Stefanos Polyzoides has put the shine on State Street.
The city of Santa Barbara on Wednesday showed the News-Press elements of the draft State Street Master Plan that will go before the City Council in April.
The plan shows a vibrant State Street with options for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians. Acclaimed architect Polyzoides and his firm created the plan. There’s even early talk about changing the one-way street configurations on Chapala and Anacapa streets.
“I am very excited about what Polyzoides and his team have presented,” said councilwoman Kristen Sneddon. “The plan keeps the promenade feel and improves the experience, while still being flexible for parades and community uses. I am looking forward to hearing community feedback.”
The draft master plan includes two options.
Option 1 includes fast E-bikes and transit in a travel lane and road bikes in a separate bike lane, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The sidewalks on both sides of the street would be 19 feet.
From 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., vehicles and delivery trucks could ride on the travel lane and E-bikes and road bikes on a separate bike lane.
Option 2 is similar, except it places all E-bikes, road bikes and transit vehicles in the same lane from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, the sidewalks would be 30-feet wide on both sides of State Street.
From 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., vehicles and deliveries and all bikes would share the travel lane.
Both plans, from Gutierrez to Victoria streets, include retractable bollards, that allow for parades and other special events.
“There’s some new momentum here,” said Tess Harris, the city’s State Street Master Planner.
Harris said the full plan will be released in April prior to the council meeting. If the council selects a plan to move forward, Harris said people could see results on at least a couple blocks within six months.
“That doesn’t mean that we are necessarily going to be pouring concrete at that moment, but we might be putting paint on the ground to show where the new delineators are, closing the street to vehicles at certain times, opening the street to vehicles at certain times, and showing what the sidewalks could look like,” Harris said.
Although it is not formally part of the draft master plan, Harris said Polyzoides has also suggested the possibility of making Anacapa and Chapala streets two-way, instead of the current one-way configuration.
“We are looking at potentially changing Anacapa and Chapala into two-way streets,” Harris said.
She said that was in the “very early stages” of discussion.
“Chapala is very wide,” she said. “There is an opportunity at least on that street.”
Sullivan Israel, founder of Strong Towns SB, said the group prefers Option 2, but opposes opening the street to cars at any time.
“Our goal is to see the city commit to a fully car-free space that balances the needs of those who take transit, cycle, or walk,” Israel said. “Option 2 has wonderfully wide sidewalks with plenty of room for outdoor dining and large numbers of people to pass each other on foot, while keeping cyclists and transit in their own dedicated area—avoiding the confusion of the unconfigured street we have now.”
Israel said narrowing the spaces where bikes are allowed from the current 40 to 20 feet would also significantly help toward reducing Ebike speeds.
“However, we think that despite Option 2’s strengths, there are a few obvious downsides to it,” Israel said. “A finished design with retractable bollards and a tentative agreement to open the street to cars at night has the potential to leave our community with an endless battle over when cars should be allowed.”
Israel said “police and emergency vehicles, maintenance vehicles and delivery vans should be allowed on State Street regularly, preferably at night.”
“However, this should not come at the cost of a world-class design,” Israel said. “There are streets in Europ, and Spain in particular, that strike this balance perfectly—and we are trying to imitate Spain, afterall.”
More City Council news:
The city of Santa Barbara is holding a retail symposium at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Faulkner Gallery.
The speakers will discuss the current state of retail in California, how high-quality public spaces shape the retail experience, and strategies to attract a diverse customer base to downtown Santa
Barbara, according to the staff report.
The speakers include:
Rachel Michelin, president, California Retailers Association
Rick Lemmo, senior vice president, Caruso Properties
Mark Ingalls, property anager, Camino Real Marketplace, Goleta
