Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
Santa Barbara’s City Council made a significant decision regarding the future of State Street this week. They have unanimously agreed to conduct monthly hearings about the progress of the State Street promenade during regular council meetings, dissolving the “State Street Interim Operations Ad Hoc Council Committee.”
This unexpected decision marks a crucial step forward in reshaping State Street, which has been a long and contentious process.
The committee’s initial plan was to facilitate public input and decision-making on the future of State Street. However, during the recent meeting, council members put forward the idea of eliminating the subcommittee altogether and discussing the matters directly in front of the full council. This approach would provide more transparency and public participation without adding unnecessary costs and complexities associated with a subcommittee.
The unanimous agreement among all council members and Mayor Randy Rowse to bring the discussions to the full council showcases a rare moment of harmony in the otherwise contentious State Street promenade discussions. Mayor Rowse expressed satisfaction with the council’s flexibility, emphasizing the importance of open discussions as a collective body.
As a result, the council has voted to include an item on the agenda each month, allowing for discussions and actions to be taken regarding the interim plans for the State Street promenade.
Simultaneously, councilmembers Kristen Sneddon, Mike Jordan, and Oscar Gutierrez, submitted a memo urging the council to consider several recommendations based on the committee’s previous work. These recommendations include deep cleaning of the State Street Master Plan Project Area, designating at least two pedestrian-only blocks, reducing the speed limit to 15mph, involving the Historic Landmarks Committee in design decisions, and allowing one-way drop-offs near The Granada Theatre on show days.
All of these recommendations fall under the council’s jurisdiction and could be implemented promptly to enhance safety, aesthetics, and accessibility in the State Street Master Plan Project Area. The council will now deliberate on these proposals in their upcoming meetings.
With this recent decision, Santa Barbara City Council hopes to move forward with a more inclusive and transparent process, ensuring that all community members have a voice in shaping the future of State Street.
Watch the discussion in the video below beginning at 1:24:06.
Just put State street back to the way it was, with cars and all. This has been a huge failure.
Failure for who? Many many people love it closed to cars.
I too live and work downtown and commute via ebike, skateboard, bicycle and am just beyond frustrated with the city council back peddaling on reopening State Street. Your comment about pedestrians walking against the light is accurate. I had some guy with his stupid pug in tow, sipping his soy latte and staring at his phone, steps off the curb against the light and then got called out after he nearly caused a big collision. Then he thinks he has the game to challenge everyone there on bikes. A cop was passing by, I waived her over. She is a friend of mine and a local traffic officer. Pedestrians stepping off the curb and walking against the light is illegal and also dangerous and it does apply to State Street. Here is something to make things more confusing, since State isn’t considered a street, the crosswalks are defunct. However when the promenade crosses a street, those traffic lights are legit. If the light is green, the flow of people moving in that direction have the right away.
This will upset some of you, and make others laugh, some cheer. Skateboarders are considered pedestrians by state law. 🙂 Enjoy!
@10:25AM Injury rates on State St. have fallen significantly since cars were banned (the street is not “closed”): https://www.independent.com/2023/01/23/cyclists-and-pedestrians-are-safer-on-the-promenade/
I live and work downtown and ride my bike to work. I ride everywhere. For me, it was easier to ride downtown before State Street was closed. Now, riding downtown is like being a pinball in a pinball machine. I have to be more alert especially with pedestrians in the roadway and pedestrians crossing against the light. Not to mention dodging the juveniles on motorized bikes (which were around when State Street was open to cars). I am used to it now.
I think Baby was probably saying it’s a failure for businesses down there, and when they fail left and right everything else follows down the tubes. Walkers and e-bikers that use it as a thoroughfare aren’t contributing anything to the average shop’s ability to pay their leases and employees. If businesses tank it, you’re left with a sad state down there, unless we just want it to be a ‘pathway’ sidelined by deadbeats and boarded up storefronts. That’s my 2c.
“Deadbeats?” – How do you know what the people downtown do for a living or don’t do?
So, to get back on topic… This sounds great. More public input and transparency are always better!
To me, as long as the homeless population is not dealt with, I’m not gonna deal with DT. I don’t need to smell piss, step in poop or have to be on guard while trying to relax and spend my, hard worked for, money.
