What a mess State Street has become. Bring it back to what it once was.....yep, cars driving up and down, people on the sidewalks. Even parking on the street. Who cares of the tourists like it. Locals might even enjoy their town again.
As this post appeared the day after the presentation and the opportunity to give public comment - how does one comment to the city/MIG at this point?
There are so many issues with State Street but being closed to traffic does not appear to be one of them. I ride my bike or walk everyday on State Street and think about it’s issues daily. I hear young entrepreneurs in the Farmers Market talk about how high the rent is. Big box stores with little inventory are one problem- Lack of local businesses another. When Abbott Kinney in Venice was falling apart one saw a lot of local pop up stores- which brought in more businesses- but of course now it’s very unaffordable and useless to residents. How do we make renting storefronts to local businesses mutually beneficial?
There has to be an out-of-the-box economic plan to accompany these scenarios-to house workers (which I believe is in the overall plan amd in the pipeline), to serve all abilities, ages, cultures and incomes of the local community. It’s wonderful to see how many people use it daily as opposed to before the streets were closed but I think we need to see how different abled people access stores, how people park or where, and how local entrepreneurship can be fostered.
I see an opportunity for Santa Barbara to break boundaries and create a new model for downtowns but we need full inclusion.
AMA’s prix fixe menu is so confusing and with so many different permutations possible, it makes no sense. Plus you can also still order off the menu at the end. Either make it a fixed menu, or allow a la carte.
Fwiw, we would spend more on their a la carte menu than we did with this. And I also felt we ended up ordering dishes we typically would not have ordered. Overall, we are disappointed in this change and the confusing options took away from our meal. I hope they reconsider.
Wow! Anybody with vision?! You have an opportunity to make this a feature-like Main Street at disneyland! 0r Olivera Street! Or a charming Boardwalk! Something people will want to go to not just a solution for sidewalk eating. Where’s the charm? Please put in a trolley! It’s a way for us to get around and it is charming! Where’s the greenery?! It’s either these renderings or you’ve confused the project with a prison play yard! We need Walt or Curuso to design this! Thinking caps guys and for Gods sake some creativity! Yes I feel strongly. I see what you’re approving in developments and am concerned. If the town doesn’t remain quaint we have lost the main thing our review boards before have fought so hard to keep.
So, while very pretty... this isn't a plan for the citizens of Santa Barbara. And, I think this city plan is flawed because it requires even more imported spending (through tourism) with no accommodation for the additional low-to-medium income workers needed to support that additional influx of tourism.
It seriously makes me wonder:
1) What else would have to change to allow your general population the discretionary income (and discretionary time) to utilize such a place and linger here?
2) Otherwise, visiting State Street will continue to be an occasional meetup with friends at a restaurant or a quick pop-in to a specific store, or a Saturday visit to the Farmer's Market vendors — JUST LIKE NOW — How does this street not appear empty with failed retail and full of homelessness without increasing the demand for bridal showers and weekend birthdays from LA, frugal cruise shippers, and out-of-town spenders to accommodate all of the retail and hotel space?
3) So clearly not State Street, the real question is: Where is the city's 'main' street for its citizens?
Where do the additional restaurant servers, cooks, hotel staff, bartenders and retail shop workers AND small business owners live? (Upper State? Goleta? Ventura?) Or will there be economic incentives for 'boroughs' like De La Vina, Milpas, Mesa, etc., to better accommodate the actual citizens of the city to live, shop and linger? Because otherwise, it'll all be much of the same for the people who are not super wealth and not super broke — we buy groceries in Goleta, we sometimes linger hang out on Coast Village Road or even Summerland, and quite honestly, sometimes driving from spot to spot is a hassle, so we just stay in or BBQ in our backyard or in our apartment building's shared space.
It's sad, but I think this is being built for visitors not the citizens or true culture of Santa Barbara.
Totally agree. I've never seen any real effort to clean it up - to a degree that every one, tourists and locals alike, would want to go there.
