With competing visions for what a city’s downtown should look like, Santa Barbara on Tuesday sided with the future.
“Santa Barbara’s downtown is a downtown like no other, and this plan is a plan like no other,” said Tess Harris, Santa Barbara’s State Street Master Planner. “It’s an ambitious vision, and it’s also a moment for this council to decide where they want this city to go for the next 50 years.”
The City council voted 6-1 at its meeting on Tuesday to approve its ambitious, $96-million, six-year master plan for downtown State Street. Mayor Randy Rowse was the dissenting vote, who called the “experiment” to close down eight blocks of State Street for six years a failure.
While councilmembers differed in their support for the plan, they agreed that acting on the future of State Street was better than returning to its status before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan imagines a downtown State Street built for pedestrians: with wide sidewalks, tree canopy, plazas, sculptures, parades and a farmer’s market.
It’s the first major design decision on State Street in 50 years, Harris said.
With several new businesses opening on State Street, Harris argued that the street’s design must change with a changing retail landscape.
“Retail has changed, and how people get around has changed, and what people want out of a public space has changed,” Harris said.
The plan will be implemented in three phases throughout a six-year period, with construction to begin within 18 months.
It includes building two 30-foot sidewalks and a 20-foot travel corridor down the middle.
Eight retractable and 16 standard bollards will be installed in the intersections from the 500 to 1300 block to restrict cars at certain times of the day. The master plan does not include a window for when cars can go through downtown State Street, instead leaving it up to council to decide later.
To address business owners’ concerns with the number of vacant storefronts on State Street, the master plan calls for a business activation grant or revolving loan program of up to $50,000 per business.
Staff estimates that the plan will cost $96 million to implement, according to an engineer’s breakdown. Funding can be sourced from a mix of grants such as a Santa Barbara County Association of Governments Measure A bicycle and pedestrian funds, a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant and a RAISE grant from the federal government, staff said, but that a vote for the master plan was not a vote to begin appropriating funds.
The vote amends Title 31 of the city’s municipal code, the emergency order put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic that prohibited cars from downtown State Street. It removes a sunset clause that would’ve expired Title 31 by Dec. 31, 2026.
Supporters of the plan from the public said the council must be decisive in what it wants State Street to look like.
“As Tess [Harris] mentioned, State Street hasn’t had a major remodel in 50 years,” said Sullivan Israel, who leads Strongtowns Santa Barbara. “That puts out a message that we don’t market State Street. That’s what this plan is.”
Public commenters against the master plan were skeptical of the city’s ability to take on a costly project amid a precarious financial outlook.
“I would love more trees and beauty on State Street,” said Lisa Sands. “However, we don’t have the money. We have to be prudent about what we do, how we spend money, and more importantly, how we borrow it.”
Others were concerned about accessibility for elderly residents.
“Cars are part of how people, like me, get somewhere,” said Alice Post. “I’m not going to ride a bike. I’m almost 70 years old.”
Some were frustrated about what would happen in between now and the estimated 18 months before construction begins.
“Although we previously supported a car-free promenade as the salvation of State Street, this reclosure, we feel, now is a barrier to the thousands of tourists drawn to the Funk Zone waterfront, who now mostly stay there rather than coming uptown,” said Richard Yates, who operates Opal Restaurant and Bar on the 1300 block.
Councilmember Eric Friedman shared those concerns and suggested re-opening State Street to cars north from Canon Perdido in the meantime, but his fellow councilmembers did not support the idea.
He ultimately ended up supporting the plan because “it moves us toward a vision,” but believed closing off eight blocks to cars was too much.
Councilmembers Kristen Sneddon and Meagan Harmon were the most enthusiastic proponents of the master plan, touting it as representative of the future of Santa Barbara.
“While [the plan] represents a new vision,” Harmon said, “It’s grounded in the same love for our downtown that we’ve shared over generations.”
