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?
Santa Bárbara is killing its Golden Goose by closing State Street and making it a refuge for homeless, and teenage e-bikers. It’s dirty and smells like urine. Parking lots and walkways are dark and don’t feel safe. Vacancies are up, rents down, sales tax revenue down, parking revenue down. Meantime Carpinteria, Montecito, Milpas, Goleta, and Upper State are doing well. This isn’t complicated. The answers are right there.
Love it. I think there should be a fund-raising campaign which would include not only building this out, but dedicated funds for keeping in clean and safe.
If the city stops dreaming that this is a place for tourists, then it will fail. That thinking is what made Santa Barbara what it was and what it is.
I do not see Conde Naste suggesting we all go to Victorville for a vacation. I do not see Travel & Leisure suggesting that we all go to Bakersfield for that incredible experience.
Tourism has a huge direct and indirect impact on the city. All the tourists support the restaurants, the hotels, the tours, etc.
Your argument about places to shop is interesting. Why did Nordstrom, Macy's, Sears, Borders, Bloomingdale's, etc. all depart? Start thinking bigger picture, and you will see that it has more to do with ecommerce taking over than location. These stores did not just close in Santa Barbara. Retail is a dying business. People are demanding warehouse level of different products and are ok with getting it the next day. Heck, some are even doing what I am doing. Walmart now delivers to Santa Barbara same day. Imagine that . . . I no longer need to drive down to Ventura to purchase what I usually purchase from them. And before you go off on that, there are products that they sell that local stores do not.
I will agree, with a slight twist, that cities are not businesses in the sense that they should not generate profits. But they are a business in that they provide services citizens demand, and to support that, they need income. If you want fewer services, then, sure, they can be more of what you want.
„ you know the ones that made this town what it was BEFORE“
Interesting - so that means those are also the ones who ruined it, right?
Why are people so afraid of „others“ who want to invest their money here… the only dreamers are the people thinking anything changes with this mindset.
The world is not black and white… i enjoy the influence of new streams, ideas and people who came to this town…
I would not bother with any of this until the city decides to take homelessness seriously. People sleeping all over state street this morning. It does not need to be this way.
It seems like nearly all the new restaurants have out-of-town proprietors… Hopefully they’ll be successful and support local causes.
Why didn't you take a better close-up photo of that Rattlesnake?
This is absolute rubbish. Who decided we should turn State Street into a bike lane? We are in a budget shortfall. This is crazy town.
The facelift worked for the Funk Zone, and it "could" work here but it's a serious, near $100m gamble. State Street is is in dire need for something "to make it work", and opening the streets obviously isn't the answer. I've seen comparisons to 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, which these plans resemble, but 3rd St is going through the exact same issue as State. Online shopping, homelessness, and not enough places to visit on this section of State on a leisurely afternoon are the issues. The unique mom and pop shops can't afford it and opening a restaurant along that stretch is almost always guaranteed financial suicide. A facelift is a step in the right direction for the filthy, urine smelling sidewalks and greasy asphalt. If this goes through, there's still a LOT of work to do in order to make this the bustling street it once was.
I welcome a new place, but love Bettina!
It's true there is no money for this. None. Maybe there are some funds in D.C. Salud could tap into, but this broke little seaside town certainly doesn't have the funds. Lots of money available for a new freeway evidently to bring people here. But what's here for them when they arrive? It's a nice dream at this point. I don't see all the fuss about the plans. The current set up of walking and riding on a street made for cars isn't very appealing. Going back is rarely the way forward. I don't see how cars on the street help, if there is no parking on same street. And if you are dining on the street and a car idles nearby waiting for a light, or a loud motorcycle comes along, how is that pleasant or a reason to return? This should not be a cruise zone. That makes no more sense than letting e-bikes go 25mph or pull wheelies amidst confused pedestrians in an ill defined and liminal zone between two sides of a street which they (walkers) are contemplating crossing at a given time. It's broke and needs fixin'. But so is the city. How to figure this one out. Despite my histrionics and light cynicism, I do sense the street is slowly fixing itself by the uncoordinated efforts of private enterprise, non-profits and educational centers (UCSB, Westmont, Film Festival, Music Academy) who are planting themselves downtown. It's ground up that will likely work here, not top down. I gave up on the top down method a while back due to a lack of leadership, successful policies or planning. Over time, things could reboot, expenses brought under control, tax receipts increasing. So maybe in 10-15 years we see a new street, what it may be. Meanwhile, let's dream and discuss but keep cool heads and be open. Oh, if a local billionaire or two steps up that could speed things up. But I'm not sure they care about the plight of the town. They seem to want less activity, not more. Hope they prove me wrong. I have nothing against smarts and success, but please share it a bit. You can't take it with you but you can leave something wonderful behind. It's what has made Santa Barbara what it is.
Thank you.
laughable ideas with associated costs= ridiculous!
I like it. But please control the e-bikes.
Just put State Street back the way it was before the Pandemic!!! It functioned well. Look at the Santa Monica Promenade, a total failure. People don't need to walk in the middle of the street, we already have sidewalks on either side.