State Street is no longer a multi-generational destination. It is catering to the young, athletic, able bodied, and social (not necessarily spending $ either). Encourage pedestrian activity at Paseo Nuevo (an actual promenade) and focus more on retail business (they've been ignored). Think visibility of businesses. Don't ignore the needs of all residents, senior citizens and less physically able people who can walk shorter distances, but not the entire length of the "promenade" (which is what I recently did to locate a hat store). How will consumers transport purchased goods to their cars? Currently, I prefer to shop elsewhere to avoid the multifaceted hassle of dealing with State St. Follow examples of successful historic downtown districts elsewhere. Clean up State Street. Really. (this has never been done in earnest). And open it up to cars.
Curbs are necessary if you ever have horse-drawn carriages again. Viva la Fiesta!
Agree with Papa Jerry. Leave it alone. The plans look like a jumbled mess.
Hopefully the New Mexican place will open soon and have some of the same dishes as Corazon in the public market. He did that at the short lived place in the funk zone (the Project?) and it was nice to get some of our Corazon favorites in a less hectic environment then the SBPM. Same when Empty Bowl opened their Montecito branch (RIP)-always felt like the rebranding was confusing for customers. Maybe just keep the same name!
It’s the alleyway between State Street and Lot 11, on the North wall of Institution Ale.
Leave State St. alone and open it back up, if anything put on street parking back and you will see State St. liven back up, I can’t believe we paid those so called consultants a bunch of money to come up with those three stupid options, what a big waste of our money !
516 State St. on the north side of the building.
Holy…for those that are not familiar with Clark’s, this is a huge addition. This is no gaudy scene where people will be plastic and post photos. The combo of Clark’s and the fresh seafood of SB makes this a rare spot worth driving from Montecito to SB for a night out!
The city has its role in revitalizing State by keep a clean, safe and business friendly environment. It is the private sector that will bring back the area with a quality shopping, dinning experience. With 40 vacant storefront out of 249 currently in this downtown section, how is this going to encourage tenant demand as we continue to see tenants vacate. We are too small of a town to have this much area closed to vehicle traffic and do not need endless outdoor paseos. I'm just not sure this gets the quality tenants that we been losing to open businesses that then create the downtown shopping experience we are lacking.
Amazing hostility. Seek help and turn off your TV.
I mean… Scenario 1 by far, amirite comment section?
Not what I wish for at all Your snark is misplaced It is simply the repeated pattern here and in my profession I witnessed a lot of bankruptcies foreclosures and sad wreckage
Kim, if people are buying the properties for a particular price, then that is what they are worth. Hoping that the economy will crash so you can "feel" right, is a truly sad and pathetic take on the free market and life at large...
Collective misery is not going to help you overcome all of your life's poor choices. Hoping that people suffer because you were too meek or weak to make the right choices in your life is pitiful.
As the brilliant John Keynes said "Markets will remain irrational far longer than you can remain solvent".
Watching with interest the feeding frenzy of grossly overpriced properties being snapped up by out of t owners, often for all cash in the many millions. When the projected economic downturn , expected to be severe and prolonged, hits these peoples’ cash will be all tied up and they will be stuck with property that will not sell for the inflated prices paid Zits a cycle here No sympathy
Chik Fil A has great food; it’s really unfortunate that their corporate policy is anti LGBTQ+ and anti inclusion of all sorts. Makes it hard to enjoy the food and support the company.
Who the heck is Cate and why does she think she knows anything about the Santa Barbara Airport. Obviously she does not.
I’ll accept your challenge. I’ll see you on the lawn.
It’s Disneyland and this theme park will soon be featuring a tram. It’s all manufactured.
Hmmm I think you may be confused about the terms you are you using here.
According to the Santa Barbara City housing element and the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), the city is already on track to complete our market-rate need for units in the next year.
By the way, "market rate" units are not affordable for "moderate income" residents (which is defined as 120% of median income in the area). Moderate income in our area is up to $84K per year, and middle income (160% AMI) is up to $112K.
Assuming an individual is spending no more than 30% of their income on housing (any more would be defined as "rent burdened"), someone with a moderate income could afford $2100 a month max. Sadly, new market rate units are often renting at $4K-5K for 1 bedrooms.
