-family residential (E-3), capped at five units per acre, with roughly 6 percent set aside as open space or park land. City planning documents describe it as a largely built-out area with not much room left for new construction.
Is Oak Park part of Samarkand, or just next door?
Part of it is genuinely inside the neighborhood: the municipal General Plan states that a slice of Oak Park runs along Samarkand's own eastern boundary line, not merely next to it.
What operates on the old hotel site today?
A continuing-care retirement community at 2550 Treasure Drive, open to residents 62 and older, currently branded Covenant Living at the Samarkand, run as a nonprofit affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. In November 2025 its skilled-nursing program earned a spot on U.S. News & World Report's 2026 Best Nursing Homes list, rated highly for both short-term rehab and long-term care.
What school does a Samarkand address feed into?
Peabody Charter School, a K-6 SBUSD charter, uses a defined attendance area, but even households inside that area must still go through the school's public lottery rather than receiving an automatic assignment. A seat is never guaranteed by address alone, so run any specific home through SBUSD's enrollment resources first.
Is there a golf course or other recreation near Samarkand?
Yes — the public Santa Barbara Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-70 course, sits right on the neighborhood's west side. MacKenzie Park is close by too, with a lawn-bowling club whose greens date to 1966, plus fields for youth baseball and a fenced dog run.
