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Photo: Paul Wellman

Setback for SB Waterfront Makeover

Rising Materials Cost Overshadows $2.1 Million Fund for Project


Tuesday, March 25, 2008
By Nick Welsh (Contact)
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(Above photo: A Cabrillo Art Walk vendor demonstrates the logistics of unloading wares at the current waterfront.)

At first, plans to give the city’s waterfront a facelift seem to have suffered a serious set-back due to the rapidly rising cost of steel, concrete, and other construction materials. The merchants who make the waterfront their home let members of the Santa Barbara City Council know they weren’t happy about this. Under consideration are plans to improve the lighting, walkways, landscaping, and parking lots by the harbor. While plans remain—as does the $2.1 million in funding—the money seemingly would not go not go far enough. City staff disputed this claim, however, noting that the housing market slump has caused the cost of construction to lower. Meanwhile, the city approved a contract to rebuild the sidewalk running from Stearns Wharf to Calle Cesar Chavez. While everyone agreed the sidewalk was in need of repair, many of the Sunday arts and craft show vendors have complained that the new and improved sidewalk will include planter boxes that will make it much harder for them to load and unload their wares. From the city's perspective, the complaints against the project stem more from the fact that affected people are irritated that the $2.1 million available for the project will only cover construction — not landscape maintenance.

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I Know, I know, but it's very interesting to me to see the city spend huge amounts of beutifacation monies on projects like sidewalk repair on Chase Palm Park, and then add in planter boxes at who knows what cost in lew of education funds and teachers salaries.... It seems to me the City has lost touch as to what its real priorities are, especially when it comes to how it spends it's money and the School Budget! ... But yeah, lets make it wonderful for those day-trippers from LA and Oxnard.

peterdcal (anonymous profile)
March 26, 2008 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I haven't been at any of the hearings, but only hear that the artists complain about loading and unloading. I spend a lot of time at the art show, and can say that the idea of planter boxes is unrealistic for other reasons too. During the weekends, the sidewalk can become quite crowded. Often pedestrians end up in the current dirt planter areas, sometimes unintentionally - they trip, are pushed, or there are just so many people, that's the only place left to go. There is just not enough room for planters AND a sidewalk, unless they plan on widening the sidewalk into the current grass area. I also think planters make unloading ANY vehicle more unsafe (not just inconvenient for the artists). If there are fewer places to get from the street to the sidewalk that will mean that people getting out of vehicles will be in the street longer, with children, strollers, belongings, etc. walking along the sides of their cars to find a way between the planters. I also can't quite understand why we think we are forced to do this simply because they was a plan from a long time ago, therefore, it is 'historical'. Plans are not historical. They are simply ideas they didn't get done. Leave Cabrillo as it is. Make a better, safer, wider sidewalk ALL THE WAY to the street. Forget about planters. Who needs to improve the view, for Heaven's sake? We've got palm trees, ocean, beach, and islands. I don't think it gets any better than that!

SBMermaid (anonymous profile)
March 27, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

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