April 22, 2026
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April 10, 2021
It was another $80 million week in closings (and that's just the properties over $3 million). See what sold and for how much, including two Picacho Lane estates, a Hope Ranch architectural statement, a midcentury with potential, and a Lower Riviera charmer.
April 9, 2021
Plus: Gorjana jewelry shop has opened in Montecito; Highway 1 repairs to be completed by April 30; aquarium store Aquatic Jewels opening imminently; price cut and renderings for semi-finished estate; tours of the San Marcos Foothills; book of movie recommendations from the Santa Barbara International Festival; the State Street Advisory Committee seeks members.
April 8, 2021
Know where this photo was taken? Prove it in the comments. [Updated with the answer.]
Other recent news: More on the ongoing closure of the Biltmore; Santa Barbara Unified School District to fully reopen; Goleta’s Storke Plaza to get redone; interview with former mayor Sheila Lodge; residents use stimulus money to plant community garden.
April 7, 2021
More food news: Old Town Coffee has expanded inside and out; lunch at Revolver; Sanders & Sons Gelato has opened in Ojai; Santa Barbara Vintners Spring Weekend postponed till next spring; outpost of Jersey Mike's coming to Goleta.
April 6, 2021
Other recent news: Santa Barbara County isn't moving to the orange tier yet; California set a reopening date (but the mask mandate will continue); Dennis Miller bought across the street from the house he sold to Ellen DeGeneres for $49 million; the story of Canon Perdido.
Also new to market this week: Hope Ranch chateau; 1923 Spanish Colonial Revival with locationitis; lots of mountain views; when minimalism gets weird; the first sighting of a Tesla roof; an attempt to flip an uninspired house; and many more.
April 5, 2021
"A new fence is going up at the Santa Barbara High School baseball field. Does that mean no more dog walkers and picnickers?" —T.
Or email [email protected] to be manually added.
From an AI search, this was an interesting summary of pedestrian zone success rates: Most cities that "restreeted" their pedestrian zones have experienced a positive… — Curtis
Talk to retail brokers, they will tell you. Whether the retailers are right or wrong about it doesn't matter, that's predominantly their position. SB is… — Jefferson A.
Show me 5-10 retailers willing to open on state if the street was open and you’ll change my mind. Unfortunately no one can show that.… — Eric
Well said. Take the example of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and sunken gardens built by visionaries at a considerable expense at the time (and… — Hugh M
I agree. I saw 2 people urinating on State St. One at night and one in the middle of the day. Unbelievable. Where are the… — Lisa
"While there’s an argument to be made that any tenant is better than an empty storefront, and big retail spaces face immense challenges these days,… — Jefferson A.
How many in your friend group own or work at a customer facing business downtown? — Jefferson A.
The downmarket trend of Santa Barbara has been happening for decades. The city sold its soul to tourism years ago and the results are a… — Sam Tababa
State Street is just returning to its original form. Before the Verizon lease deal that changed the landscape of State, it was just a street… — Erin
The promenade is a failure because the homeless numbers there increased so much there and businesses closed during the pandemic. It seems to be slowly… — Kerry
Recent Comments
From an AI search, this was an interesting summary of pedestrian zone success rates: Most cities that "restreeted" their pedestrian zones have experienced a positive… — Curtis
Talk to retail brokers, they will tell you. Whether the retailers are right or wrong about it doesn't matter, that's predominantly their position. SB is… — Jefferson A.
Show me 5-10 retailers willing to open on state if the street was open and you’ll change my mind. Unfortunately no one can show that.… — Eric
Well said. Take the example of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and sunken gardens built by visionaries at a considerable expense at the time (and… — Hugh M
I agree. I saw 2 people urinating on State St. One at night and one in the middle of the day. Unbelievable. Where are the… — Lisa
"While there’s an argument to be made that any tenant is better than an empty storefront, and big retail spaces face immense challenges these days,… — Jefferson A.
How many in your friend group own or work at a customer facing business downtown? — Jefferson A.
The downmarket trend of Santa Barbara has been happening for decades. The city sold its soul to tourism years ago and the results are a… — Sam Tababa
State Street is just returning to its original form. Before the Verizon lease deal that changed the landscape of State, it was just a street… — Erin
The promenade is a failure because the homeless numbers there increased so much there and businesses closed during the pandemic. It seems to be slowly… — Kerry