I agree. I think for a lot of younger tourists the funk zone has taken over from lower state. I don’t go to either especially in the summer, but last night third window Brewery was packed with young, old and families. It’s the kind of place that people like to go to now-casual, great food and interesting beer and wine selections.
Will Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley offer VEGAN options at ANY of their events?
Checking to see if Mattei's Outstanding in the Field Event will provide VEGAN options, but I doubt it since they basically offer zero acceptable vegan dishes at their restaurant and tavern (salad, avocado toast, and buffalo cauliflower doesn't cut it).
Anybody else disappointed at the lack of vegan options in SYV?? For now, I'm sticking with the farm stands and farmer's market, but it would be nice to go out and enjoy an organic plant-based dish. Shout out to Nella's who has been the only restaurant IMO that politely and professionally curates high quality vegan modifications here in the Valley.
State retail has been in decline for years before Covid. Not sure why people want to drive on State st again. Everyone still parks in the same places they did before the closure and if anything it increases foot traffic. Retail closing is another issue and grappling with e-commerce is what retailers have to worry about these days. Covid taught as all how to buy online.
Lots of naysayers here for something that is in the embryonic stages. And, why does the City get the brunt of ire when the City has little or no control over market forces, property ownership in and around State St, or changes in how people shop or commute? While having more housing along or beside the State St corridor is desirable (let’s accept the fact that Goleta has been providing Santa Barbara’s housing needs for decades) the fact is that due to current height restrictions it’s hard to get these projects to pencil-out even when the City does away with parking requirements. Whether you like it or not, Santa Barbara’s main economic engine is and always has been tourism. Thousands of visitors make their way up State Street from the beach every year, encountering the 400 block as the gateway to Old Town (Downtown). Not an inviting block! I am going to stay open-minded at this point; see how our planning staff and the City’s consultant respond to public comment and give us something most of us (not everyone will be happy with the final plan) can get behind.
I cannot help but wonder a few things:
So are we planting a full grown canopy of trees or do we have to wait for them to grow and mature?
Will someone hose this place down frequently and remove trash?
Where's the proof there is demand for businesses to fill in all these blocks? Will State Street rent go down with all of these improvements?
What makes this safe, desirable to hang out, have your kids roll around on bouncy mountains, when someone may have lost all their tequila after rolling out of Sandbar.
Will there be police presence? Maybe not seen or authoritarian-like, but readily available and ensuring safety?
Will free public parking be extended to a long amount of time, so we can enjoy these blocks?
Will there be transportation (like electric trolleys) to and fro from the neighborhoods we live in? Or do we all have to jump on our electric bikes and scooters to get there?
Is there a city fund to actually encourage entrepreneurship and provide resources for businesses to thrive with sound business plans and training?
Is there a fund for the artists who are contributing to this? Can those artists afford rent, food, basics? Will those artists ever visit the place they create art for?
Who is this for?
We always sit on the downstairs patio when we go to SYR. It’s my favorite spot and as beautiful as any patio I’ve ever sat on for dining.
Agree100%
I see improvement from the original, namely the meander in the Arts and Core district, which I support. I didn’t see the library plaza expansion as part of this, though it makes sense. I don’t see why lower state has to be so uniform, I get that they want to be fair but it’s chaotic now and this does nothing to make it less so in that zone. I still want to see more planting areas and fountains, not interactive water play which is very expensive and makes that area unusable due to necessary grading, too specific and Lord no! We don’t want an LA plaza look, this needs an Andalusian feel.
Farrow & Ball has a color called Dead Salmon that looks similar to that bathroom.
I agree that we should take a look elsewhere to see what is working. I like Santana Row in San Jose. One night, while dining outside and looking at beautiful flowers, we watched a dog training class. Twelve dogs were learning to have nice manners while walking the Row. In Seattle an empty gallery invited 18 artists to create an indoor miniature golf course. There were lights and pulleys and imagination. Kids could participate until 9 P.M. and then wine and beer were sold. The cost was $5. On South Beach I was able to watch ballerinas practice while having a glass of wine. It is nice to both participate and watch others participate if you don't choose to.