OGSB – agreed. We have a homeless problem unlike many places I’ve lived and traveled. Solving it is not easy though. We use grants and tax dollars to try to house them, people complain. We do nothing, people complain. First step has to be providing better care for the mentally ill and addict population of homeless. That’s a huge task that, again people will complain about if it involves tax dollars. The cost of healthcare in this country I think plays a large role in the number of untreated people roaming the streets suffering. In countries with universal healthcare, you don’t see this problem.
Sadly, I think we all know how to help them, most people in charge just don’t want to.
OG at 8:01pm – exactly. I’m pretty liberal (surprise) and I agree 100% with you. You’re absolutely right about politicians and corporations. It’s awful. We need to change our collective culture as well and advance from the “me, me, mine” mentality that the American Dream/capitalism has bestowed on us, and strive more for a culture of helping others in order to create a better quality of life for ALL of us. Call it socialism or whatever bogeyman name you want (not you, OGSB, but generally conservative people in general “you”), but helping (ie, allowing your tax dollars to be spent) others who are suffering and in need creates a cleaner place to live. A happier and healthier general public.
Sac- I’m obviously pretty conservative, want smaller government, less spending, and more personal rights. The fact that so many people are suffering from mental illness ( and that includes addiction) is terrible and in the Fed’s purview. There is so much money thrown away by the Fed and still no attention to mental illness. We’re talking about homelessness, but the whole mass shooting thing goes right with it. We need much more spent on adult mental illness, but there is almost nothing for kids. Nothing in SB… gotta go to LA or Bakersfield if you need in-house treatment. It’s not going to get better until some effort is made. The problem is that there are not enough political donations or corporate money to be made on the issue.
@ myself- Political donations to politicians who can do something. Unfortunately the people who serve, won’t unless there is something for them. Just look at our local pot issues.
“And more” – Yeah, I got a few other titles that you’d fit. Look, you keep saying I made things up, but you won’t say so, I have nothing else but to guess. And based on your reasoning ability, awareness/empathy, and apparent lack of medical knowledge as espoused by the very words in your comments, I don’t believe you and likely never will.
Yeah I’m not either. It’s looking like a mess downtown until it’s gets cleaned up. Others can have their walkway/bikeway, lined with homeless, but that’s for them I guess.
The closure of State Street has absolutely been a complete failure for Santa Barbara. I like walking around Ghost Towns wherever they may be, but when you have dozens of empty storefronts something needs to change. State Street was thriving before the pandemic, so there’s no reason to keep it closed. I don’t believe a “hybrid” State Street is going to work. I don’t understand what the issue is to return back to the way it was…..it will cost nearly nothing to do this. If it doesn’t work out, then back to the closure. The sh#@&y looking restaurant bump-outs should be completely removed. If we revert back to a closed State Street, then the parklets (what a stupid name for these things) could be rebuilt in a more robust/permanent manner. The closure severed a purpose m-a-y-b-e, but we have nothing to lose to open the streets back up to the way it was. “Try it! You might like it!”
If State was “thriving before the pandemic,” why has the community-wide discussion, even consensus, been about how empty it was?! Before we discussed State’s condition in terms of the pandemic, we discussed State’s condition in terms of how Amazon had taken over retail.
A loud, vocal group all pushing for the same thing is not a consensus. Amazon has taken over online shopping, NOT in person retail. While some concepts have faded and others adjusted, in person retail remains strong, has seen year over year growth, and has bounced back from the covid lockdowns considerably.
This absolutely ridiculous. How much “sh-t of get off the pot” can taxpayers be expected to take?
The experiment is a failure. So easy to admit it, reverse out the bad decision, and if Government needs to spend our money have it subsidize the first year of rents for some businesses that actually serve locals. As for the homeless, arrest people who break the law and let them get their “mental health care” in a prison where they can dry out and get off drugs.
You’ve either never read a single comment here of ours or you really don’t understand English. Betting on the latter.
Or we can go the status quo route here endorsed by Alex, Sac, and angry Marcel – where we keep voting ultra liberal and hoping (praying?) something new materializes?
“arrest people who break the law”
Sedition especially, mule lady.
LUCKY777 – That’s just awful. You have any idea how ill equipped prison mental health facilities are? And what crimes do you think the homeless are committing and getting away with that they can just be swept up in arrests and hauled to prison? They arrest homeless all the time for actual crimes. But no, you can’t just go around mentally ill homeless and letting the prison system help them. Jesus, have a heart.
