CityofSantaBarbara
By the City of Santa Barbara
Crews have started work to bring a beautiful cultural space back to Shoreline Park.
In 1997, a traditional torii gate and Japanese garden were installed in Shoreline Park to honor Santa Barbara’s sister city, Toba, Japan. Though the gate still stands, marking the entrance to the Shoreline Steps leading to the beach below, much of the garden was lost over the years due to increased canopy cover from overhead eucalyptus trees and water restrictions from the ongoing drought.
The City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department is working in partnership with local neighborhood groups, including Our Neighborhood Mesa Inc (OMNI), to return elements of the original design using landscaping better suited for the shady, low-water conditions and bring a beautiful cultural space back to Shoreline Park.
The restoration of the Torii Gate Japanese Garden will happen in two phases. Phase 1 will focus on regrading areas where the garden elevations have changed over time, relocating boulders that have shifted, relocating the irrigation system, and addressing soil compaction in planting areas. Phase 2 will focus on the installation of new plants.
This project is funded by donations made through OMNI.
Honestly, this spot is perfectly fine as it is – ask any local. And this is how we become a nation of debt. Keep hiring designers, consultants – keep paying City Staff to sit around and meet to discuss how best to do this or that. Our City is so damn inefficient. Whatever money they are spending on this would be better used elsewhere.