Terrible idea.
Take a look at 8th St in Holland, MI for an example and……
…..Open the street to one way traffic downhill, diagonal parking one or both sides with 15 minute parking for business customers loading and unloading, reduce the bulky vegetation, leave the trees, reduce the restaurant outside eating areas and install uniform “parklet” railings.
Enforce no cycling, skateboards etc. on sidewalks and paint two-way cycle path on one side of State. Prohibit no panhandling rules.
Stores will revive, restaurants will bleat but their customers will be there and probably increase. With a clean, accessible State Street downtown will improve dramatically and we can stop wasting money on consulting companies.
About that private beach access way... if you have to 'ask' it isn't legal. Only vested trails prior to the Coastal Act are permitted. If you have to 'uncover' it that means you've lost the right. Maintain and repair is the name of the game.
I beg to differ. The wine of Santa Barbara Winery by Lafond is not good at all. A sub-par wine at best.
State was a much stronger retail experience before the street closure. SB has incredible parks and a great amount of them so why would families go downtown to endless patios and paseos for recreation? I raised my family here and that is just not realistic. SB is a relatively small town and this thinking of endless patios and paseos is not a good use of space. The city will not be able to afford this work for one and retailers continue to leave State given the environment attracting more homeless. Open the street to vehicles and improve what were already large side walks and patios. This reimagine shutdown thing has been so damaging to commerce downtown as a whole as seen by the significant vacancy which is higher than other coastal communities in CA
Looking forward to 'moments of joy' will it be free?
Hotel Californian
1801 State Street, corner of Islay and State.
The name alone- the good reputation and years of sales with built in sales if you can keep the wine making under
control
A new swimming pool was approved recently in 2014 for 3425 sea ledge lane.
That Cliff drive home was built in 1971 with a value of $100,000 and is assessed today at $233,492. The owners paid $2454 in tax last year. The new owners, if purchased at its listing price, will pay approx. $160k a year in taxes. The property is assessed by the county at $8,000,000.
If appreciation continued at this rate (10% a yr), it will be valued north of $1,700,000,000 (yes, that's billions) in another 50 years...
Nothing about this situation is equitable.
Thank you for the additional information and context. I'm inclined to agree with you, especially re: demolition of existing established businesses in order to build yet another hotel. I'd personally love to see more housing here, and to keep the Press Room.
The planning committing is only pushing for the housing development because SIMA pulled their initial plan on the pretense their profit margins would be higher with a hotel versus an apartment complex. Of course a business owner wants to make as much money as possible, but their pitch to the planning committee is that a hotel is better for the community, which is clearly not the case. The planning commission is not suggesting it should be a housing project out of thin air, but rather stating that the original plan is a better fit for our community than the new proposed hotel. Santa Barbara does not need another hotel when Drift, Santa Barbara Hotel, and the Canary are all in walking distance and have a plethora of vacancies. Based on SIMA's stance that this project is "better for the community", they should also not be proposing demolishing long standing businesses such as the Press Room, a community centered legend of a pub.
It's cute someone is bringing back the Santa to Santa Claus lane. I miss the funkiness of the old one that was relocated to Ventura.
As for the hotel/housing issue: maybe I'm just not interpreting the story correctly, but it seems incredibly unfair and convoluted that the planning commission can just suddenly decide any given project should be housing, versus a hotel. They've approved hotels and STRs all over the city recently so this feels arbitrary. And forcing developers to include a % of units as "affordable" does nothing but discourage them to build it at all, hence many of the applications for hotel projects. Ugh.
Are you serious Bettye! Have you been there as a tourist? It’s a thriving community that yes relies on tourists…isn’t that what Santa Barbara also thrives on. It’s a model that State Street would benefit from instead of pushing people away. We need tourism.
To your point, I’m very curious about the economic development aspect. How can a plan support local businesses opening on State Street in a way that is mutually beneficial to the owners? What is getting in the way and how do we ‘fix the bureaucracy,’ as stated below.
As for bicycles and pedestrians, a clear definition of rules, where bikes go, when they yield, is essential. State Street has really become a wonderful bike path but there are no rules.
