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 police on floor patrol?
"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, I’m not sure this counts as a win for that block, one of the better ones on the promenade "
National retailers, the only ones really capable of taking on such a large space, don't want to open on a street closed to traffic, certainly not one in such limbo as ours. So this is what we get. Personal feelings on the promenade may vary, particularly those who love a leisurely bike ride down State without actually conducting meaningful commerce, but that's how actual businesses are looking at State Street - which is supposed to be our "commercial" core.
How many in your friend group own or work at a customer facing business downtown?
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 steady decline in quality and value. When you appeal to the lowest common denominator, you end up with the lowest common denominators.
Meanwhile, CVR is thriving as retail and restaurants want to be where the money and the vibes live (yes I know CVR is technically under the rule of SB, but is it really?). Regardless of its overlords, the market responded accordingly.
The reality is the demographics of the avg SB resident does not warrant an investment in high end anything. Santa Barbara is a city full of low income immigrants, low income students and multi generational mediocrity. The money is in the peripheral, not downtown and the market has responded to this fact.
The only way out of this mess is to grow the incomes and job base downtown by offering businesses an opportunity to build here. Rising tides lift all boats! But there is nothing more antithetical to the people who run SB than economic growth via business and good old fashioned innovation. Instead, they want to give away more and more while taking in less and less. Your money, your town, their feelings…
The pathway is to foster startups and provide professional entities a foothold. Offer them free rent, offer them tax incentives, anything to start up and build something here. We need a path for the thousands of highly educated and capable graduates that our area produces every year to stay here. To grow a family here. To build a community. To earn a living here. To be able to afford to live here!
But instead of seeding the future, building long term viability, the city panders to tourism and its low skilled low wage service jobs and promotes reduction in services, tax increases and fee adjustments as a path!
So, yes, State St will continue to slide downmarket as 99c stores, funny socks and t-shirts, vintage clothing and cheap beer/ wine are what the market actually supports. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
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 filled with mostly resale shops and thrift stores. If landlords might worry about their property valuations they might need to look within and see the impact of their own hand on their demise.
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 improving with increased security and SM trying to entice businesses back with allowing open carry on the promenade, which many aren’t happy about.
Seth, a lot of us wanted and still want the promenade. Just because the people you know don’t doesn’t mean your thinking is universal.
Same. In my friend and work groups, this is mostly well received.
Sea Change was a very good album and anything in that direction is welcome.
If Dina's involved, it will be lovely!
right behind the beach house, next to the Segway rental place?
I pulled up to Funk Zone South Coast Deli at 11am and was surprised to find a few parking spots in the lot. Since I work in the FZ I know parking enforcement is like the Carrillo location. . . hardly any enforcement. Yellow & Red zones are more like, "Parking for those running in to pick up." I got my Cobb salad to go but the inside and outdoor patio are really nice.
You need to talk to more locals. I have some little squabbles with the plan but mostly love it.
The original farmers market on Coast Village Road is pretty limited, so I see Monte’s as being value additive. I’m more likely to shop at both now, than I was to go shop at the 5-6 stands at the original
Try Gracie's Rockfish tacos!
What happened to The Well??
LOVE Gracie’s!
I'm conflicted about Monte's having a farmer's market on the same day as the original farmers market.
This plan is classic Santa Barbara. Trying to please everyone everywhere at all times. TPEET if you will. It's cool that everyone and every voice matters. But sometimes you have to say no to someone. There is one easy way to simplify this plan: Just re-route the bikes. I say this as someone who loves to bike. (And I say this with the idea of making an adjacent street truly bike friendly with bike parking.)
I think if you want a vibrant and safe street, there is no choice. La Rambla does not allow bikes but even if they did, it's so busy they could not possibly ride down the street. This should be the goal, to make State street crowded - with people. Start with the goal and then work backwards is much easier than trying to stuff every possible experience into less than one mile of one small street.
Spot on.
Ah, the "if we build it, they will come" approach.... since when is spending $100M on "a hope" a wise decision?
Agree on Gracie’s… always just a lovely experience.
Exactly. All aboard!
State Street Master Plan …. A long term visioning document to revitalization of downtown over the next 20-30 years.
Architectural Salvage in the 700 block of Anacapa Street?