Lucky, if you want to manufacture hardcore criminals by the thousands then you should arrest as many people as possible and put them in a violent population where they will becomes even more desensitized to violence and learn new criminal skills to put to work when they get out.
Allowing cars back on State St. will NOT improve the businesses. The parking lots are accessed on Chapala and Anacapa. The demise of the downtown retail businesses are more associated with improving ease, comfort and confidence of the internet. (To say nothing of the covid fiasco.)
Retail store closures are not unique to Santa Barbara, this is a national/world wide issue. Allowing cars on State St. will not increase the foot traffic for the businesses. The businesses need to modernize their marketing and understand the influence of technology and internet.
Google the major retail store shutdowns over the past 10+ years – Macys, Sears, Walmart etc – Bed Bath & Beyond is now Overstock.com. – jeezers, do your research on why walkin retail is fading. – it is NOT bacause of no cars on State St.
SBWalkers, i work in a retail shop on State, we are always busy. A lot of customers every day in and out and our $$ is good. I don’t think your post is very accurate. Also, i’ve been here since 1982 and I assure you, we were WAY busier in retail in the 80s/90s/2000s than now. A lot of this isn’t Amazon.com. This is land owners controlling State. Closed doors for decades downtown, and the city allows it. DECADES. Quadrupling peoples rent, keeping it shuttered and using it as a right off is what has happened to State. Plenty of retail here, but it’s crap. It’s not what people want to shop for so they go online. Put a Sears, Macys, Radio Shack, downtown again and it will get business.
BABY – really? So is it progressive and “forward thinking” to imprison mentally ill and addicted homeless people instead of treating and helping them?
I am baffled that anyone would suggest imprisoning a person only because they had mental and/or drug problems. Personally, I think it best to offer these folks the care they need and deserve. That is simply doing the right thing and has nothing at all to do with being progressive. Maybe do some volunteer work if you truly want to know what is going on versus being told or reading or watching TV for that info. Volunteer my friends if you really want to help.
BASIC – what is it, exactly, that you think BABY said? Are you agreeing with his/her support of LUCKY’s proposal to effectively limit mental health care for the homeless to the prison system? I know you feel they’re all “deadbeats,” while defending murderers as being “mentally ill,” so I’m curious what your thoughts are on providing much needed help to those poor souls living with such issues on our streets.
Well said Baby. Let’s see if City Hall has any ba-ls to get their act together. It’s always going to be a problem with ultra-clueless liberals who keep voting to do nothing but the status quo, which has been going Drain-O mode for quite sometime.
BABY – nice twist there. No one said that. Your “pal in progression,” LUCKY said we should “let them get their “mental health care” in a prison.” Prison “mental health care” is an oxymoron and a cruel thing to suggest for those suffering and in need of real help.
Opening State Street back up to vehicle traffic will definitely improve business in the downtown area. Milpas is not shut down….thriving. Hollister through Old Town Golet is not shut down…..thriving (I think there is only one empty storefront between Kellogg and Fairview). Downtown Palo Alto not shut down….thriving. Downtown Mountain View not shut down….thriving. Downtown Carmel….same. Downtown Santa Cruz….mismo. Los Gatos….gangbusters. La Jolla….looking very good. Linden Ave. in Carp….one or two empty spots, but otherwise doing very well. DT SLO town….yep, doing well. Paso Robles….oh yeah.
So, I can go on all day with examples of cities/towns that have their own “State Street” that is not and/or was not shut down because….there was no reason whatsoever to shut down. I’m all for eco-friendly places, transportation, clean air, clean water, and so on, but SB is following the San Francisco model: Doom Loop. Just have a look….it’s not a place that resembles anything like it did in the past and does not look like it’s getting any better.
I’m with my fellow forward/parallel thinkers and reality heroes Lucky777 and BigUglyStick on this one. It’s not “progressive” to go backwards and create a worse place for the majority of us locals.
cool
they have wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring consultants, designers, engineers, architects. All ideas shunned. they have made committees, subcommittees, meetings, etc. The word was, we will reopen State street once the COVID restrictions are lifted. Here we are two years later, floudering, flip flopping, arguing.
Open the Street back up. This is just lame and a HUGE waste of time and money and other resources. Also, why are we spending $11 MILLION on a state street improvement for the underpass when Castillo is a wreck???